The Altar And The Door

In an interview with Live Daily, guitarist Juan DeVevo was asked why the album was titled The Altar and the Door. He replied: "For a lot of people who go to church, when they're at church and they're hearing the pastor speak or the music playing, they start to realize that God, through that, starts to speak to them. They start to realize really what it is they can do. It's so clear and it's obvious what it is they can do for them. It's different for different people. When they start to walk through the door, they start to get more out of focus and they start to ask questions like, 'Maybe I was just too emotional right then. That was kind of ridiculous what I was thinking right there. Maybe I should calm it down a little bit. Maybe that was kind of radical. Maybe I need to just chill. I need to be just 'normal.' It was just a phase I was going through.' By the time they get from the altar to the door, they've gone through a whole change. They're just back where they were. That's why a lot of people think the church doesn't work. By the time they've left that church for that day, they're back where they were. There wasn't any kind of change. We don't allow God to change us. We just think, 'Maybe it was all just a dream.' We're just trying to take the things that we know to be true when we're in that moment, the quiet and stillness, and take it and instill it into our lives. Make it part of our daily lives so He can change us. We sing these songs from, 'Hey this is what I'm struggling with. Is anybody else dealing with this?'"

DeVevo discussed Casting Crowns' song writing process with Live Daily: "As far as lyrics and everything, Mark (Hall, vocalist) is the seasoned veteran on the lyrics. He goes off for maybe two or three days at a time. We really get together as a band and pray for him. He just basically casts praise over what it is that people need to hear and God will show him those things. Through ministry, just dealing with the problems that people have every day, that's one question we get a lot: 'How do you know what people are dealing with?' That's why we stay involved in ministry. You get to see just what real people deal with and the fact that everybody deals with the same stuff, it's just that nobody's talking about it. That's why we get it out there. For me and Hector (Cervantes guitar) and the rest of the guys, we come up with ideas and give them to Mark. Usually, they just gel with what Mark's writing lyrically. The music is just an excuse to get the message out there, to get people to talk."

The album debuted at #2 in the US Billboard 200 chart, an outstanding achievement for an overtly Christian band.