Directory of Contemporary Worship Musicians - Way of Life Literature

past” (www.thefish.com/musiclivepage.apple.com/interviews).ey want to share their faith “without being forceful orpushy.”e boisterous rock & roll context of their “worshipservices” has caused even their own lead singer and songwriter Bart Millard to question whether the “worship” at theirconcerts is really directed to the Lord.“When you’re on stage and the crowd starts going crazy, it’salmost a little frightening. It’s scary just from the sense thatwe’ve worked up to the point that we’ve done everything wecould to call upon the name of the Lord -- to have His presencethere and literally to be on holy ground, in the midst of aLiving God. When all of the praise starts going all over theplace, you get really nervous about it being in the rightdirection. Aer a while you start to wonder: Are theyw o r s h i p i n g t h e Fat h e r ? W h at e x a c t l y i s g o i n gon?”(www.ccmmagazine.com/news/stories/11535185/mercyme).Like the vast majority of the influential contemporarypraise musicians, MercyMe is radically ecumenical. In early2011 they included Roman Catholic Matt Maher on theirRock & Worship Roadshow.MercyMe is also in the business of breaking down the wallsof separation from the world. In their “Cover Tune Grab Bag”series they sing such things as “Jump” by Van Halen,“riller” by Michael Jackson (complete with choreographedJackson-style dancing), “Crazy” by Outkast, “Ice Ice Baby” byrapper Vanilla Ice, “La Bamba,” “Don’t Stop Believin’” byJourney, “It’s the End of the World” by R.E.M., “Dead orAlive” by Bon Jovi, “Hard to Say Goodbye” by Motown,“More an Words” by Extreme, “Stayin’ Alive” by the BeeGees, “Footloose,” “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor, “I WillSurvive” by Gloria Gaynor, “Hold Me Now” by ompsonTwins, “Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da” and “I Feel Fine” by the224