God Gave Rock & Roll to You: a History of Contemporary Christian Music with Dr. Leah Payne

God Gave Rock & Roll to You: a History of Contemporary Christian Music with Dr. Leah Payne

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In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Associate National Director of Theology and Education Caleb Maskell talks with Leah Payne about worship music. They discuss the difference between contemporary Christian music (CCM) and contemporary worship and the impact of Vineyard Worship on church music at large. They also talk about how worship music has been used outside of the church, and Leah shares a pastoral word for pastors and worship leaders.

Leah Payne is Associate Professor of American Religious History at Portland Seminary and a 2023–2024 Public Fellow at the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). She holds a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University and her research explores the intersection of religion, politics, and popular culture. Payne is author of God Gave Rock & Roll to You: a History of Contemporary Christian Music (Oxford University Press, 2024), and co-host of Rock That Doesn’t Roll, a Public Radio Exchange (PRX) podcast about Christian rock and its listeners and Weird Religion, a religion and pop culture podcast. Her writing and research has appeared in The Washington Post, NBC News, Religion News Service, and Christianity Today.

Show Notes: 

Register for the 2024 Vineyard USA National Conference: Seed & Soil 

Day of Giving: Seed & Soil 

Vineyard Worship

Leah’s website

God Gave Rock and Roll To You by Leah Payne 

Worshipping With The Anaheim Vineyard by Andy Park, Lester Ruth, and Cindy Rethmeier

Vineyard History and Identity Resources: 

The Way It Was by Carol Wimber 

The Quest For The Radical Middle by Bill Jackson 

Empowered Evangelicals by Rich Nathan and Ken Wilson

“I’m a Fool For Christ”– John Wimber’s testimony