Page - 42 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 06/02

42 | Reinhard Kopanski www.jrfm.eu 2020, 6/2, 41–57 Introduction Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) is a label used by the US-music in- dustry for musicians and bands stemming from the field of popular music, whose lyrics are characterized by Christian and often evangelical content.1 In comparison, bands from the Popular Christian Music (PCM) scene in Ger- man-speaking countries play a rather subordinate economical role. The differ- ence in economic impact is echoed in different levels of scholarly interest, for US-based Christian music has been well researched since the 1990s,2 whilst German-based PCM has received little academic attention, although it forms a distinct musical genre and is an important aspect in the life of certain reli- gious groups.3 However, in addition to some interest-based publications from the milieu of the evangelical Free churches4, the topic has been approached from a practice-oriented theological perspective discussing the “benefits” of popular music in a church context.5 This difference in both the success of and interest in CCM in the Unit- ed States and PCM in Germany is remarkable. This article is an opportunity to address that comparison, using two case studies. In asking what makes Popular Christian Music popular, it understands “popular” not in terms of commercial success but as a descriptor, which allows us to explore the crite- ria for its application in these different contexts. For this exploratory exam- ination I deployed the following method for the selection of case studies: I entered the terms “Populäre Christliche Musik” (popular Christian music) and 1 The article is based on my contribution to the interdisciplinary lecture series This Is Our Song, which took place at the University of Siegen, Germany, in 2019/20. My thanks to Aleksandar Golovin for help with the translation. An important clarification to make here is that my usage of the term “evangelical” is based on its framing in Germany, rather than in Anglo-American contexts. “Evangelical” is understood as a type of piety defined by multiple (and often differently prioritized) factors such as Biblicism (Bibeltreue), Christ-centeredness (Christuszentriertheit) and the emphasis on spiritual awakening (Erweckungserlebnis), as well as activism that expresses itself in evangelism that drives to follow the bible as principle in everyday life (see Elwert/ Radermacher/Schlamelcher 2017). In addition, the term is used to imply a Germany- specific genealogy which describes groups and communities tracing their traditions back to Pietism (as emerged in the late 17th century) and thus understand framing themselves in a manner that equates “evangelical” with “pietistic”. 2 e. g. Jorstad 1993; Howard/Streck 1996; Luhr 2009; Stowe 2011; Harju 2012. 3 Kopanski/Albrecht-Birkner/Heesch/Stöhr (forthcoming). 4 e. g. Kabus 2003; Feist 2005. 5 e. g. Schütz 2008; Depta 2016.