John Stiles
Hannam University, Linton Global College
Korea
Abstract
Christian entertainment. While this notion is an oxymoron
to many, it is no longer a foreign concept to the world of
business and finance. Largely ignored in the past, this
growing sector of the entertainment industry has begun to garner
significant appeal with the public, and thus has attracted
increased media attention–both mainstream and Christian,
both positive and negative. What makes this industry
entirely unique is that it is indeed both “Christian” and “entertainment,” and
both elements must function with equal effectiveness for the
industry to thrive. This study chronicles a decade
of challenge for this industry, involving scandals and buyouts,
and examines the traumas and triumphs of PR professionals faced
with potentially catastrophic situations. The intent
of this project is to emphasize that the industry role of public
relations was so in tune with calamity that it acted routinely,
responsibly, and effectively to help diffuse each circumstance
presented.
[1] Christian entertainment. While this notion is an
oxymoron to many, it is no longer a foreign concept to the
world of business and finance. Recent figures produced
by the Christian Booksellers Association (CBA) indicate that
this industry’s overall earnings have surpassed $4 billion
annually for the years 2001 through 2004 (CBA Media Relations,
2005). Largely ignored in the past, this sector of the
entertainment industry has begun to garner significant appeal
with the public, and thus has attracted increased media attention–both
mainstream and Christian, both positive and negative.
[2] One mainstream, or “secular” (the rather inclusive
term within Christendom), journalist offers an honest perspective
regarding his professional counterpart: “The Christian
media have moved beyond polyester-clad faith healers and mascara-running
testimonials” (Scott 1996, 12). David Scott continues
by pointing out the multitude of Christian sites on the Internet
and a 24-hour Christian music video television channel similar
to MTV in production quality, while drawing distinctions in
other aspects like fashion and subject matter: “Christian
artists like DC Talk, Jars of Clay, Michael W. Smith, and Carman
are regulars on Billboard’s top 200, and Christian books
and records are sending down profits from heaven for chains
like Waldenbooks, Barnes & Noble, Wal-Mart, and Tower Records” (13).
The Explosion of a Fledgling Industry
[3] Although a quick channel surf will prove that the tasteless
and the tactless are still alive and well within Christian
media, the melodrama of the ’80s has seemingly given
way to strategy, publicity, and rational thought within the
industry. This newfound media savvy is particularly
characteristic of an explosive division of this industry, which
has come to be recognized as “contemporary Christian
music (CCM).” The difficulty with this phraseology
is that this “genre” may encompass anything from
an inspirational ballad by Steve Green, to a not-so-soothing, “grind-core/thrash” styled
tune, complements of the band called “Living Sacrifice.” Despite
the implicit confusion of semantics, the stakeholders, and
especially the record companies, are currently labeling the
genre–in a word–profitable.
[4] The CBA, in fact, attributes almost one-fourth of the entire
earnings of the Christian entertainment industry directly to
record sales within contemporary Christian music (CBA Media
Relations, 2005). An edition of Newsweek devoted its
cover and feature article to this growing segment of the music
industry. Lorraine Ali (2001), in an objective, well-researched,
and responsibly written article entitled, “The Glorious
Rise of Christian Pop,” states that in the year 2000,
sales were twice the amount of Latin music, and CCM eclipsed
the total sales of jazz, classical, and New Age combined: “You
don’t have to care about music to see that the subculture
of Christian rock, with its marketing strategies, ecclesiastical
messages and devoted fans, sheds light on a fascinating sector
of American life” (4).
[5] This report evokes an obvious question: How did CCM so
suddenly burst onto the national scene? Although there
are many factors and theories, Ali continues by supplying an
acceptable solution: “Christian music underwent
a makeover, hipping itself up for the approaching millennium. Starting
in the early ’90s, its artists began borrowing from more
relevant styles of music and fashion to promote their words
of praise” (2001, 6). This “conversion” of
sorts is where this article will begin to chronologically focus
its attention in examination of an industry on the rise.
Challenges
to Continued Growth
[6] Perhaps more fascinating than the above facts and figures
themselves is the formation of the CCM subculture, and how
it so promptly came to arrive as such. It is this somewhat
self-contained, and more importantly “self-supporting,” core
fan base, that has for several years now enabled contemporary
Christian music to not only maintain its success, but to actually
grow annually. This growth is all the more remarkable
in light of the fact that on the heels of “hipping itself” for
the new millennium, CCM as an industry suffered some seemingly
fatal blows to its image, and potentially to its very foundation.
[7] For perhaps the first time in its young history, CCM had
been dealt shocking and direct blows, which called for specific
and strategic counteraction. Intriguingly, however, this “action” did
not so much fall into the categories of business, marketing,
or finance; rather it was a clear case for the public relations
department within this industry as a whole. Furthermore,
this was not a case of quantity of public relations, whereby
the practitioner insensitively sought to gain exposure in any
possible outlets–the “any press is good press” philosophy. On
the contrary, with these situations arose the sincere need
for the practice of responsible, reflective, and relational
public relations. This article therefore, will present
these types of situations, and will reflect how they were effectively
dealt with in varying, practical strategies to help many organizations
to survive, and to help the entire contemporary Christian music
industry to once again thrive.
Three
Part Disharmony
[8] This article will focus on three separate events which
threatened the industry, each of them causing a potential public
relations nightmare. In 1994, the growing CCM juggernaut
was rocked by adultery. First came the rumors and allegations. The
entire industry was caught between denial and disbelief. Then
came the confessions. The scandal involved two recording
artists in the industry, one a highly acclaimed and successful
solo performer, Michael English, and a singer from the three-member
group “First Call,” Marabeth Jordon. The
ultimate shock transcended CCM into Christendom itself upon
learning that English and Jordon, who had together just completed
a tour for unwed mothers, were each married. The situation
was further inflamed by the fact that Jordon was, in fact,
impregnated by English. This story broke just days after
the 1994 Dove Awards, CCM’s equivalent to the Grammy
Awards, produced by the industry’s umbrella organization
based in Nashville, Tennessee, called the Gospel Music Association
(GMA). Ironically, the man of the hour was none other
than Michael English. “A week after sweeping six
categories at the GMA’s Dove Awards, English, 32, halted
his career–and sent the six trophies back” (O’Donnell
and Eskind 1994, 2).
[9] The record company of Michael English, Warner Alliance,
which is the Christian division of Warner Records, made the
decision to stop selling his recordings. The pastor of
Mr. English and of Christ Church in Nashville, Rev. Scotty
Smith, was called upon to counsel English, Jordon, and executives
at Warner Alliance (O’Donnell and Eskind, 1994). Certainly
dark days were in store for the shareholders in the companies,
as marked decreases in sales immediately became evident. Though
the bottom line continued to shrink, the public relations of
Warner Alliance focused on upholding its standards, values,
and image by turning its attention to the individuals involved
in this episode. The underlying relational themes of
this unusual campaign, as modeled by Christ, were forgiveness,
healing, and restoration.
[10] Following the scandal, Newsweek magazine was granted
an interview with Michael English following the scandal. As
he spoke from his place of retreat in Florida, he exemplified
this sobering theme of humility. When asked about making
music again, he dismissed its importance by saying his first
desire is the attempt to restore himself in the eyes of his
fellow musicians. “I
grew up singing Christian music and Christian music is where
my heart is. I'd like to sing Christian music again,
but I don't know if I will be allowed to. I knew when
I was accepting artist of the year, I was actually saying goodbye” (O’Donnell
and Eskind 1994, 9). In the interview, he also added
that “First Call” had replaced Marabeth Jordon
with a studio singer, and in an even more sad irony–Jordon
had miscarried (O’Donnell and Eskind 1994). What
was to be a glamorous night when the Gospel Music Association
and CCM would shine for the world to see on cable TV, instead,
was a prelude to a terrible turn of events which effectually
made a mockery of the awards show, and undermined the very
core values these trophies of doves represented.
Scandal Number Two
[11] Even though Michael English earned an incredible six Dove
awards in 1994, he was a relative newcomer to the CCM stage,
sporting movie star good looks and Hollywood style to match,
with a soulful pop voice that exploded on Christian airwaves. By
comparison, other CCM artists seemingly had to work harder
to “pay their dues,” gradually building an audience
through the limited clientele in the early 1980s before the
surge in the industry. One such pioneer of early CCM
was Sandi Patty, who forged a relationship with her fan base
primarily through her melodically stirring songs of inspiration. Unmistakably
though, she was genuinely masterful at the craft of winning
over audiences, especially evident through concerts and live
recordings. Conveying an image of credible innocence,
she was immediately likeable, and used this image to establish
a true rapport with her audience.
[12] All throughout the ’80s, Sandi Patty and Amy Grant
dominated the Christian music charts and Dove Awards, actually
carrying the torch for the fledgling industry. Oftentimes
the two females were pitted together in a figurative competition
or rivalry comparable to that of Madonna versus Janet Jackson,
or even Chris Evert versus Martina Navratilova on the professional
tennis circuit. CCM audiences adopted these two women,
tending to view Amy Grant as the fun, hip, pop darling, and
viewing Sandi Patty as the angelic songstress, transparent
and approachable.
[13] With adoption, however, comes some expected possessiveness
on the part of the adopter, that is, the CCM audience. Naturally,
when Sandi Patty suddenly confessed to an extramarital affair
in the 1990s, audiences asked themselves how such an
obvious pitfall could ensnare one of their very own, especially
their exhalted Sandi. Morgan (1998) quoted Patty as saying, “I
know I let my marriage down with John [Helvering] in huge ways. I
have tremendous regrets about that” (7). Pointing
to a drop off in her relationship with God as the root problem,
she admitted learning difficult lessons about substituting
personal spirituality with her singing ministry (Morgan). This
news sent shockwaves throughout the CCM community, but affected
the evangelical Christian subculture even more than the Michael
English scandal, simply because of Patty’s far-reaching
appeal and apparent strong moral character. Similar to
the English and Jordon scandal, Don Peslis, with whom Patty
had the extramarital affair, had been a backup singer on the
touring circuit with Patty. In 1993, Sandi Patty’s
marriage ended in divorce. In August 1995, she then married
Don Peslis, who was also once divorced (1998).
Public Relations with Integrity
[14] These accounts are both perfect scripts for most any tabloid
media, and certainly for a “Behind the Music” episode,
dripping with complex, juicy twists, not the least of which
were downward turns in CCM record sales. It is interesting
to learn how a paradoxical approach was taken by those involved
in Christian journalism and public relations. Powell (1999),
a Christian journalist, commented on the astounding public
relations discipline and responsibility displayed by John Styll,
publisher of the foremost Christian rock journal, Contemporary
Christian Music (CCM). Powell explained that
his publication, Christianity Today, had actually broken
the story in 1995 that Sandi Patty’s divorce three years
before was indeed evoked by an extramarital affair with her
current husband: "CCM took up the story too, but
Styll wrote a separate account of his own struggle with the
issues involved in reporting on the private lives of public
people. In fact, he revealed that his publication had
known of the affair but had chosen not to reveal it” (8). After
Styll had talked with Patty and her pastor, he was apparently
comfortable with a basic policy that things spiritual such
as “‘confession, repentance, and discipline should
happen on the church level rather than in the media.’ Was
that the right course? The question was not rhetorical,
but actual, reflective of non-defensive public in meditation
on a theme that has only increased in relevance” (Powell
1999, 8).
[15] Oftentimes, the excellent, responsible, and relational
practice of public relations is not so much what the practitioner
enacts into production,
but rather what the practitioner, through the exercise of proper courage and
responsibility, chooses to omit. This
is to say, the honorable choice would be to refuse the temptation
of more sales, more notoriety, or more prestige in exchange
for mutually beneficial long-term relationships between the
organization and its publics (Cutlip, Center and Broom 2000).
Herein is the difference between press agentry and public information
practices of public relations. Many times these types
of common models of public relations are marked by mere persuasion,
if not construed as actual manipulation. This is of course
a grey area for the professional public relations practitioner,
as one who is challenged with a more ethical and responsible
interpretation of the contemporary practice of dealing effectively
with an organization’s strategic publics.
Practicing What Is Preached
[16] Specifically within the Christian music industry, this
dichotomy is increasingly blurred because of the assumed moral
value of the industry and those who help to uphold it. However,
the industry is fortunately not without those figures who,
like Jesus Christ, model an exemplary manner of living and
treating others which naturally seems to flow into their “Christian” jobs. John
Styll perfectly exemplified the wisdom, foresight, and patience
necessary to deny the short-term gain of selling loads of magazines
by breaking an exclusive, scandalous story involving an icon
in Christian music. Instead, he actually sat on the story
for years until another Christian publication ironically gained
the notoriety by breaking the sinful tale of a fallen Christian
artist. Perhaps Styll drew upon his knowledge of the
ingredients that brought CCM to where it was, and, realizing
the risk of falling back to its incubational levels, felt that
a bit of integrity would help it weather the present storm
and continue to thrive. It took Styll, an insider, to
recognize the unique nature of the industry with all its intricacies,
and to determine to solve its problems “in house.”
[17] As Styll pointed out, there exists an intriguing and certain
dichotomy between Christian press and Christian entertainers
in the limelight. As in any other entertainment field,
of course, fans want to know as much as possible about their
favourite artists. Styll said, “Sometimes people
don’t know what to think about a given situation, particularly
if it is negative. The best PR deals head-on with the
issues in a positive way, but offers a perspective that is
in many cases helpful or instructional” (personal email
interview, October 4, 2001). John Styll, who also currently
volunteers as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the
Gospel Music Association, has exemplified the distinction between
what is public and what is meant to remain private. As
stated by Stephen Banks (1995), “conflict encounters
are opportunities for people to choose between competitive,
exploitive behaviors aimed at acquiring a finite resource and
collaborative, creative behaviors aimed at mutually solving
problems” (51).
[18] Many of these issues of moral and ethical conduct for
a CCM public relations practitioner run directly parallel with
the standards of “excellent public relations” as
viewed by James Grunig (1992) in relation to the two-way symmetrical
model: “critical scholars have done research to
document the poor ethics, negative social consequences, or
ineffectiveness of forms of public relations that differ from
normative theories of excellent public relations” (54). Thus,
a public relations practitioner within the CCM industry is
seemingly reinforced by an assumed high moral standard and
a set of principles and codes as outlined within Grunig’s
view of excellent public relations.
Scandal Number Three
[19] The final trial of this whirlwind decade for CCM
was another personal dilemma, one handled delicately by public
relations practitioners throughout the industry. This
was particularly true because this situation directly involved
CCM's top selling artist of all time–its adopted darling,
Amy Grant. After announcing their separation in December
1998, only a few months later, Amy Grant filed for divorce
from her husband of 16 years, Gary Chapman. The papers cited “irreconcilable
differences,” after speculation had continued for months
in the national press regarding the marital status of these
two popular public figures. Chapman was at the time a
Reunion Records Christian recording artist himself, as well
as the host of both TNN’s PrimeTime Country, and The
CCM Countdown With Gary Chapman (CCM Staff, 1999).
[20] Although this news was not as shocking or as scandalous
as other accounts herein, it had a poignantly saddening affect
on all sectors of the CCM industry, as well as in universal
Christendom, given all the Christian music arena had suffered
in recent years. However, it was well poised to sensitively
handle yet another potentially crippling strike against it. The
general manager of Grant’s record company, Myrrh, issued
a statement saying, "We are saddened by this announcement
and continue to pray for Amy, Gary, and their children.” Also
in this press release, both artists “requested prayers
and privacy during this difficult time” (CCM staff
1999, 2). Although to the casual observer the Amy Grant
divorce wouldn’t appear to be potentially catastrophic,
many within the industry wondered–even aloud–if
this might be the scandal that crumbled Christian rock.
[21] Aside from other similar press statements from record
companies and management, as was the case with English and
Patty, Frank Breeden, president of the GMA, interestingly used
this more identifiable scenario in the attempt to model a high
moral standard. He said, "this is a chance to show
the world how normal problems happening to normal people get
handled in a Christian context” (Hefner and Warren 1998,
7). In terms of responsible and effective public relations,
John Styll, in theory, precisely supports the action of Frank
Breeden in this case by saying: "good PR not only tells
the facts, but offers the context and meaning behind them.” Therefore,
when CCM is facing trials such as scandals, buyouts, or sales
dips, "it has always tried to put the information in a
context that diffuses the negativity in an appropriate way” (John
Styll, personal interview, October 3, 2001).
[22] This type of resolve and moral standard would be called
upon essentially all through the '90s for CCM public relations
practitioners, professionals and artists alike. Simultaneously
with much of the spiritual and ethical upheaval in the industry,
CCM was sustaining more structural blows. By the middle
of the decade, almost every major mainstream recording company
had established a presence in Christian music:
“Warner Brothers founded their own division, Warner Alliance. EMI
snapped up the old gospel house, Sparrow, in 1992, as well
as Forefront, the label of DC Talk, one of Christian rock's
biggest acts. The Zomba group purchased 15-year-old Brentwood
music in 1993. With Brentwood came Essential, Jars of
Clay's label, and Essential became a sister company of Zomba’s
secular
‘boutique’ label, Silvertone” (O’Donnell
1996, 7).
These People Mean Business
[23] If at this point CCM had not garnered the attention of
the universal music industry, it surely would never do so. Christian
record labels were selling out at a head-spinning pace, and
conglomerates scrambled for the remaining few. BMG and
Sony were the next to test the less than virgin soil of CCM
(Curiel 1997). However, Curiel reported that many believe,
as does Warren Pettit, music professor at Greenville College
(which offers courses in CCM), that these buyouts actually
ushered in the impending CCM explosion. By emphasizing
its newly discovered diversification, and utilizing the marketing
power of the ownership companies, Professor Pettit said this
was paving the way for Christian artists and bands to cross
over into mainstream music. He added, "it allows
those bands to get widespread distribution. It took them
out of Christian bookstores and started putting [their CDs]
in Tower Records and Wal-Mart” (1997, 8). Much
of the crossover success can be attributed to the fact that
for the first time, many Christian bookstores had instituted
Soundscan, a point of sale tracking system used by the Billboard
charts. Suddenly the sales figures were objective and
not embellished, causing the consummate mushroom effect–once
people heard how many units were selling, Christian music suddenly
became hot and consumers bought more and more units.
[24] In such a volatile situation, assuredly not everyone shared
the same views on these takeovers of the Christian record labels,
many of which had been constructed from the ground floor. Price
says “some in the industry have described the state of
certain labels as ‘decimated’ and ‘cannibalized’” in
the wake of the acquisitions (Curiel 1997): “Numerous
key executives, considered the ‘founding fathers’ of
what has become music’s fastest-growing niche market,
have left the companies they so diligently built for careers
in health care, publishing, or other fields” (3).
[25] During this period, the common CCM fan, consumer, or retailer
was intensely concerned about the collective structure of the
industry compromising its Christian platform. This is
not unlike Sandy Patty's individual confession of substituting
the career, i.e. the business, for personal devotion, out of
which flows an effective and sincere ministry. Christian
retailer Rick Anderson, a music buyer for a chain of 22 stores
based in Cincinnati, said, “we have definitely moved
away from ministry in this industry, and we’ve looked
too much at numbers, too much at trying to make stars out of
people and trying to duplicate what's happening in the world. I
think that's a major mistake” (Price 1999, 7). The
artists who had apparently fallen prey to the perceived glamorous
aspect of the business by giving into sexual temptation while
on the road, had sparked much doubt and cynicism within the
public about the overall sincerity of CCM in terms of its now
overriding business aspect. When the subject matter of
your music is, at its core, humble and sincere, there is thus
a very fine line between being popular in a ministerial sense
and being a rock or pop star. In a strange way audiences
will allow an artist to get only so big for fear of losing
touch and feeling as though their favourite artist is getting
out of reach.
Ministry versus Commerce
[26] Still others, even within Christian retail stores, show
less concern. Price quoted Bob Starnes, the music buyer
for Lemstone, a 70-store chain, stating, "I think the
ministry still comes [from artists]. It’s not whether
Sparrow Records changes hands and is part of EMI. Instead
it's the artists that are driving the ministry " (1999,
8). As exemplified, intriguing topical discussions were
evoked industry-wide by the ministry versus commerce
debate. The logical statement above by the Lemstone representative
contends that artists are the face of CCM. They produce
the product, sell the records, and draw the crowds to live
concerts. It would also stand to reason that if this
were not true, then CCM sales and the industry itself
would not have begun to feel the detrimental affects of such
reported trials of individual artists. From the artists’ perspective,
Peter Furler, founder of the highly successful alternative-pop
group Newsboys, asserts this position by saying, "now
you have big record companies involved ’cause they’re
sniffing at the bucks. But we know that. We're
not stupid. We know they’re not trying to promote
the name of
Christ’” (Ali 2001, 20).
[27] With so many previously competing record labels now trying
to peacefully coexist under the same umbrellas, consolidation
has definitely had an impact on the identity of the labels. Every
record label ownership and organizational structure is different. This
organizational structure becomes very important in terms of
the overall effectiveness of the organization. In the
case of record companies, this becomes apparent in the bottom
line with regard to record sales. Some companies will
have sustained sales, others will experience fluctuation in
sales, while still others will feel the pinch of steady decreases
in units sold. At the same time, Furler’s position
seems to be a realistically wise one, in that the coexistence
of Christian musicians, company personnel, and their secular
label ownership is possible–and potentially successful–if
each party acknowledges and understands its unambiguous role
and function within the given structure of the organizational
environment.
Relational Value of Good PR
[28] The same could be said for any public relations department
in that there are certainly many times when public relations
operate more at the surface, or at “face value.” In
defraying the negativity, the practitioner is performing a
function that is commonly associated with the profession by
helping the organization or industry “look good” even
in the midst of turmoil. Though this service is common, it
is often taken for granted. The public relations function
does not routinely make an impact on the bottom line of an
organization. However, this is a realistic example of
how PR can actually dissuade negative or cynical perceptions
and images, thereby reducing “cost” to the organization
and its interested parties. Therefore, when the public
relations role is properly maintaining responsible PR through
long-term relationships, subjective costs are decreased and
the organization is allowed to revert to its normal, more efficient
course. As Grunig (1992) says, “poor relationships,
in other words, can cost an organization a great deal although
good relationships may not necessarily make money for the organization” (86). In
the case of the CCM industry, the PR strategy employed during
these crises protected against a potentially catastrophic downslide,
and although it may not be quantifiable in terms of bottom
line gains, it was instrumental in preventing the floor from
falling out from under the industry.
[29] Although the seemingly obligatory CCM press conferences
were conducted almost as if someone has died, each conference
on behalf of the above artists has played a role in providing
all the publics the opportunity not only to be informed, but
to be allowed to grieve with the participants. By following
this penitential approach, audiences and other important environments
are relationally nurtured through crises such as these where
the artists’ moral position and image are in jeopardy. In
this way, public relations within CCM employ a methodology
somewhat unique to any other entertainment industry in that
it plays a pivotal role in discreetly conducting these press
conferences, as well as countless additional PR functions that
directly convey the image and perceptions of literally every
branch of the industry.
Conclusion
[30] Even through these announcements of the personal turmoil
of cornerstone fixtures of CCM, Amy Grant and Sandy Patty,
the industry has as successfully as possible withstood the
onslaught of the 1990s. In fact, the Christian Music
Trade Association (Contemporary Christian, 2001) announced
at midyear 2001 that "the Contemporary Christian and Gospel
Music industry is seeing a double digit sales increase over
last year.” While numbers were actually down in
the music industry in general, CCM sold nearly 20 million units
from January 1 to July 1, 2001 (1). The GMA president
Frank Breeden addressed these current record sales results
to the more than 250 international press members who had assembled
for the Gospel Music Week convention in Nashville. Mr.
Breeden said, “We are seeing some great signs to start
2001 that our Contemporary Christian Music industry remains
vital, and in fact, continues to grow” (Whitehead 2001,
5).
[31] It appears, therefore, the industry role of public relations
in general was so in tune with calamity that it acted routinely,
responsibly, and effectively to systematically diffuse
each circumstance presented. This emergency “blueprint” was
called upon much in the same fashion in the given situation,
so that later in this chain of challenging events, the practice
of responsible public relations became second nature. Indeed,
the CCM industry was thrilled to say goodbye to a trying decade
by welcoming in a new millennium. EMI Christian music
group president/CEO Bill Hearn remarks positively on the current
state of CCM: "I think that as an industry, we closed
out the millennium in better shape than we’ve been in
a long, long time as a business” (Price 2000, 4). Knowing
that its testimony has been strengthened by these trials, CCM
strives forward with the confidence that the industry and its
fortitude have now transcended the popularity of any one artist,
as well as any calamity with which it will inevitably be faced
in the future.
[32] Many of the issues that apply to mainstream society are
in some ways opposite to that of CCM. In environments
like Wall Street, Washington or Hollywood, it could be argued
that humility will get you nowhere. But one key element
of psychology that was expertly factored into this equation
by PR professionals is that there is something very human and
very effective about the proper expression of humility. In
CCM, humility might just get you to the top–and it will
most probably help you stay there.
[33] As offered by Heath (1994), “rather than building
disagreement and differences regarding risk issues, the answer
may be to make them public and explicit as a first step toward
resolving them” (270). Among the statements
in the Bible regarding this topic are the following two: (1)
Be sure your sins will find you out (Num 3:23), and (2) If
you confess your sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive
you (1 John 1:9). In the cases of these crises, PR professionals
within CCM took a page from a book that has been around longer
than any PR journal, and advised their clients thusly: If your
sins find you out, confess them. And if your Father in
heaven is faithful to forgive,
let’s trust that your fans are too.
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