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Petra stands among the most important and influential bands in the history of Christian music. Formed in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1972 by guitarist and songwriter Bob Hartman, Petra emerged at a time when the very idea of Christian rock was controversial. The band’s name comes from the Greek word for “rock,” and from the beginning Petra set out to use the sound of rock and roll to communicate the message of Christ to a generation that was growing up surrounded by that music. What began with small performances in churches, coffeehouses, parks and youth gatherings would eventually become one of the most successful Christian rock careers ever.
Petra’s early years were anything but easy. In the 1970s, many churches and Christian leaders viewed rock music with suspicion, and Christian radio was often reluctant to embrace a band whose music sounded like genuine rock rather than traditional gospel or inspirational music. Petra kept going. Their self-titled 1974 debut and 1977’s Come and Join Us established the band’s willingness to push musical boundaries, while the years that followed saw Petra steadily develop the powerful rock sound that would eventually make them a defining force in contemporary Christian music.
The transformation accelerated in the early 1980s. Albums such as Never Say Die, More Power to Ya, Not of This World, Beat the System, This Means War! and On Fire! helped establish Petra as a major Christian rock act, while the arrival of John Schlitt as lead vocalist in the mid-1980s ushered in another defining chapter. Petra wasn’t simply making Christian music that happened to contain guitars—they were demonstrating that Christian artists could make ambitious, energetic, arena-sized rock music without compromising the message. By the late 1980s and early 1990s, Petra had become one of the biggest names in Christian music, selling hundreds of thousands of albums, playing major venues and influencing an entire generation of musicians.
Petra’s influence can be seen in the Christian rock, hard rock and contemporary Christian music that followed. Their music helped open doors for artists and bands that would have been difficult to imagine on Christian radio when Petra first began. Albums such as Beyond Belief, Unseen Power and Wake-Up Call brought Petra some of the highest honors in Christian music, including four Grammy Awards. The band also accumulated numerous Dove Awards and became the first rock band inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Their success was not simply a matter of record sales or awards—it represented a fundamental change in what Christian music could sound like.
There is also a personal connection between Petra and the history of FishWorship. Our FishWorship founder first met Petra at the very first AtlantaFest at Atlanta International Raceway—the same festival where he also met Carman, NewSong and other artists for the first time. For a young, emerging Christian musician, encounters like those helped make the rapidly growing Christian music movement feel very real, personal and unforgettable.
More than five decades after Petra was formed, their place in Christian music history is remarkably secure. They were pioneers when Christian rock was still being questioned, innovators when the genre was finding its identity, and leaders when Christian rock became a major part of contemporary Christian music. Petra’s story is ultimately a story about persistence, musical courage and the willingness to take the message somewhere it had not traditionally been heard. For that reason, Petra is not simply another important name in Christian music history—they are one of the bands that helped write that history.
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💿Essential Albums
This Means War
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Released in 1987, This Means War! found Petra continuing the powerful, polished hard-rock sound that had made them one of the leading bands in Christian music. The album arrived during a particularly important period for the band, with John Schlitt firmly established as lead vocalist and Petra reaching an increasingly large audience beyond the traditional boundaries of Christian rock.
The album’s title and imagery draw heavily from the language of spiritual warfare, presenting the Christian life as a battle between good and evil. Songs such as “This Means War!” and “Get on Your Knees and Fight Like a Man” combine Petra’s muscular rock sound with a direct call to Christian commitment and perseverance. Rather than treating faith as passive, the album challenges listeners to recognize the spiritual struggle around them and stand firmly in what they believe.
This Means War! also demonstrated Petra’s ability to make Christian rock that could stand comfortably alongside mainstream rock production of its era. The guitars are aggressive, the rhythm section is powerful, and the keyboards and production give the album the large-scale sound that had become a Petra trademark. At the same time, the band’s message remained unmistakably Christian.
Coming after the enormously successful Back to the Street, This Means War! helped solidify Petra’s position at the forefront of Christian rock during the late 1980s. It remains an important album in Petra’s catalog—not only for its songs, but for the confidence with which Petra continued to demonstrate that Christian music could be loud, contemporary, sophisticated and uncompromisingly rooted in faith.
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Beat the System
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Released in 1985, Beat the System marked another major step forward for Petra as the band continued to expand the possibilities of Christian rock. The album followed Not of This World and found Petra embracing the rapidly developing technology of the mid-1980s, incorporating synthesizers, electronic drums and other production elements into their established rock sound. The result was one of the band’s most distinctly 1980s recordings, while still retaining the energy and conviction that had become synonymous with Petra.
The album’s title track, “Beat the System,” captures the record’s central theme: Christians are called to resist the values and pressures of a culture that can pull them away from their faith. Songs such as “Computer Brains,” “Clean” and “It Is Finished” explore subjects ranging from technology and worldly influence to spiritual cleansing and the finished work of Christ. Petra consistently balanced contemporary musical ideas with lyrics designed to challenge and encourage its listeners.
Beat the System is also significant because it arrived during the transition that would help define Petra’s most commercially successful era. While Greg Volz remained the band’s lead vocalist on this recording, guitarist Bob Hartman and the rest of Petra were increasingly developing the polished, arena-ready sound that would characterize the band’s later-1980s work. The album demonstrated that Petra wasn’t content simply to repeat what had already worked; they were willing to experiment with new sounds while remaining firmly rooted in Christian rock.
In retrospect, Beat the System stands as an important snapshot of Petra at a pivotal moment. It captured the band embracing new technology and production techniques while continuing to push Christian rock toward a larger, more contemporary audience. The album helped lay the groundwork for the remarkable run that would follow and remains an important part of Petra’s evolution from pioneering Christian rock band into one
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More Power to Ya (30th Anniversary Edition)
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Originally released in 1982, More Power to Ya stands as one of the landmark albums in Petra’s history and one of the records that helped establish Christian rock as a powerful and commercially viable musical force. With its combination of driving rock, memorable melodies and unapologetically Christian lyrics, the album captured Petra at a pivotal moment as the band moved from its pioneering early years toward the much larger audience it would reach later in the decade.
The album is filled with songs that became closely associated with Petra, including “More Power to Ya,” “Judas’ Kiss,” “Rose Colored Stained Glass Windows” and “Road to Zion.” The songs address spiritual commitment, the dangers of religious appearances without genuine faith, and the importance of standing firmly in Christ. Petra’s music was becoming increasingly accessible without sacrificing the directness of its message, helping the band connect with young Christians who wanted music that sounded like the rock they were hearing everywhere else.
For FishWorship, the More Power to Ya era is particularly important because it represents Petra doing something that would become central to the band’s legacy: demonstrating that Christian music did not have to retreat from contemporary culture in order to remain faithful. Petra could play hard rock, write memorable songs and address serious questions of faith while still reaching a massive Christian audience. The album helped prove that Christian rock could be more than a niche experiment—it could become a major musical movement.
The 30th Anniversary Edition gives a new generation of listeners an opportunity to experience this pivotal Petra album while also preserving the significance of the original recording. More than three decades after its release, More Power to Ya remains one of the essential albums for understanding Petra and the development of Christian rock. It is a record from a band that was not simply participating in the rise of Christian rock—they were helping define what the genre could become.
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Not of This World
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Released in 1983, Not of This World continued Petra’s remarkable ascent and further established the band as one of the leading voices in Christian rock. Coming on the heels of More Power to Ya, the album found Petra refining a sound that was both unmistakably rock and unmistakably Christian, with strong guitars, memorable melodies and lyrics that challenged listeners to think about what it means to live faithfully in a culture that does not always share those values.
The title track, “Not of This World,” became one of the defining songs in Petra’s catalog, drawing on Jesus’ words in John 17 and reminding believers that their ultimate identity and allegiance are found somewhere beyond the world around them. Other songs such as “Grave Robber,” “Lift Him Up” and “Not by Sight” similarly combine biblical themes with Petra’s energetic rock approach. The band’s ability to turn theological ideas into accessible rock songs was becoming one of its greatest strengths.
Not of This World also demonstrated how far Christian rock had progressed. Petra was no longer simply proving that Christian musicians could play rock music—they were producing sophisticated, ambitious albums capable of reaching a large audience while maintaining a distinctly Christian identity. The album’s production, songwriting and musicianship helped establish a template that many Christian rock artists would follow in the years to come.
Today, Not of This World remains an important part of Petra’s legacy and of the broader history of Christian music. It arrived at a crucial point in the band’s development, when Petra was helping move Christian rock from the margins toward the mainstream of contemporary Christian music. More than four decades later, its message remains remarkably relevant: Christians may live in this world, but their hope, identity and ultimate home are found beyond it.
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Beyond Belief
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Released in 1990, Beyond Belief arrived at the height of Petra’s influence and stands as one of the band’s defining albums. By this point, Petra had spent nearly two decades helping establish Christian rock as a legitimate and powerful musical genre, and Beyond Belief demonstrated just how fully that vision had matured. With its polished production, muscular guitars, memorable melodies and unmistakably Christian message, the album sounded like a band operating at the very top of its game.
The album’s title track, “Beyond Belief,” became one of Petra’s signature songs, challenging Christians to move beyond merely acknowledging what they believe and to allow that faith to shape the way they live. Other songs, including “Creed,” “I Am on the Rock” and “Love,” continued Petra’s tradition of combining accessible rock songwriting with substantial themes of faith, Scripture and Christian commitment. The result was music that could be immediately engaging while still giving listeners something to think about.
Beyond Belief also reflects the remarkable consistency of Petra’s lineup and creative direction during this era. John Schlitt’s powerful vocals, Bob Hartman’s guitar work and the band’s polished rock production created the sound that had become synonymous with Petra by the beginning of the 1990s. The album’s success further demonstrated that Christian rock could compete at a very high level within contemporary music without abandoning its spiritual identity.
The album was rewarded with major industry recognition, including a Grammy Award for Best Rock Gospel Album, adding to Petra’s growing collection of honors. More importantly, Beyond Belief helped cement Petra’s place among the most influential Christian bands of its generation. For listeners discovering Christian rock today, it remains an essential stop in understanding how Petra helped take the genre from the margins of the Christian music world to an international audience.
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Hope
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Released in 1997, Hope represented a different side of Petra. After years of hard-driving Christian rock and some of the band’s biggest commercial successes, Petra turned its attention toward a more reflective and worshipful collection of songs. The album grew out of a desire to offer encouragement to listeners facing difficult circumstances, with its central message built around the enduring hope found in Christ.
Rather than relying primarily on the arena-rock intensity that had characterized much of Petra’s most famous work, Hope takes a more intimate approach. The songs emphasize faith, perseverance, comfort and trust in God, giving John Schlitt and the band an opportunity to explore a gentler musical atmosphere while retaining the conviction that had always defined Petra’s ministry.
The album is particularly notable because it demonstrates Petra’s willingness to evolve. By the late 1990s, Christian music had changed dramatically since Petra’s early days, with contemporary worship and alternative styles becoming increasingly prominent. Hope showed that Petra could respond to a changing musical landscape without losing the heart of its message. The emphasis was less on musical confrontation and more on meeting listeners where they were with words of reassurance and faith.
For a band whose history had been filled with songs about spiritual battle, standing firm and confronting the culture around them, Hope offered a complementary message: sometimes the most powerful response to difficulty is simply to hold on to the hope God provides. It remains a meaningful chapter in Petra’s long career and a reminder that the band’s mission was always about more than a particular musical style—it was about using music to point people toward Christ.
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Petra Praise – The Rocks Cry Out
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Released in 1989, Petra Praise: The Rock Cries Out gave Petra an opportunity to bring its distinctive rock sound directly into the realm of praise and worship. Rather than presenting a conventional collection of worship recordings, Petra reimagined familiar Christian praise songs through the band’s energetic, arena-ready musical style. The result was an album that helped demonstrate that worship music could be both congregationally familiar and unmistakably rock.
Songs such as “The Battle Belongs to the Lord,” “I Will Call Upon the Lord,” “King of Glory” and “The King of Kings” allowed Petra to approach worship from a different musical perspective. The arrangements are powerful and contemporary, but the focus remains firmly on worshiping God. For listeners who had grown up with Petra’s rock albums, Petra Praise provided a natural bridge between the band’s concert sound and the songs of faith being sung in churches and Christian gatherings.
The album also arrived during one of the most successful periods of Petra’s career. Following albums such as This Means War! and On Fire!, Petra had established itself as one of the most recognizable Christian rock bands in the world. Petra Praise showed that the band could take that influence into another part of Christian music without abandoning the musical identity that had brought its audience there in the first place.
Petra Praise: The Rock Cries Out remains an important entry in Petra’s catalog because it captures the band doing something they did exceptionally well: taking the language and message of Christian faith and presenting it through the sound of contemporary rock. The album’s title itself reflects Petra’s unique place in Christian music history—a band that spent decades proclaiming the Gospel through rock music and, in the process, helped demonstrate that the “rock” itself could become an instrument of praise.
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Petra Praise, Vol. 2 (We Need Jesus)
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Released in 1997, Petra Praise, Vol. 2: We Need Jesus continued Petra’s exploration of praise and worship while bringing the band’s signature rock sound into a new era. The album followed the success of Petra Praise: The Rock Cries Out and demonstrated that Petra’s commitment to worship music was more than a one-time departure from their traditional rock catalog. Here, familiar worship themes are presented with the energy, musicianship and conviction that listeners had come to expect from Petra.
The title track, “We Need Jesus,” provides the album’s central message with striking simplicity. At a time when Christian music was undergoing another major transition, Petra returned to a fundamental truth: regardless of musical style, cultural changes or the challenges facing believers, Christians ultimately need Jesus. Songs throughout the album emphasize praise, dependence on God, salvation and the hope found in Christ.
Musically, We Need Jesus reflects Petra’s willingness to adapt while retaining the band’s identity. The arrangements incorporate contemporary sounds of the 1990s while maintaining the strong guitars, polished production and commanding vocals that had characterized Petra for years. It was a way for the band to connect with listeners who were increasingly encountering Christian music through contemporary worship while remaining recognizably Petra.
Petra Praise, Vol. 2 is an important chapter in the band’s story because it shows Petra continuing to evolve rather than simply attempting to recreate the sound of its most successful years. After helping pioneer Christian rock and spending more than two decades reaching audiences around the world, Petra was still finding new ways to use its music in worship. We Need Jesus captures that enduring mission in its simplest form: whatever changes around us, the central message remains the same.
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