Carman: Overcoming Child of God Quiz

Answer: New Jersey

"I'm growing up to be born again, blood washed, spirit filled
Testifying child of the King
I'm going to praise Him in the morning, through the afternoon, 'til night.
And then I'll dream about witnessing.
I'm gonna walk and talk and act like Jesus
Though I may get feathered and tarred
The world may try and stop my mission, but I'll grow with opposition
Cause I'm an overcoming Child of God." ("Overcoming Child of God")

Carman grew up as the son of a meat cutter and had a mom that was a professional entertainer. Carman had a love for music that began at a very early age. At age five he began playing the drums and he advanced to the guitar at age fifteen. Carman did not start singing until he was sixteen.

Carman did not have a strong Christian upbringing. His attitude attracted him to trouble and he spent two of his teenage years in a military school. He also spent his teenage years playing in bars and in his mother's band. He dropped out of school at age 17 to play in bands and showroom gigs in Las Vegas. At the same time his sister pleaded with him to give his life to Christ, Carman was being pulled into gangs and the entertainment industry.

Carman's testimony of overcoming his addictions and background gave him much more love and understanding for others when he gave his life to Christ. It added to his radical testimony and his passion to save the lost.

Answer: at an Andraé Crouch gospel music concert

"Jesus Christ is Lord & God's still on the throne
There's power in the blood & I'm saved to the bone
The devil comes against me, he's gonna feel some pain
I can bind him, bruise him, cast him out by the power of Jesus' name!
No longer on the outside; on the inside I now stand
I'm sold out, the whole route. Completely born again
I believe on the third day Jesus, He rose from the grave
The world thinks I've gone crazy
I am just radically saved!" ("Radically Saved")

Carman had a talent for music but his aggressive nature and attitude attracted a path of crime and violence. In his teenage years he caught the attention of local gangs while playing in clubs and bars in New Jersey and Philadelphia. He was given an offer by the Sopranos inspiration, The DeCalvcante Crime Family, who wanted to manage his musical career. Carman told them he would make a decision after a trip to Las Vegas. The Las Vegas trip saved his life and his soul. Carman was so moved by the concert of Andraé Crouch, he surrendered his life to Christ and became a Christian. He never went back to his former life at the bars and instead put all his talents into writing music for the Lord.

Answer: He made them free admission to the public.

"Let the light of Your word light my pathway
Let the love of Jesus flow through me
It's the love of God that draws the wayward children back to Calvary
They're in my heart they're all I see
They're like kidnapped royalty
But I can win them if Your love will shine through me" ("Shine Through Me")


Many of Carman's concerts were free to the public as part of his ministry. Carman collected love offerings to pay for the concerts, but his audiences were not charged to walk in through the door. His city concerts set record attendances with 50,000 to 70,000 people at a show. At the end of concerts, Carman would invite attendees to give their lives to God if they had not done so already. If the arena would permit, they would open up his concerts for prayer.

Answer: He took traditional Christian songs and put different styles of music to them.

"From the rising of the sun
To the end of the day
Lord, let my life
Be an instrument of praise
Everything I do
Everything I say
Lord, let my life
Be an instrument of praise" ("Instrument of Praise")

When Carman left behind his secular music career, he put all his energy into writing music for Christ. Crouch's music had been part of Carman's early relationship with Christ and played a significant role in Carman's music writing. In an interview with Christian Broadcasting Network, Carman described his inspiration from Crouch's work by saying (2), "I could feel the Spirit of God through what Crouch was doing. I really felt an anointing. He took what was sacred in the church and put it into music I could relate to." Carman used his own experiences to take songs and mix them with different music types people could relate to. Later in his career Carman worked with Crouch on tours and with other music projects.

Answer: Bill Gaither

Carman's first record featured his songs "God's Not Finished With Me", "Some of Dat", "I Love Jesus", and "I Don't Believe It". The year after its release Bill Gaither invited Carman to come on the Bill Gaither Trio tour. Bill Gaither's recognition boosted Carman's presence in the Christian music industry.

Although Carman's style was different, more music artists started to notice Carman's talent and calling. Carman released more songs and became a trailblazer for future Christian artists that combined Christian lyrics with hip hop, rap, rock, reggae, and other forms of non-traditional music genres.

Answer: boxing

"The Champion" was Carman's first number one hit and stayed on the Billboard overall sales charts for a record 168 weeks. It was a song about Jesus and the devil facing off in a boxing match.

"In the vast expanse of a timeless place
Where silence ruled the outer space
Ominously, towering it stood
The symbol of a spirit war
Between the one name Lucifer
And the Morning Star, The ultimate of good
Enveloped by a trillion planets
Clean as lightning and hard as granite
A cosmic coliseum would host the end
Of the war between the lord of sin and death
And the Omnipotent Creator of man's first breath
Who will decide who forever will be the Champion." ("The Champion")

"The Champion" is written in the musical style of the "Rocky" boxing movies, with Carman narrating the eternal match of the ages. The plot of the song is Jesus and the devil fighting out the story of Calvary in a boxing ring. The winner decides the fate of humankind's salvation.

In 2001, Carman made "The Champion" into a full-length movie.

Answer: America Again

"We eliminated God from the equation of American life
Thus eliminating the reason this nation first began
From beyond the grave I hear the voices of our founding fathers plead
You need God in America again" (America Again lyrics)

In his song "America Again", Carman narrates the history of the United States and the faith of founding fathers. He shares his views of how violence has increased without the Word of God in schools.

One excerpt from his lyrics says:
"In his farewell address, Washington said, "You can't have
National morality apart from religious principle," and it's true
'Cause right now we have nearly 150, 000 kids carrying guns
To these war zones we call public schools
In the '40's and '50's student problems were chewing gum and talking
In the '90's, rape and murder are the trend
The only way this nation can even hope to last this decade
Is to put God in America again
The only hope for America is Jesus
The only hope for America is him
If we repent of our ways stand firm and say
We need God in America again
Abe Lincoln said, "The philosophy of the schoolroom in one generation
Will be the philosophy of the government of the next"
So when you eliminate the Word of God from the classroom and politics
You eliminate the nation that Word protects
America is now number one in teen pregnancy and violent crime
Number one in illiteracy, drug use and divorce
Every day a new holocaust of 5, 000 unborn die
While pornography flood our streets like open sewers" ("America Again" lyrics)

Carman believed that prayer could change a generation. One of Carman's accomplishments of his ministry was collecting one million signatures for a constitutional amendment favoring prayer in public school. Although the petition did not make changes in the U.S Congress, Carman's mission for prayer in schools raised awareness of the issue in record breaking concerts where over 70,000 people attended.

Answer: myeloma

"Years ago I made a choice, a super-sized vow
Said I'd live for Jesus, and never back down
Put pedal to the metal, win lose or draw
Everything I am, everything I'll be, God had it all
He's always been so faithful, He's done more than He should
He's my hope, He's my joy, He's always done me good
The road's been a long one, it's always been a fight
But God had my back deep into the night
He's been my plan A, now everyone can see
I'm living for the Lord and there's no plan B" ("No Plan B")

Initially Carman was only given three to four years to live when doctors first gave him his diagnosis. Carman went through a hard battle with treatments and surgeries. Carman thanked his fans and the power of God that his cancer went into remission after one year. For six years Carman was cancer free and he testified with his "No Plan B" album and concerts. In 2021, Carman's cancer returned.

Answer: Las Vegas

Las Vegas is special to Carman because it was also where he gave his life to Christ, the first love of his life.

"For better, for worse
For richer, for poor
In sickness and health
I will be yours
And you'll always, be here in my heart
To honor, to cherish
To care for, to say
This love will not perish
I'm yours everyday and forever
You'll be here in my heart" ("I Promise")

Carman saw no hope in sight of having a family after battling illness. He was pushing 60 with no children and most of his family had passed away. At the age of 61, Carman was told by doctors that his cancer was in remission after four years. Carman considered it an additional miracle when he fell in love and married Dana Morrow, from Dallas, Texas. His family grew in size from four to twenty one when his marriage included six stepchildren and nine step-grandchildren. One of his son-in-laws was also a fireman and a paramedic. Carman said he felt restored and blessed beyond measure.

Answer: True

Carman's staff said he rarely changed a concert from the program that had been laid out. In the tributes after his death, they said he began adding "I Did My Best" to the concerts just before he was hospitalized for surgeries and treatment. In his last moments, Carman still was testifying of the goodness of God.

"Lord I did my best
In spite of all my faults you know I tried
Whether I was right or wrong you saw inside
And knew that you had all of me,
Lord I did my best
Often times mistakes would be there too
I just did what I believed you wanted me to do
When I'm finally laid to rest
I can say I faced the test
And pressing toward the mark, I did my best" ("I Did My Best")

Carman died in a Las Vegas hospital after a series of complications resulting from surgery, 28 days after his 65th birthday. Toby Mac, Jesus Culture, Clint Brown, King & Country, Danny Gokey, and Rebecca St. James, were just a few of many artists to make tribute to him when he died; they all gave Carman credit for inspiring their careers. Carman was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2018. (2)