Christian music loses one of its Pioneers

Christian music has lost one of its founding fathers. Billy Ray Hearn died this week at the age of 85. You may not know his name but Hearn was a critical part of getting the careers launched of artists like Amy Grant, Michael Card and Steven Curtis Chapman. Read more here.

K-LOVE launches video channel

Christian radio network K-LOVE is launching a video channel with TAPP TV--a subscription-based service that featuring people like Sarah Palin and Herman Cain. The channel is on track to debut this spring.

Former Newsboy says he’s now an atheist

One of the Newsboys founders says he's now an atheist. Fans of the group probably won't remember George Perdikis--he left the group before the first album of the Australian group was recorded. Nevertheless, he helped write some of the songs on the first album. Perdikis talked about his experiences with the group in a Patheos post.

Hillsong docu dropped

Warner Brothers is dropping plans to make a documentary about the Hillsong church and its music. Some 100,000 people attend the Australian megachurch in a dozen different locations. The Worship band Hillsong United has sold more than 16 million albums.

Andrae Crouch Dies

Andrae Crouch has died at the age of 72. The Christian music pioneer suffered a heart attack last weekend and he never recovered. Not only did he write some songs that are considered standards in Christian music (such as The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power and Jesus is the Answer), he wrote music for The Color Purple, The Lion King, worked with Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Quincy Jones. Crouch earned seven Grammys and was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1998.

Whatever happen to... Carman?

Carman was big in Christian music in the 80s, but where has he been lately? After battle with cancer, he's making a comeback. Read the story here.

Katy Perry Sued by Christian Musicians

Christian hip-hop musicians are suing Katy Perry, claiming her song “Dark Horse” borrowed too much from a 2008 Christian song “Joyful Noise." The suit was filed by Flame (Marcus Gray), Chike Ojukwu, Lecrae Moore, and Emanuel Lambert. Read more in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Singer in Christian Metal Band Gets 6 Years

A San Diego judge sentenced Tim Lambesis of the Christian metal band As I Lay Dying to serve six years in prison after he was convicted of trying to kill his wife, Meggan Lambesis. Tim Lambesis plead guilty earlier this year--and he returns to court soon to face a $2 million lawsuit filed by his wife. Read more details from San Diego's KGTV here and from the local newspaper, UT San Diego here.

Boy's love of gospel music may have saved his life

A young boy's love of gospel music may have saved his life. WXIA-TV has the story in this video report.

Singer Skips Grammys

Mandisa won two Grammy Awards for her Christian music, but she wasn't at the awards show Sunday night to pick up here awards. Find out why in a Daily Caller post here.

Academy Award nomination for Christian singer

Christian author and singer Joni Eareckson Tada is up for an Oscar. She sings the title song from the film Alone Yet Not Alone. The song is up for Best Original Song. Written by Bruce Broughton and Dennis Spiegel, it beat out songs from Jay Z, Taylor Swift and Coldplay, among others. Alone Yet Not Alone is the only song that doesn't come from an animated movie. It's up against Karen O's The Moon Song from Her, Pharrell Williams' Happy from Despicable Me 2, U2's Ordinary Love from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" and Let it Go from Frozen. Here's a video of Tada, who is a paraplegic, singing the song. The movie opens nationwide in March.

Christian Singer details battle with Alcoholism in Book

Ashley Cleveland's new autobiography, Little Black Sheep: A Memoir, tells about the singer's parents, who were alcoholics--something that she dealt with as well. She tells Cross Rhythms, "There was quite a bit of alcoholism in my family on both sides so I would say that I have quite a strong genetic predisposition for it and then environmentally I was quite right for it because I was vulnerable and so yes I did, I became an alcoholic and a drug addict myself." Read a detailed review here.

Katy Perry says she's left her childhood faith

Katy Perry says she is no longer a Christian. The pop star told Marie Claire Magazine she no longer believes in Heaven or Hell either--just a "higher power bigger than me because that keeps me accountable... I’m not Buddhist, I’m not Hindu, I’m not Christian, but I still feel like I have a deep connection with God." Perry's parents are evangelists and she started out as a Christian singer.

Underwood tweets Bible verse in response to critics

In response to criticism over her performance in Sound of Music Live!, Carrie Underwood tweeted, "Plain and simple: Mean people need Jesus. They will be in my prayers tonight...1 Peter 2:1-25." Read more here.

Changes to Music Charts

Billboard is updating its Christian and gospel song charts. Digital and streaming information, will be added, according to the Sacramento Bee. Read the full story here.

CCM mag launches Kickstarter

CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) moved from print to digital subscriptions but is hoping to resurrect its print version. Salem Communications, which owns the magazine, has started a Kickstarter campaign with the goal of raising $40,000. Read more here.

Andrae Crouch hospitalized

TMZ is reporting that gospel singer Andrae Crouch fell ill Sunday at his Los Angeles home and was hospitalized for a few hours. The 71-year-old Crouch told the celebrity news site that he believes the episode was diabetes-related.

Gospel Duo's former manager sues group

Christian singers Mary Mary are being sued by their former manager. Mitchell Solarek, who owns Maximum Artist Group, says he came on board two years ago to help Mary Mary get their career back on track. Solarek claims in the Tennessee lawsuit that he got deals valued at more than $3 million but was fired and is still owed $75,000, according to a report by celebrity site TMZ.com. Here's a video of Solarek on Mary Mary's WeTV reality show.

Video of vocal teacher at Christian school goes viral

An adjunct voice teacher at a Christian University got to sing with Kristen Chenoweth at the Hollywood Bowl. Sarah Horn was randomly plucked out the audience to join in singing a song from the musical Wicked. The video has gone viral, racking up several million views. Horn has told several media outlets, “On the walk to our car, my father reminded me that he had prayed 11 years ago that I would one day sing with Kristin Chenoweth..”

Hymnal Controversy

Editors of a forthcoming Presbyterian, USA hymnal have decided to not include the popular Christian song In Christ Alone by a 9-6 vote. They asked writers Keith Getty and Stuart Townend to change Till on that cross as Jesus died/the wrath of God was satisfied to as Jesus died/the love of God was magnified. The decision by the Presbyterian Committee on Congregational Song has drawn fire from Southern Baptist leader Russell Moore and Samford University's Timothy George, who leads the school's divinity school. They suggested a liberal theological bent is causing the editors to avoid references to God's wrath. George wrote a post about it (which you can read here) titled "No Squishy Love." He asked, "Why do many Christians shrink from any thought of the wrath of God"

However, the committee chair, Mary Louise Bringle of Brevard College, indicated the committee was concern focused on the word satisfied because it is a reference to a specific theology promoted by medieval theologian Anselm. She writes about the controversy in the Christian Century magazine here and says the committee decided to reject "the view of Anselm and Calvin, among others, that God’s honor was violated by human sin and that God’s justice could only be satisfied by the atoning death of a sinless victim." The Glory to God hymnal is due out in a few months.