Contemporary Christian Music and the Soundtrack of Christian Nationalism
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd
Published:28th Aug '26
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This book explores the relationship between Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) and Christian nationalism. It offers a unique perspective on how CCM has transmitted Christian nationalist ideals and contributed to nationalist rhetoric and agendas in the United States. Decades before insurrectionists stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, the fires of Christian nationalism were being stoked from radio and TV stations across the country through song. Once a small movement, CCM is now a multi-billion-dollar industry with significant influence in the public sphere. At a time when Christian nationalism poses a major threat to America’s religious freedom, the book sheds light on the role that music—especially CCM—has played in spreading the message and building a nationalist power base. It will be of particular interest to scholars of religion and music, religion and politics, and religion in America.
"A Christian song is theology in the form of love. Shea Watts’s helpful volume on the music of Christian Nationalists opens a window into what they love deeply. This book is a welcome addition to the emerging literature on the worship of Christian Nationalism."
- Lester Ruth, Duke Divinity School
“Christian nationalism is an aesthetic practice. Though known primarily as violence, Christian nationalism is a form that organizes people, resources and feelings in order to justify hierarchical power structures and subsequent harms that proliferate. As an aesthetic, it uses art to spread its message. And music is one of the arts Christian nationalism uses to great, and problematic, success according to R. Shea Watts. In his necessary and urgent Contemporary Christian Music and the Soundtrack of Christian Nationalism, Watts elaborates the historical foundation upon which Christian nationalism is built in Christian Contemporary Music. If you are interested in music, in religion and in religious violence, read this book.”
- Ashon Crawley, University of Virginia
ISBN: 9781041030713
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 430g
136 pages