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The Leaven of CCM
170 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 27, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 5, 2026
Goetzinger's 8 marks of God-honoring music are generally good and can be used as a guide in discerning appropriate worship music. However, I would not use these as hard-fast standards. The author's approach seems overly harsh and lacks the wisdom of a more seasoned writer. One cautionary note to the author: such inflexibility can overflow into other areas of our lives (a little leaven...?) and lead to problems in relationships with others, including our loved ones, and yes...in our relationship with God.
August 8, 2026
Josh Goetzinger bravely joins a chorus of Christian voices who have a growing concern over the direction church worship has taken over the years. The author delves into the history of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM), its sordid history, beginning in the 1970s, questionable associations and multiple controversial ministries that helped to shape the sound and worship style of Evangelical Christianity today.
As Goetzinger peels back the layers of the various mega music churches and their associates and examines the scripture, he reveals another shocking insight: all the lyrical roads seem to lead to an unholy union with .... keep reading....
As I read through his book, I had to stop periodically to do some "fact-checking." While, I may not have been raised in the church, so I didn't bring a church worship bias with me, I still had to maintain objectivity. My entire reason for picking up his book was that I thought something was wrong with the worship and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. It wasn't the 7-eleven style of song (which I learned that phrase from this book), but rather it was the performance type of worship that made me feel like I was less of a Jesus worshipper and more like I was at a concert (even though there wasn't a fog machine in sight.
Something felt off.
Call it a discernment, without clarity.
Pair that with music being promoted from churches promoting heresies and I wondered about the churches I was attending. Was this their stamp of approval on those heretical teachings, also? )
I expect there will be a lot of push back for the author. Music is a very touchy subject. Right from school, we develop cliques and identities with music (well we did when I was attending). We dress and identify our people groups like our musical tastes (or we did). Metal, punk, skinhead, rap, rock, pop, death, goth, rockabilly, country - they all have dress styles, identities and attitudes to go with them. Taking on CCM is a pretty big deal. There's also a lot of money involved!
...Get the book and read it for yourself. Before you read it, pray the Holy Spirit will give you the truth and keep your Bible handy. Even though the scriptures are included. You can check it out for yourself, to be sure. You'll find out all roads don't lead to Heaven, but they just may lead to....get the book.
As Goetzinger peels back the layers of the various mega music churches and their associates and examines the scripture, he reveals another shocking insight: all the lyrical roads seem to lead to an unholy union with .... keep reading....
As I read through his book, I had to stop periodically to do some "fact-checking." While, I may not have been raised in the church, so I didn't bring a church worship bias with me, I still had to maintain objectivity. My entire reason for picking up his book was that I thought something was wrong with the worship and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. It wasn't the 7-eleven style of song (which I learned that phrase from this book), but rather it was the performance type of worship that made me feel like I was less of a Jesus worshipper and more like I was at a concert (even though there wasn't a fog machine in sight.
Something felt off.
Call it a discernment, without clarity.
Pair that with music being promoted from churches promoting heresies and I wondered about the churches I was attending. Was this their stamp of approval on those heretical teachings, also? )
I expect there will be a lot of push back for the author. Music is a very touchy subject. Right from school, we develop cliques and identities with music (well we did when I was attending). We dress and identify our people groups like our musical tastes (or we did). Metal, punk, skinhead, rap, rock, pop, death, goth, rockabilly, country - they all have dress styles, identities and attitudes to go with them. Taking on CCM is a pretty big deal. There's also a lot of money involved!
...Get the book and read it for yourself. Before you read it, pray the Holy Spirit will give you the truth and keep your Bible handy. Even though the scriptures are included. You can check it out for yourself, to be sure. You'll find out all roads don't lead to Heaven, but they just may lead to....get the book.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews