Contemporary Christian MUSIC became my project, again primarily by default. I was not a publisher. I knew nothing about graphics or printing. I knew a little about journalism from my college days, but that was about it. We sold enough advertising to pay for printing the first issue, and we distributed it for free.

We completely copied the format and design of Contemporary Christian ACTS to save money and trouble. Type fonts were the same; the design was the same; and the general format was the same except that instead of sections on “Family,” “Sports” and “Music,” we had sections on “Records,” “Merchandising,” “On the Air” and “Talent.” For the name and logo of the paper (it was printed on newsprint) we simply changed the word “ACTS” to “MUSIC.”

We didn’t intend to name a genre. It was a term of convenience. We just wanted to take advantage of the brand identity that CCA had already established. (Ironically, just a few months after the launch of CCM, CCA ceased publication.) We used the established term “Jesus Music” to describe Christian rock in those early issues. We also covered a lot of Southern and Black gospel. The acronym “CCM” was used only as a nickname for the magazine, never for the music itself.

From the very beginning, our approach was to be honest and treat the music and artists seriously and objectively from a journalistic standpoint. Musically, the contemporary Christian field was just emerging. My view was that in order for us to get the Christian message out to people via music, the music had to be good and its distribution systems (radio and retail) needed to be effective. I thought, perhaps naively, that a magazine could give folks some tools and information that would add to their effectiveness.

I have always viewed contemporary Christian music as a way to connect spiritual life with cultural life. That said, I should point out here that I have never been one to compartmentalize matters of faith, including music. To me, music should not be viewed as “Christian” or “secular.” Music is either good or bad, which takes into account the worldview of the lyrics in addition to the appropriateness and proficiency of the music. Music is not made “good” simply by having faith-based lyrics. As Harold Best, former Dean of Wheaton College’s Conservatory of Music once said on these pages, “Sincerity of heart is never a substitute for excellence, even though far too many Christians hide behind this, excusing mediocrity or defending quick results. As has often been said, holy shoddy is still shoddy.”

From the beginning, our philosophy was similar to the Fox News Channel mantra: “We report, you decide.” Through good reporting, CCM Magazine provided information about artists, labels, albums, tours, radio, etc., that was available nowhere else. While there were a good number of editorials making our case for this issue or that, particularly in the early years, it was generally left to the reader to interpret for themselves what they read. Thus, the magazine presented the good, the bad and the ugly of Christian music with unbiased abandon. Our goal was to make it better.