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Michael Card

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Michael Card (born April 11, 1957 in Madison, Tennessee) is a Contemporary Christian music (CCM) artist who couples folk-style melodies and instrumentation with lyrics that stem from intensive study of the Bible. This perhaps is most brought out and seen, in his very popular thought provoking song 'Scandalon' - while on a softer level of feelings from the heart came the song 'Abba Father'. Since his debut in 1981, he has sold more than 4 million albums and has written 19 number one singles. He lives with his wife, Susan, and their four children in Franklin, Tennessee.

Card received Bachelor's and Master’s degrees in Religious Studies from Western Kentucky University. His studies in physics and astronomy allowed him to support himself while a student by working for six years at a planetarium. As of 2005, he is working on a Ph.D. in Classical Literature.

Contents

Musician

Michael Card never intended to be a professional musician. He got his start when his mentor, Dr. William Lane, asked him to write some music to accompany weekly sermons at their church. His friend, musician Randy Scruggs, then asked him to record a demo tape so Scruggs could get a job as a producer. The record label agreed to hire Scruggs as long as his first project was to produce an album featuring Card. Since then Card has released nineteen original albums and at least six compilation albums. Another album, Starkindler, is comprised of Card's interpretations of traditional Celtic hymns. The compilations often include one or two new songs along with previously released material. With the exception of Starkindler, Card writes the vast majority of the music he records (although sometimes with collaborators).

Each of Card's albums is structured around a unifying theme. For example, the songs from The Beginning are all based on the Pentateuch. The individual songs have subjects such as Genesis, Leviticus, Abraham, Isaac and Moses. Card is particularly adept at relating difficult or obscure concepts from the Old Testament to more understandable themes from the New Testament. For example, the song "Jubilee" talks about the period of rest and the release from debts and slavery commanded in the Jubilee year as described in Leviticus 25:9ff, but also reveals how the idea culminated in the rest and freedom from condemnation offered through Jesus.

Card's most famous song is "El Shaddai", which was recorded by Amy Grant as well as by Card himself. Grant's recording was named #326 on the RIAA's list of 365 Songs of the Century in 2001. Other popular Card songs include "Emmanuel," "Joy in the Journey," and "Heal Our Land." "Heal Our Land" was commissioned as the 1993 National Day of Prayer theme song.

Despite his tremendous success in music, Card has always maintained that his music career is secondary to his calling as a Bible teacher. He has at times distanced himself from the CCM industry by criticizing the promotion of personalities over musical content [link] and the shifting emphasis away from God in order to sell more albums. [link]

Author

Michael Card is the author or co-author of sixteen books. He originally started writing as a way to share the knowledge he accumulated while researching his songs. His studies were so in-depth that he couldn't condense everything he had learned into one short song. The books that resulted from album research bear the same titles as the albums. He then branched out to other subjects not specifically based on his music, such as the Gospel of John, homeschooling, and Christian discipleship and mentoring. As of 2005, he has joined with NavPress to pursue his interest in writing Christian fiction. [link]

Radio Host

In addition to touring and writing, Card also hosts a weekly radio program. In the Studio with Michael Card is carried by stations in 48 states, Canada, and the Caribbean. It is also available via internet streaming audio and as a podcast. The show is an amalgam of talk, musical performances and Bible study.

Controversies

Still, Card said, he doesn't see Mormonism and evangelical Christianity as opposed to each other. They are more like the two ends of a long thread — part of the same thing. [link]
Since the statement was not a direct quote, some have surmised that Card was misunderstood. The impact of this statement can be understood in the context that many Protestants deny that Mormons are Christians and consider the LDS church a cult. Card's response to his critics [link] has not helped to clarify the matter.

Discography

cd single \"The Rabbi's Heartbeat\" 2003 available ONLY with Brenan Manning's \"The Rabbi's Heartbeat\" book.

Bold text Moonlighting Michael Card also appears on...

Compilations

"Promise Keepers- A Life That Shows" (1994. Song "Bearers Of The Light"- later available on "Poiema", debuts here)

Videos

"Front Row"- (1990)

"The Word: Recapturing The Imagination" (promo video 1992, includes music video "So Many Books")

"The Visual Bible: The Debate Over Tradition" (1994- Includes "Recapture Me" music video)

"Christmas In Belfast"- (1997)

"Scribbling In The Sand" (2002: Also on DVD)

Books

Awards

1983 GMA Dove Awards
Songwriter of the Year
Song of the Year: "El Shaddai"
1988 GMA Dove Award
Praise & Worship Album of the Year: The Final Word
1994 GMA Dove Award
Children's Music Album of the Year: Come to the Cradle
1994 RIAA Certified Gold Recording
Sleep Sound in Jesus
1997 Western Kentucky University Distinguished Alumnus [link]

1998 National Religious Broadcasters Chairman's Award

2001 RIAA 365 Songs of the Century

#326 "El Shaddai," as recorded by Amy Grant
2002 Publishers Weekly Award
Best Religion Book: Scribbling in the Sand
2002 Chicago Book Clinic Award Of Excellence
Best General Trade Book in the Self-Help Category: Scribbling in the Sand

External links

 

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