"...a comprehensive and fascinating survey of a much-maligned yet influential musical genre." -- Publishers Weekly

“This breezy yet fact-filled romp through the Christian side of American popular culture from 1897 to the present will be eye-opening for many secular readers.” -- Library Journal

"This highly anticipated history of Contemporary Christian Music does not disappoint. Mapping out the complex and shifting landscape of popular Christian music, Payne provides an indispensable guide to the soundtrack of millions of Americans' lives while offering a fascinating window into evangelical culture more broadly." -- Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Author of Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation

"This wonderfully written, skillfully researched book adds much to what we know about popular religious music in the 20th and 21st centuries. Payne covers so much fascinating ground that others have not been over, illuminating a great deal about religion, pop culture, politics, and more." -- Randall J. Stephens, Author of The Devil's Music: How Christians Inspired, Condemned, and Embraced Rock 'n' Roll

"Fascinating! A fast-paced narrative as illuminating as it is cautionary about the powerful bond between Christian music and the making of white evangelical identity. Trust me-if you, like me, grew up with Amy Grant, you don't want to miss this book." -- Beth Allison Barr, Author of The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth

"God Gave Rock and Roll to You will take its place in the small canon of essential books on the subject. This is smart, historically accurate, sometimes humorous, and always gracious writing. It speaks to the genuine, heartfelt desire to honor God through music-how beautiful the impulse can be and how wrong Christians often get it. Easy to read and hard to put down." -- Charlie Peacock, Grammy Award-winning music producer and author of At the Crossroads: an Insider’s Look at the Past, Present, and Future of Contemporary Christian Music

“God Gave Rock and Roll to You is meticulously researched, thought-provoking, and beautifully written. Drawing on a rich tapestry of sources, Leah Payne masterfully navigates through the intricacies of the history of Contemporary Christian Music, highlighting its deep connections to broader culture and politics in the U.S. and beyond. This book offers a fascinating narrative indispensable for understanding U.S. evangelicalism and the history of 20th century United States writ large.” -- João Chaves, Author of The Global Mission of the Jim Crow South: Southern Baptist Missions and the Shaping of Latin American Evangelicalism

"There are many facets to understanding the rise and fall of evangelicalism in the United States, Dr. Leah Payne manages to pinpoint one of the important and endearing ones - Contemporary Christian Music. Using the tools of a scholar but the deft touch of an accomplished author, Payne weaves together a tale of how the business of religion became the greatest driver of evangelical dominance but also led to its inevitable demise." -- Ryan Burge, Author of 20 Myths about Religion and Politics in America

"God may have given Rock and Roll to white evangelicals, but as it turns out, they preferred a chimera instead: Contemporary Christian Music. As Leah Payne expertly shows in this indispensable survey, for several decades, CCM became a prized vehicle for the goal of many conservative religious movements: socialization and control." -- Gregory Alan Thornbury, Author of Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music? Larry Norman and the Perils of Christian Rock

“…one can learn a lot from Payne, and from her analysis of how Contemporary Christian Music has served as “the soundtrack of evangelical conversions, worship, adolescence, marriage, child-rearing, and activism” and helped “disseminate evangelical messages about what it means to be Christian and American.”-- Baptist News Global

“…Payne’s work raises some important questions about art, faith, and commerce in a world where the cultural balance among these three realities is always in flux.” -- Englewood Review of Books

God Gave Rock & Roll to You is featured in Safe for the Whole Family, a new documentary from director and producer Jason Ikeler, about the making of Christian pop stars.