Michael Crawford

Professor Olivia Rines

UWRT 1101-002
20 April 2015
Gospel Music Genre
Gospel songs and specifically gospel song lyrics can be widely misunderstood. This
paper will help to clarify just what qualifications are needed for a song to be considered to be
gospel. As the journey takes place there will be examples of what has been and is classical gospel
and what is called gospel today. When people hear the word Gospel they perform ideas as to
what they are about to hear and what it will sound like. Songs that make clear reference to God,
Jesus and the Bible are what most people would consider to be Gospel Music. Gospel music is a
popular adaptation of sacred music that has advocated Christian beliefs and encouraged the
practice of Christian ethical principles . . . (Gospel Music - New World Encyclopedia) Gospel
has taken on many different forms over the years. People have their ideas of what gospel music
is today and what many consider to be gospel songs actually are not.
What makes a song Christian is simply the lyrics. (Hill) This statement is only true
when the following line in the article goes with it. The content of what is sung must be
congruent with the principals of God and His Holy Word. (Hill) When these two statements are
said and repeated hand in hand, then the statement is accurate. Gospel music is deeply rooted in
the message that comes through the songs. The lyrics not only tell a story but can be found to
have solid foundational truth in the Word of God, the Bible.

Songs from many years ago were easy to recognize as being gospel by the lyrics and
many times by the title. Songs such as: On Time God by Dottie Peoples and The Old Rugged
Cross by George Bennard left no room to wonder which classification they fell in. These songs
have a clear message in them that anyone who listens to them will hear and relate to. Songs that
are called gospel today have messages that are somewhat hard to find. Some of these songs are
ones like Perfect People by The Walls Group and Sunday Kinda Love by Israel Houghton.
These songs sound nice, and many say they are gospel because the artist who wrote the song or
is performing it is a gospel artist, but the genuine message is questionable.
Gospel songs are known by other names or titles such as Christian, Contemporary and
Worship. Gospel in itself denotes one particular type of music and is classified by many names.
Now Christian music is found in so many different styles it is the only genre of music that is
defined by its lyrical content. (Jones, About entertainment) Gospel music has taken on many
different forms and faces over the years that the generic topic of gospel is no longer adequate for
much of what is heard. It is for this reason that the terminology Gospel is not used as widely
today but words more like contemporary, worship and traditional are what is used.
The listeners of gospel music strive to find ways of being able to share their faith or
belief with others without offending them and without turning them off. Christian music has
gone farther than the church and can be found on radio, TV, in concert halls and at huge rallies
and festivals. (Jones, The Changing Face of Christian Music) One of the reasons that the genre
of gospel music has undergone such changes is because the norm of those that would listen has
changed. Just like with technology, the explosion of social media, etc., music has had to change
or adapt so that those that are the intended audience are still able to be reached. The new
Christian music in our churches and on our airways reaches out to us on a level that we can

understand and feel. (Jones, The Changing Face of Christian Music) As change happens in
others areas of our lives, change also happens within the music industry and the style of music.
Music is a form that seems to be able to reach and touch so many that would not
typically come into a church setting. People will listen to various types of music both knowingly
and unknowingly as they go throughout their day. The music that we listen to many times has an
influence on us and we have to recognize why that is. As the genre of gospel music changes or
shifts with the changing times, the impact that the music has will also shift.
There are seven specific genres mentioned in the research in regards to gospel music. The
seven genres are: Urban Gospel, Southern Gospel, Christian Country music, Progressive
Southern Gospel, Contemporary Christian music, Bluegrass gospel and Gospel blues. (Gospel
Music - New World Encyclopedia) The vast genres directly connected to gospel music help us to
recognize just how diverse this type of music truly is. The wide range of individuals that are
influenced by some form of gospel is amazing in itself. In the 1960s, Urban Gospel started to
break way from the traditional church setting. (Gospel Music - New World Encyclopedia)
Gospel music has embraced change and those who listen to it or are touched by the music must
be willing to embrace change also.
Many people when they hear the term Gospel already have set in their mind what the
sound will be like and what they are expecting to hear. Gospel songs have changed over the years
from what they started out being, putting the Bible to music and reaching the masses. Gospel
music is a popular adaptation of sacred music that has advocated Christian beliefs and
encouraged the practice of Christian ethical principles, both within the framework of worship
services and as a form of musical entertainment. (Gospel Music - New World Encyclopedia)
Gospel songs still have some of that same tone and energy to them, but it also has taken on a

much mellower, not so straight forward approach. There are songs out today that are listed as
gospel songs that do not have any reference to the bible or the Word of God in them, but sound
good and have a positive message.
Two major types of Gospel music have developed along basically racial lines. These
include Urban Gospel (sometimes referred to as black Gospel) and its white counterparts,
among them: Southern Gospel and modern, popularized Gospel (now more commonly known as
praise music or Contemporary Christian music). (Gospel Music - New World Encyclopedia)
Gospel songs have to be understood for what they are saying, the message, more than for the
racial group or ethnic group that we think is being reached. Some argue that Gospel music is
rooted in Africa and was brought to the Americas by slaves. However, Gospel harmonies and
many of the hymns themselves also show a clear Scottish influence. (Gospel Music - New
World Encyclopedia)
The genre of Gospel songs over the past forty to fifty years has changed and is still
changing. What was as easily classified as a gospel song years ago no longer can be so easily
classified? Gospel music has adapted to musical tastes through the development of a number of
sub-genres, while retaining its moral and spiritual framework. (Gospel Music - New World
Encyclopedia) There have been so many adjustments made over the years simply due to peoples
interests have changed and more and more people are not being attracted by the same things. To
truly be able to reach and impact the lives of those who need it, we have to be willing to find new
and different ways of getting their attention. Music always can reach people, but when trying to
get a positive message through based on the music, we have to make sure that we do not go so
far from truly reaches them. Gospel songs from years ago talked about the bible and could be
clearly understood what the real message was. The songs today that some would classify as

gospel do not have such a clear and distinct message to them, even though they are still aiming to
impact the lives of individuals with the message. The more that we keep our focus on the true
meaning of the message in the songs and do not allow the pressures of society to influence what
is said, the songs will still have the impact and the influence that they did years ago.

Works Cited
Gospel Music - New World Encyclopedia. 23 december 2013.
<www.newworlkencyclopedia.org/entry/gospel_music>.
Gospel Music - New World Encyclopedia. 23 December 2013.
Hill, Derek. Different Types of Christian Music: A Look at the Genres. 8 october 2012.
<www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/different-types-of-christian-music-...>.
Jones, Kim. About entertainment. n.d. 28 January 2015.
. "The Changing Face of Christian Music." n.d.