“Oh, You Didn't Think Just the Devil Writes Songs, Do Ya?” Music in American Evangelical Culture Today

Abstract

This article explores the evangelical soundscape that has expanded beyond traditional church venues and camp meetings to penetrate mainstream popular culture. The author examines the role music plays within the evangelical subculture, focusing on the recruitment and retention of members. She argues that music is key in identity articulations among conservative evangelicals, who struggle to construct a distinctive religious identity in the face of religious-cultural pluralism and secularism.