CHRISTIAN POP MUSIC DELIVERS MESSAGE TO KIDS

Two musical groups use contemporary approach to teach about God.

The members of the band Petra say rock 'n' roll music is the best way to get kids to think about God.

"For such a long time," says singer John Schlitt, "the church . . . saw rock 'n' roll as a terrible, demonic style of music. And we really didn't believe that. We believed it was a music style that kids our age could relate to. And that's the people that we were trying to reach."

The group D.C. Talk uses rap to get across the same message.

"(Rap) started talking about sexual things that were rude and crude, and we figured this is not the way rap should be," says Michael Tait, one of the group's singers. "It's not what we want to hear, so we're going to do something positive for the Lord."

D.C. Talk and Petra are two of the most popular groups on the contemporary Christian scene.

Petra

Bob Hartman started Petra 20 years ago in Indiana. In 1991, the group won a Grammy in 1991 for best rock/contemporary gospel album, Beyond Belief, their 13th record.

Petra won four Dove awards (the Christian equivalent of the Grammys) last year and has been nominated for two this year. The group also was enshrined in the Hard Rock Cafe last year.

The group's singer, Schlitt, has been involved with music for 25 years and is the former lead singer of the secular rock group Head East, which had a hit with Never Been Any Reason.

He became a Christian 12 years ago. For the first two years, he was against any form of rock 'n' roll.

"One day, someone gave me an album by a group called Petra," Schlitt told Children's Express in a recent phone interview, "just because they said the singer sounded a whole lot like me. And I said, `Yeah, right. Christian rock. It doesn't exist.' "

Schlitt says he listened to the music and loved it. Six years ago, he joined the group.

Petra's previous records have all been concept albums that dealt with one subject. On the current record, Unseen Power, the group writes about many ideas.

"We feel that there are so many things that need to be said," Schlitt says. "With the world in the state that it's in, there are so many different subjects that can be covered and need to be."

In the lyric sheet that comes with the record, the group refers listeners to Bible passages that discuss what the songs are about.

Schlitt says he sees himself and the group as a positive role model.

"I'm standing up for something that I truly believe is very important for not only kids but their parents, their grandparents and so on," he says. "If they enjoy my music, if they enjoy how I sing, if they like what we do, then hopefully they're going to check out our lifestyle and philosophy on how to live."

D.C. Talk

The D.C. in D.C. Talk signifies both where the group leader is from and what is stands for: Decent Christian Talk.

Although they did not get a record deal until 1989, D.C. Talk began at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., where the group's songwriter and rapper, Toby McKeehen, majored in political science.

Children's Express talked with Michael Tait, also from the Washington area, who sang gospel in churches and had performed on the Rev. Jerry Falwell's TV program Old Time Gospel Hour. Tait now lives in Nashville, Tenn.

"I've been with the group since the beginning of it," Tait says. But music wasn't his only ambition. "I wanted to be a real estate agent or have my own real estate company," Tait admits. He also thought of becoming a newscaster.

Tait feels that his role in the group is to put the "soul" in the music. "We got a little bit of rap, you got some rock 'n' roll with Kevin's voice (the third member of the group, Kevin Smith) and some soul and R&B (rhythm and blues)," Tait says. "So D.C. Talk is a group for all people."

Topics they cover in their lyrics range from abortion, to communication in the home and racism.

"We have a song on our newest album called Children Can Live Without It . . . it talks about abortion," Tait says. "And there's one called Talk It Out and that's about family communication, in the home and in dysfunctional families.

"You know, you got a problem, talk it out. Don't just argue and shut the door. Some people say, `I hate you and just forget it.'

"Then there's one called Walls, and that's about racism which we stand completely against. We think people who are racist are stupid and ignorant and they're not educated," Tait says.

After making a big success in Christian music, does Tait have any regrets?

"I've only regretted (becoming a Christian singer) in one area, and that one area was my ego. I wanted more attention, and that doesn't really matter does it?" Tait says.

D.C. Talk hopes to reach all people, Christian and non-Christian.

"We have . . . a song called No More that's directed toward Christians getting fed up with sin. And it can go to a sinner, too," Tait says. "But the songs directed to the sinner would be a song like Got to be Saved off the first album. So different songs are made for different people, but I think everybody can enjoy it."