Some people who call themselves "Christians" act more like modern-day Pharisees, routinely condemning anything & anyone that doesn't live up to their super-strict interpretation of Scripture. I should know, having been raised by such people for many years in my childhood. They forced so much hate and fear of hellish fire down my throat, that by the age of 18 I abandoned the church, and didn't go back until ten years later, having made many serious personal mistakes in that time. And even after that, it took me at least another year to really love and trust God again; my Mom was a true God-send when it came to that. But then she suddenly passed away from a very sudden lung-cancer attack in 2015, and I probably spent 2 whole years back in a nightmarish state. I hated God, I hated my Mom, I hated the world, I hated the doctors that cared for her...but most of all, I hated myself. The past six years have been a true challenge for me, and its very hard to believe that next year will mark the 10th anniversary of my Mom going to Heaven.
I've listened to a lot of music over this most recent period, a lot of it that my now-deceased elders probably would have wanted me sent to hell for it...but to be honest, I've reached the point where I really don't care. I enjoyed a lot of CCM artists in my youth, like Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith; they remain a couple of my favorites in the genre. But I also recently purchased a 3-CD anniversary album by Petra, and since 2010 I've been a fan of the gospel rock band Skillet. Aside from that, some of my other faves include Michael Jackson, Rascal Flatts, Huey Lewis, Paula Abdul, and various movie scores (especially the work of "movie maestro" John Williams).