They scoff. They poke fun. They despise it. There’s something about “contemporary” Christian music that compels people I know to make a dive for the radio station changer. Naysayers give stinging criticism of this genre of music, claiming it’s a rip-off of something better.

What exactly is “contemporary” Christian music and how it distinguished from “secular” or “mainstream” music? These distinctions and definitions have become blurred and garbled due to conflict from industry leaders and producers of Christian and secular music, and from Christian artists who have crossed over to mainstream airwaves.

Contemporary Christian music is, in my own words, music produced within the last 10 to 15 years (thus the term contemporary) with the intention of bringing attention to or glorifying Christian values and ideals. Secular music is music produced without the specific intention of glorifying Christian values.

I am not making a case that all secular music is bad and all contemporary Christian music is good. The issue is much too complex to make such a gross generalization.

CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) is the Christian recording music association’s leading industry magazine that promotes Christian artists and defines Christian music and its role as an outreach tool that primarily targets youth and young adults.

CCM publisher and executive director John W. Styll explains it this way on the inside front cover of each issue: “Our purpose is to promote spiritual growth by using Christian music as a ‘window’ into the issues of life and faith; to provide information about Christian artists, recordings, concerts and other related matters, to encourage Christians to interact redemptively with popular culture.”

What’s that all about? And no, Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary does not list “redemptively” as a word.

Why bother using music to promote spiritual growth? And why should we care about spiritual growth? Music is a powerful tool that has been proven to stir the heart and mind in thought and action in ways that nothing else can.

One of the fundamental beliefs of Christianity is that salvation is available to all who seek it — but you have to want it, and the blessings are abundant for those who choose it. Therefore, some Christian music is created to encourage those who do not have salvation or know what it is to actively seek it. Other Christian music is targeted toward those who have found salvation and are trying to live out their faith. Whichever the case may be, the purpose of Christian music has always been to point people toward God.

Contemporary Christian music comes in all sizes, shapes and colors. I’m not talking about Pat Boone or the old-school style of a men’s quartet with matching blazers solemnly crooning a hymn. Not that that in itself is a bad thing, but younger people don’t relate to it.

Contemporary Christian music developed slowly during the mid-’80s and exploded as a unique genre of music during the early ’90s. Since then, it’s undergone a kaleidoscope of change in an effort to maintain relevance in today’s pop culture.

Styles of contemporary Christian music include, but are not limited to, rap, hip-hop, pop, soft rock, rhythm and blues, jazz and heavy metal. Wait a minute. Those are all recognized genres of music created for a mainstream audience.

But here’s the next question. Does a secular world (a world that does not operate based on Christian values) want to listen to or buy music with a Christian message? Managers and promoters of Christian bands, publishers and distributors of Christian music don’t think so. But that’s a myth.

They’re buying Bach, Handel and Negro spirituals. There must be something other than the message that leads people to reject Christian music.

I have heard some people say that Christian music is a pale shadow of contemporary music, that the fire and passion of the best rock are often completely absent. What Christian bands are they listening to? If they don’t like one particular style or presentation of music, there are a hundred others to listen to. New Christian artists continue to gain more exposure thanks to CCM.

Based on some conversations I’ve had with musicians trying to break into the Christian music recording industry, Christian bands are controlled and directed in a way that creative rock bands are not. Many (but certainly not all) Christian musicians admit that they enjoy neither the music they are playing nor that of the mainstream bands whose style they are attempting to adopt.

Yes, sometimes Christian “rock music” does leave something to be desired. And CCM addresses that very issue in the midst of the current controversy over the constantly changing definition of contemporary music. But contemporary Christian music still deserves a chance. There will always be a need for authentic Christian music that young people can relate to.