The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music — #91: Resurrection Band, Awaiting Your Reply (1978)

Intro

At #91, Awaiting Your Reply (1978) announces Resurrection Band with startling urgency. Guitars snarl, drums punch, and Glenn and Wendi Kaiser testify over grooves that feel equally at home in a club or coffeehouse. This is evangelism with calluses: songs forged in community houses, shelters, and street ministry, delivered with arena‑worthy force.

The Album in Context

Rez Band emerged from Chicago’s Jesus People USA, where ministry and music intertwined. The band’s sonic DNA draws from Zeppelin-sized riffing, the blues tradition, and Midwest hard rock. Yet the messages are fiercely pastoral—naming addiction, poverty, and betrayal while pointing toward redemption. The title track’s apocalyptic longing sets a tone: this world is broken, but Christ is returning.

Production is intentionally unvarnished: overdriven guitars, live‑in‑the‑room drum energy, and vocals that favor grit over gloss. That honesty became the band’s calling card, opening space for later Christian rock and metal acts to address real‑life issues with musical credibility.

Standout Songs

• “Awaiting Your Reply” — A moody, minor‑key plea for Christ’s return; the band’s dynamics ebb and surge like a storm rolling across Lake Michigan.
• “Broken Promises” — Searing guitars underscore a lament for relational wreckage, moving from confession to a flicker of hope.
• “Lightshine” — A blues‑groove declaration that faith can burn bright in dark neighborhoods—stomping, swaggering, and sincere.

Why It Matters

Musically, the album validated Christian hard rock with bona fide chops—no apologies, no pandering. Production choices favored authenticity, capturing performances that breathe and bruise. Spiritually, the lyric sheet invites the marginalized, preaching a gospel sturdy enough for city sidewalks.

Its legacy is foundational: Awaiting Your Reply carved a lane for heavier Christian music and broadened lyrical horizons. From Petra to Bride to modern faith‑driven alt‑rock, you can trace a line back to Rez Band’s first salvo.

What’s Next

Next in The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music countdown, we step into #90 with Jon Gibson’s Jesus Loves Ya (1990)—a velvet‑smooth fusion of R&B, pop, and gospel joy that reoriented CCM’s rhythmic center. Catch the podcast companion as we connect Rez Band’s grit to the groove revolution that followed.

Soli Deo Gloria!

This post is part of the series The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music, celebrating the artists and recordings that defined a generation of faith-filled creativity.

As an Amazon Associate, CCM Professor may earn from qualifying purchases through affiliate links. Your support helps keep this series going!