Like Earth in the End Times, Christian rock’s days are numbered, but the industry has to undergo a few transitional stages. The current stage might be called “The Revolving Door.” Take Flyleaf, for example. The hard-rock foursome is often described as a stripped-down Evanescence, the Christian goth-rock group that roared into mainstream success with their 2003 album titled “Fallen” and promptly kicked the ladder away. Flyleaf’s label, Octone, wants the band to emulate Evanescence’s marketing strategy as well as its sound. “We wanted to use Christian radio as a place to start, much like a record company might choose to start a hipper-type group at college radio,” an Octone executive told Billboard magazine. “Our goal from day one was to break this band at mainstream rock radio.”

Exhibit two is Brian Littrell, who has already enjoyed huge success as a member of the Backstreet Boys, but who has chosen to launch his solo career in the Christian market with his album “Welcome Home.” Christian music fans are greeting his reverse crossover as a pure testament of what the genre has to offer a star even of Littrell’s magnatude. “Additionally,” notes Christianity Today, “one would hope such a talent would bring more experience and artistic credibility to [Christian Contemporary Music].”

The constant lowering of the Christian ghetto wall shows how much credibility CCM has already garnered. It will be interesting to see if the Christian music industry will have the courage of its founding ideal to complete its destiny and wither away altogether.