Directory of Contemporary Worship Musicians - Way of Life Literature

the doorstep of a Catholic church come to one of hisconcerts.“All of a sudden they say, ‘Hey, I feel very much at home here.at doesn't mean necessarily I want to be a Roman Catholic,but I feel very much at home worshipping God with otherpeople who are not that different from me’” (John Talbot,quoted in “Interfaith Album Strikes Sour Note,” Peter Smith,Religious News Service, Dec. 8, 1996).In 1996, Talbot was instrumental in forming the CatholicMusicians Association to encourage Catholic musicians andto help them find a place in the more mainstream world ofCCM. Joining Talbot at the founding meeting in April 1996were Tony Melendez, Dana, Susan Stein (executive ofHeartbeat Records), Paulette McCoy (Oregon CatholicPress), and Catholic officials and professionals involved inmarketing and publicity (Steve Rabey, “Association Formedto Support Catholic Music,” CCM Update, May 27, 1996). Atthe meeting Stein said she “would like Protestants andCatholics to set aside what are basically petty differences” andurged evangelicals “to be a bit less judgmental and a bit moreopen to understanding.”ere is nothing “petty” about the differences betweenRoman Catholicism and Bible-believing Christianity!e charismatic emphasis is also seen in Talbot'sexperience. “Dreams and other direct ‘revelations’ from Godaccount for his increasing conviction that the Roman Churchholds the key to the future” (Peck, Rock-Making MusicalChoices).Talbot’s music is mostly acoustic folk and so rock balladstyle, but he also incorporates chanting and a wide variety ofother music forms, including harder rock. Talbot promotesthe false philosophy of the neutrality of music:“We need to know rock ‘n’ roll. We need to know thegentleness of a folk tune. We need to know the majesty ofHandel’s Messiah. We need to know the awesome reverence of359