Last year when former Christian music singer Ray Boltz turned into a gay christian heretic, the Gospel Music Association was drawn into the controversy. In the process, its president made a startling confession to a gay newspaper.
According to OneNewsNow, when asked about Boltz’s homosexuality, The Gospel Music Association – the group which gives out the Dove Awards – told the [Washington] Blade, “We do not comment on the lifestyle choices of people in our community.” The GMA (John Styll, president pictured left) even denied that it is a religious organization!
Fast forward to 2009 and now due to a confluence of factors, the GMA is on the verge of shutting down. In my opinion that’s good news. But look at what they are doing in an attempt to save themselves. From Charisma Magazine:
Despite its $1,000 per ticket price tag, a fundraising concert for the cash-strapped Gospel Music Association (GMA) is expected to draw thousands of attendees from around the globe.
The Monday event, being billed as the “Concert of the Decade,” is to be streamed live online from Nashville, Tenn., which organizers say will make it the largest Christian concert ever to be viewed in that format.
The concert—featuring some of the industry’s leading artists including Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Kirk Franklin and Casting Crowns—is part of an effort to save the GMA, which organizes GMA Week in Nashville and hosts the Dove Awards.
A 20 percent drop in membership coupled with the economic downturn and the impact of digital sales has left the organization fighting to survive, leaders say.
Its president and CEO, John Styll, stepped down in September as part of a concentrated “re-set” of the organization that includes using more volunteers, Christian Retailing reported. A managerial position will oversee a reduced staff, said Ed Leonard, president of Daywind Music Group and new chairman of the GMA board of directors.
$1000 per ticket!? One thousand dollars to hear Amy Grant, Kirk Franklin, Michael Smith and Casting Crowns? A thousand dollars to help the silly, self promotional Dove Awards stay afloat? That’s right. The promoters hoped to raise 800k to “pay off the organization’s debts” and thus stay alive to give out more awards to the Christian celebrity crowd. The only good thing about this that the chicken yellow CEO John Styll resigned.
What’s so patently silly and grossly offensive is that the celebrity Christian entertainers who are getting the awards are wealthy enough to pay off the 800k debt without breaking a sweat. After all, they made that money off the backs of the church. If it was so important, why not save the organization since the only real purpose it served was to further their star-studded careers.
But some people showed up and did pay the money. In a follow-up story the Nashville Tenssesean reported:
“Christian and gospel music artists came together to support their own this week, raising more than $350,000 for the Gospel Music Association (GMA), the trade association for Christian music which has struggled financially in recent years.”
Its time for these phony organizations to fall over and be gone. We will all be the better for it.
Gay Christian Movement Watch 
Thanks for the post. I hadn’t heard about that. Who cares gma goes away?
Hallelujah!!! Salvation should be the award and reward for the true servants of GOD, not a statue that to too many artists have become household idols…I pray that that the Stellar Awrards is next!!
I have always questioned the validity of such organizations and their awards. When you’re singing and playing for the Lord, shouldn’t EVERYBODY win? But, we would have none of it. We like being recognized and being awarded for the “best” whatever. I perceive that the GMA Dove Awards are a “christian” answer to the Grammys who are largely secular, and the “Stellars” appear to be in existence to recognize the “black gospel” artists that otherwise wouldn’t get nominated or recognized by neither the GMA/Dove Awards nor the Grammys–no?
It’s time for us to get back to singing and worshipping before our “Audience of One” and sing unto “THE LORD” our (new) songs.
The should get the pint sized blonde haired Florida pastor to help raise funds. She’s a real good money raiser for TBN.
Just send $66.12 a month and God will bless!!! Her interpetation of Psalm 66:12. GMA could really use her help.
NOT!! They both need to repent and go sit down~
Yes, Lady D you could just post that again lol!
“Just send $66.12 a month and God will bless!!! Her interpetation of Psalm 66:12. GMA could really use her help.”
ha ha! Lady D, I was actually switching channels and landed on that recently, pure foolishness!
If you do anything for God and your focus is awards, money and all that, its taintes service, pure and simple – MOTIVES!
We dont need awards do we? the 24 elders put their crowns down before God but many in the Gospel arena want to crowned. Its a mess!
Sadly, I’ve been waiting for almost five years for the LORD to upend the “Gospel (Christian) Music Industry”. It had become apparent to me that it was so NOT about God or His people being edified. Christian musicians and singers are to sing for the glory of God and the encouragement and edification of the saints. Period. Sure, they can be paid a reasonable wage for their service(s) but it has gotten so far from that. Gospel artists seem to envy the way that secular artists are idolized, compensated, and marketed. They want that same kudos but it is a shame to do so and even more shameful t actually pursue it. God help us. True lovers of God want to celebrate God and they seek to magnify Him in the eyes and ears of their audience. However, these renegades have hijacked Gospel Music and made if about profits, hit records and sought to make a name for themselves. What a shame. Lest I digress… may the Lord has mercy on us.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”—Colossians 3:16
“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.”—Ephesians 5:18-21
“Gospel artists seem to envy the way that secular artists are idolized, compensated, and marketed.” On second thought, I think it more apropos to say that various “Gospel” artists covet the way that secular artists are idolized…
You said it Lil Mama, excellent!
This is interesting, GMA is in debt, and SAGMA (Stellar Awards) is offering 2 for 1 membership for facebook group members.