Nominees for the 53rd Grammy Awards are in and Christian artists have been selected for seven categories.

The categories include: Best Gospel Performance, Best Gospel Song, Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album, Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel, Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album, Best Traditional Gospel Album, and Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album.

The brother and sister duo BeBe & CeCe Winans received two nominations for Best Gospel Performance for their song “Grace” and Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album for Still. They already have five Grammy Awards.

Israel Houghton, who received his third Grammy Award early this year, has two nominations as well – one for Best Gospel Performance for the song “You Hold My World” and another for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album for Love God. Love People. His contenders for the latter category include TobyMac for Tonight, Ricky Skaggs for Mosaic, Sanctus Real for Pieces of a Real Heart and Steven Curtis Chapman for Beauty Will Rise.

Skaggs, 14-time Grammy winner, has also been nominated for Best Song for “Return to Sender.”

Other artists up for two Grammys are family band Forever Jones and reinvented band Gungor, formerly known as the Michael Gungor Band.

Gungor is up for Best Gospel Song for “Beautiful Things” and for Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album for Beautiful Things. This is their first nomination. Beautiful Things is the band's first album – released this year – under the new name Gungor. The album features a completely new sound with influences ranging as wide as Sigur Rós, Muse, and Sufjan Stevens.

“Musically, it’s kind of odd,” said Michael. “We rock pretty hard, then we pull out the banjo and sit around and cry together.”

The album also reflects Michael Gungor's new understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

The nominees were announced Wednesday night. The 53rd Grammy Awards will be broadcast live from Los Angeles' Staples Center on February 13, 2011.

The following is the full list of nominees in the Gospel categories:

Best Gospel Performance
He Wants It All
Forever Jones
Track from: Get Ready
[EMI Gospel]

You Hold My World
Israel Houghton
Track from: Love God. Love People.
[Integrity Music]

Nobody Greater
VaShawn Mitchell
Track from: Triumphant
[EMI Gospel]

He's Been Just That Good
Kirk Whalum & Lalah Hathaway
Track from: The Gospel According To Jazz Chapter III
[Rendezvous Music/Mack Avenue Records]

Grace
BeBe & CeCe Winans
Track from: Still
[B&C/Malaco]

Best Gospel Song
Beautiful Things
Lisa Gungor & Michael Gungor, songwriters (Gungor)
Track from: Beautiful Things
[Brash Music]

Better Than A Hallelujah
Sarah Hart & Chapin Hartford, songwriters (Amy Grant)
Track from: Somewhere Down The Road
[Amy Grant Productions/ Sparrow Records; Publishers: River Oaks Music, spiritandsong.com Publishing, Sony/Tree Music Publishing, Michael Puryear Music]

It's What I Do
Jerry Peters & Kirk Whalum, songwriters (Kirk Whalum & Lalah Hathaway)
Track from: The Gospel According To Jazz Chapter III
[Rendezvous Music/Mack Avenue Records; Publishers: Whalumusic/Jerry Peters Music]

Our God
Jonas Myrin, Matt Redman, Jesse Reeves & Chris Tomlin, songwriters (Chris
Tomlin)
Track from: Passion: Awakening
[Sparrow Records / sixstepsrecords; Publishers: Thankyou Music, sixsteps Music/worshiptogether.com Songs/Said And Done Music/Vamos Publishing/Jonas Myrin/SHOUT! Publishing]

Return To Sender
Gordon Kennedy, songwriter (Ricky Skaggs)
Track from: Mosaic
[Skaggs Family Records; Publisher: GlennJoy Music]

Best Rock Or Rap Gospel Album
Church Music
David Crowder Band
[Sparrow Records / Sixstepsrecords]

For Those Who Wait
Fireflight
[Flicker Records]

Beautiful Things
Gungor
[Brash Music]

Rehab
Lecrae
[Reach Records]

Hello Hurricane
Switchfoot
[Atlantic Recording Corp/ Credential Recordings]

Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album
Beauty Will Rise
Steven Curtis Chapman
[Sparrow Records]

Love God. Love People.
Israel Houghton
[Integrity Music]

Pieces Of A Real Heart
Sanctus Real
[Sparrow Records]

Mosaic
Ricky Skaggs
[Skaggs Family Records]

Tonight
TobyMac
[ForeFront Records]

Best Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album
Times Like These
Austins Bridge
[Daywind Records]

The Reason
Diamond Rio
[Word]

Expecting Good Things
Jeff & Sheri Easter
[Spring Hill Music Group/She Loved Music]

Journey On
Ty Herndon
[FUNL Music]
Live At Oak Tree: Karen Peck & New River
Karen Peck & New River
[Daywind Records]

Best Traditional Gospel Album
The Experience
Vanessa Bell Armstrong
[EMI Gospel]

A City Called Heaven
Shirley Caesar
[Light Records]

Downtown Church
Patty Griffin
[Credential Recordings]

Here I Am
Marvin Sapp
[Verity]

All In One
Karen Clark Sheard
[KaRew Records/ EMI Gospel]

Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album
Get Ready
Forever Jones
[EMI Gospel]

Love Unstoppable
Fred Hammond
[Verity]

Triumphant
VaShawn Mitchell
[EMI Gospel]

Aaron Sledge
Aaron Sledge
[EMI Gospel]

Still
BeBe & CeCe Winans
[B&C/Malaco]