Maybe it has to do with the fact that christian music intentionally marginalizes itself...

Because the main streem media is not ready to face it's heathen ways. One day when Jesus comes back he will show them their error in there ways. I hope that one day before that happens they will accept that even godly music can entertain while spreading the truth of his love. Bless you.

Do they really refuse to take Christian music seriously? What about LeeAnn Rimes? Or Celine Dion?

Because the mainstream entertainment industry is in the business of making money not catering to a bunch of whack jobs much less help them shover their bullcrap down resonable people's throats

It depends on what you define as "take Christian music seriously". Most major record labels have a christian music division because despite your misguided persecution complex, christian music is a huge business. part of the reason it is sop huge is that much of it sounds just like pop music. It has never been a secret that the church is a great place to look for talent and many of the most celebrated musical artists have very well documented backgrounds in gospel music. Gospel or some variation of is a category when it comes to most music awards just like most genres. It's not clear what you want from "the mainstream entertainment industry".

Because today's "Christian music" is bland and crappy? I think some seriously great pieces of music have been written with religious themes in the past, but the kind of music you're referring to is irredemable schlock. Plenty of mainstream artists have written religious songs that are pretty great! But because they don't cater specifically to you and turn up their noses at their fellow artists they aren't considered to be religious musicians. Which is ridiculous. Johnny Cash had some great religious tunes. Nick Cave has some too. Kanye West is definately a Christian, have you not heard "Jesus Walks"? And he's one of the biggest artists today! I bet I could name dozens of Top 40 musicians who are Christian! But those are actual musicians who are unique and not bland and sterile, so they're ignored by the whole "Christian Music" side industry. They're too busy raking in the cash on their standard formula and lowered expectations. And that dissatisfaction you feel is you being fed an inferior product while being told it's more moral to consume it. You should be demanding something better, not telling the rest of us to lower our standards.

Because society isn't getter better, it's getting worse.

Dah... could it be that as an "Industry", good / bad, what counts with them is sales numbers?

Christian music is all about shoving your views of god down our throats. How could we possibly call that mainstream entertainment? Besides that they are not as good. The singers especially.

I think most music aficionados would take Zeppelin over Newsboys any day.

I think you answer your own question when you differentiate Christian music from "mainstream" Christian music is not mainstream, and therefore can only reach out to a niche market. The "sex, drugs and rock and roll" image of the entertainment industry does not sit comfortably with Christian music - which further alienates it from mainstream. You may well argue that there are styles within the mainstream which also alienate (eg metal, rap etc) but the main theme which overarches each style of music in the mainstream is love and (sexual) conquest or other physical desires. If those are not present in christian music, they will never be considered in the main stream!

Because they're just not. They're bland, soulless and insincere.

Who the hell wants to listen to a bunch of christers warble about how great their chosen belief system is, other than another bunch of christers? Actually, there IS christian music which is tolerable -- Gregorian chanting, for example -- but for the most part, modern christer music consists of a bunch of undertalented performers who would never have achieved success in a wider milieu, trying desperately to cram anti-intellectual South Baptist dogma down the throats of anyone within listening distance. No thanks.

Simply put, it isn't as good. In fact, it is puerile, tasteless, and worthy of inattention.

Probably for the same reason you'll never hear Iron Maiden played in a Gospel Hall. It's not just the music...it's the message and the money that message makes. Different strokes for different folks.

Hmmm... because Creed ruined it for everybody? But seriously, from a musician's perspective, some of the most beautiful music ever written has been Christian in origin. Guillaume Dufay's masses floor me, but those are 600 years old or so. There is some good stuff going on in the contemporary gospel scene and some pretty cool Christian-inspired folk songs. However, when Christianity really tries to infiltrate the youth market with wimpy squeaky clean rock music, it sort of feels like your creepy old uncle who inserts words like "rad" and "gnarly" into conversations with you to prove he's with-the-times. From a marketing perspective, I suppose no mater how legit the musicianship on an album is, if it's not going to sell, then they're not going to produce it. Christian contemporary is a real niche market -- not the sort of thing a record exec really chomps at the bit to get a piece of.

What's there to take seriously?

This goes for every religion. I think that if there are artist who are Hindu or Athiest that only or mainly sing about their beliefs, they wouldn't have as a big of an audience either. Christian artist aren't always reaching out to non-Christian people, by only singing about your beliefs you cut off a group of people who could enjoy your music (if they sang about a different topic every once in awhile). (Ex: If a group of blonde girls sang about what it was like to live in Beverly Hills and ask daddy for money are people really going to understand it?) Christian music tends to be made for Christians anyway. There are good christian artist out there (FlyLeaf, UnderOath, Relient K--all I can think of right now), they all had their spotlight and a good fanbase (who aren't Christian). They got that way by not singing about their beliefs 24/7 but only takling about it when it came out/up.

Chacun a son gout.

Why don't C&W stations play Classical Music?

Because Christian music is really the only genre out there where what the singer is saying is more important than the music itself. Instead of the melodies or musicianship, it's all about the words. Listeners can be lousy followers, but still view themselves in a positive spiritual light because they listen to Christian music (it being their only good work).

You also have to realize that Chrisitianity isn't the only religion that has its own music. What about the rest of us and the artists that we like that sing about our faiths? I think it best that specific religious themed music stay out of mainstream entertainment. Besides, once a band is picked up by mainstream entertainment, they usually sell out anyway, so the message may lessen or other key factors may be lost regardless of what kind of religious themed music you're listening to.

Because they're all the same songs?! ;-)

Because it sucks.

The way ratings are now, if Christian Music sold as well, I'm SURE they'd take it seriously. There almost always seems to be a song or two that make it through to the mainstream... Back when we were in school there were quite a few: "Put Your Hand In the Hand" by Ocean (see video #1) "Jesus is a Soul Man" by Lawrence Reynolds (See http://www.imeem.com/carrachote/music/0FolCnmp/lawrence_reynolds_jesus_is_a_soul_man/ ) "Jesus is Just All Right" by The Doobie Brothers (video #2) "People Get Ready" by Rod Stewart & Jeff Beck (Curtis Mayfield song - Video #3) "My Sweet Lord" by George Harrison (Video #4) "Oh Happy Day" by Edwin Hawkin's Singers (Video #5) and many others. AND, many popular songs could easily be sung in church.

My guess would be because mainstream anything tries to sell to the most amount of people and if they pick up Christian artists, whose songs are about Christianity and stuff that not everyone believes in, then they immediately cut out a margin of profit. It doesn't matter how talented they are. It's the same reason why mainstream entertainment would never pick up Wiccan artists, Hindi artists, Muslim artists, Jewish artists, etc. All of them are good, I'm sure, but because they are specified for a certain group of people they most likely won't be picked up for anything considered "mainstream". I know it might not sound right to some people or some may not agree with this, but when you use words like "mainstream", "entertainment", and "industry" and you don't include other words like "revenue" and "profit" into the equation, then you're just not being too realistic in my opinion.