At the crossroads

Peacock, a Dove Award-winning, Grammy-nominated musician with two decades of industry experience, tackles a debate that has been raging within the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) community in recent years. Having served as songwriter/recording artist ("Coram Deo," "Everything That's on My Mind"), producer (Margaret Becker, Cheri Keaggy) and eloquent spokesman on Christianity and the arts, Peacock applies these multiple perspectives to his examination of what is now a multimillion-dollar business--and the focus of criticism from those who feel ministry is being neglected or ignored in favor of commercial success. After reviewing the conditions that gave rise to CCM more than 30 years ago and introducing the major issues (the role of music in ministry, lyrical content, general market appeal), Peacock attempts to show that limited and particularized visions of the Christian life have contributed to the industry's failures. As a solution, he proposes a "comprehensive kingdom perspective" that is informed by Scripture and evolves from an artist's commitment to primary (discipleship) and secondary (artistic) callings. Those familiar with Peacock's music will not be surprised by his challenging honesty balanced by a respectful tone. The situation he describes is a true crossroads--one in which artists, record companies and retailers need to make decisions affecting the future direction of CCM--and Peacock's penetrating analysis will provide readers with a firm foundation from which to proceed.