To embrace the future, we must first discover the past. Although Contemporary Christian Music as we know it is still on the rise, the Christian music industry has a deep and rich decades-long history. Whether you listened to Petra as a child or grew up on Chris Tomlin, Christian music has birthed many memorable artists and bands. Every week, we want to take you on a trip down memory lane as we reminisce about some of the most influential albums to have ever touched our ears.

OPEN UP THE HEAVENS
Like metal music at the end of June, the last week of July has been home to many incredible worship releases from some of the best worship leaders in the genre. In 2012, worship leader-turned-American Idol contestant-turned-worship leader Chris Sligh followed up his Word Records release The Anatomy of Broken with the free worship album For Our God & King.

Sligh, who now leads worship at Parkview Christian Church in Orland Park, Ill., relished in the newfound freedom of his independence, putting a clever spin on several classic worship ballads while throwing in many new songs such as the introspective "Communion Song": "Lord, here we are / We've come to be filled / We reach out our hands to receive / the blood you've spilt / Humbly we bow here with hearts on display / To take of the body that took our guilt away."

That same year, another worship heavyweight also dived headfirst into the genre. Chicago-based Vertical Church Band stormed onto the scene in 2012 with their debut album Live Worship From Vertical Church, a collection of 13 songs written and performed by the collective members of the band.

Made up of various worship leaders from Harvest Bible Chapel such as Jon Guerra, Andi Rozier, Kyle Fredricks, and CCM staple Meredith Andrews, the album included several songs penned by the group such as the upbeat "Open Up The Heavens" and the hummable anthem "Not For A Moment (After All)." Exactly four years later, Vertical Church Band has made its mark in the industry and is currently gearing up this week to release their fourth album in as many years with Frontiers.
 
Lastly, Sacramento-based Jesus Culture released their live album Emerging Voices just a few days later on July 31, 2012. Emerging Voices is an 11-track album featuring four up-and-coming worship leaders: Mary Kat Ehrenzeller, Justin Jarvis, Derek Johnson, and Nate Ward. The musical chemistry between the members was undeniable, and the album proved to be an immediate hit, reaching No. 3 on Billboard's U.S. Christian Albums. You can check out our review of Emerging Voices here.

FOUR DECADES YOUNG
2013 marked a huge milestone for two of the longest-running names in the music industry. Both Petra and the Oak Ridge Boys celebrated four decades of history-making music with two 40th Anniversary albums that showcased the bands' greatest hits in one convenient package. For Petra, these songs included fan-favorite "This Is War" and the recently re-recorded "Beyond Belief". With 24 albums under their belt, Petra cemented themselves as one of the most influential groups in Christian rock music, paving the way for many singers and bands after them. Petra's legacy can now be seen in The Union of Sinners & Saints, a supergroup comprised of former members of Petra and Whiteheart, led by Mr. Petra himself: John Schlitt.

As for the Oak Ridge Boys, they are one of the longest active groups in music. They are most notable for becoming one of the first crossover acts in Christian music when they switched over from gospel to country music on Columbia Records in 1973, the same year the band's current line-up solidified. The move was initially met with harsh rejection from conservative groups, but that didn't keep the Oak Ridge Boys from using other avenues to spread the gospel.

Longtime tenor Joseph Bonsell expounded on the group's faith in his book On The Road With the Oak Ridge Boys: "The Oaks just wanted gospel music to be as forward thinking and as popular and as well performed as any other kind of music--and why not? Shouldn't the message of Christ be presented in a fun and first-class way?" Like Petra, the foursome released a 40th Anniversary greatest hits album loaded with fun country songs and blatantly faith-inspired ballads, striking a balance between the two and highlighting what made the group so special.
 
OTHER NOTABLE RELEASES
Beyond the worship albums and old favorites, several other notable records released during the last week of July. Southern rock band Third Day released arguably the best album of their career in Revelation, which featured a surprisingly heavy side of the band, as evidenced by appearances by rockers Lacey Sturm and Chris Daughtry. Fireflight made their major record label debut in 2006 with The Healing of Harms, one of the more memorable albums in an already loaded year. Finally, NRT's own Kevin Davis raved about Josh Wilson's 2015 release of That Was Then, This Is Now. If you have a moment, be sure to check out the refreshingly witty "3 Minute Song", one of the most clever songs of last year.