Stryper As History Lesson

I've never like Christian Rock, but then I have little recollection of ever seeking it out. Sure, it's on XM and Sirius and the AOL Radio channels. And I remember putting it on my car radio, but only as an accident. My earliest exposure to it was Stryper, 80's Amy Grant, the Dove Awards and Michael W. Smith's awful, "Place In This World." I do admit to liking P.O.D.'s "Youth of the Nation" and Jar of Clay's "Flood". But as music, the whole culture has left me disinterested. It's not because I'm not a religious person. I love a lot of Gospel Music. No, it's the dull music and trite lyrics that bore me. But I did read Andrew Beaujon's Body Piercing Saved My Life (Da Capo) with an open mind, mainly because it's a look at and not an appraisal of the genre. The best chapter in the book is one on the Dove Awards. My only complaint is that I don't think Beaujon (another non-religious type) is a fan of Christian Rock, even though he tries to convince you in his Afterward. But for a look at what is called an underground, non-mainstream music, the book is worth it.