Is Contemporary Christian Music, CCM, Just Secular in Disguise?

Lienor Katas

August 7, 2025

What the Conversation is About

A June 13, 2025, Baptist News Global article highlights the long-standing conflicts between traditional Black gospel music and contemporary Christian music (CCM), which are exacerbated by racial dynamics, commercialization, and political uses of worship music.

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Is CCM Cliché or Justifying Culture?

In order to sell more records and reach a wider audience, CCM is commonly criticized for embracing secular music styles. Leah Payne, an award-winning historian and Theologian noted that CCM has cosmic spiritual significance because evangelical parents have long viewed it as the safest marketing avenue to "save" teenagers. Critics claim that CCM frequently turns into rhetoric rather than truth, a sanitized religion influenced more by business than by more profound doctrine.

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Is CCM Just Secular Music in Disguise?

Some traditionalists contend that CCM borrows the emotional impact of secular music without delving deeper into spirituality by contemporary rhythms like pop, hip-hop, and rock.

"Most CCM can be rejected on the basis of lyrics alone,"

according to one critic, with its shallow theology and secular rhythms that don't reference Jesus.

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What Gospel Still Stands For

Thomas A. Dorsey, an American musician and Christian evangelist, on the other hand, laid the groundwork for Black gospel music, which grew into a true musical expression based on Black worship traditions. According to the study, even as CCM expanded into mainstream markets, the gospel maintained its cultural identity and deeper grounding.

Historically, the Gospel Music Association (GMA) and Dove Awards honored primarily white CCM singers. They have only lately begun to remedy chronic racial exclusion, including the first-ever Black Artist of the Year award as late as 2022 and 2024.

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Latest Reactions & Growing Debate

The story in Baptist News has generated conversation among mainline and christian readers who ask whether worship music has been used for political agendas, particularly in nationalist worship events related to 2024 election campaigns.

Others on social media debate whether CCM; even when faith‑based, is essentially secular pop music recast with spiritual lyrics. Is it masking secular rhythms under a religious guise?
New voices in Christian music, such as those from hip-hop artists like those included by The Gospel Coalition in 2025, are bridging the gap in the meantime, demonstrating that modern styles and genuine gospel expression can coexist.

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Final Take

It may be harsh to refer to CCM as "secular music with Jesus lyrics," but it is not unjustified when popular formulas take precedence over spiritual depth. However, contemporary movements; particularly those led by Black people or artistic Christian acts are redefining spiritual authenticity in ways that go beyond the traditional dichotomies.

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Is Contemporary Christian Music, CCM, Just Secular in Disguise?