Songs from "Those" People

Singing in worship together has created a perennial debate that has been ongoing, at least since the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther advocated for the use of hymns alongside the Psalms and wrote hymns that are still sung today. John Calvin argued for exclusive Psalm singing, and many churches continue to follow his advice. In the late 1600s and early 1700s, Baptists were debating whether there should be any singing at all. Fast-forward to the 20th century, and concerns about instrumentation ere added to the mix. Pope Pius X forbade the use of pianos, but the Jesus Movement added guitars and drums. It wasn’t long before many churches also began singing choruses and praise songs, sparking even more debates.

The church splits and strong animosity that has developed over the years have resulted in these debates being referred to as “the worship wars.” Today, the debate has moved on to address authorship. More specifically, the debate centers on whether we should sing songs produced by specific ministries or written by particular authors. At the heart of this debate, there are primarily two, sometimes three, ministries in question – Hillsong, Bethel, and sometimes Elevation.  

A quick internet search will provide you with a plethora of articles and videos from recent years pointing out the dangers of Christians using music from those people in worship. You’ll find concerns raised over doctrine, financial support, and even a “slippery slope threat” to the members of your own church. One of the most popular resources from the Don’t Do It group is found in a video of Todd Friel and Justin Peters giving their reasons for why churches shouldn’t sing those songs.  

That same internet search will also lead you to the Can Do It group, which offers answers and rebuttals to the concerns raised. In one article, Kenny Lamm points out that, to live consistently with the views of the Don’t Do It group, “you would have to eliminate many well-loved songs like It Is Well with My Soul, because its author eventually denied hell, affirmed purgatory, and taught universalism; or Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, whose author left the faith.” In another article, Sam Storms highlights the value of songs like King of Kings, Worthy Is the Lamb, and Cornerstone, even though each was produced by someone associated with the criticized group.

The purpose here is not to rehash the points made by the Don’t Do Its or Can Do Its. At The Way Church, we can see value in both sides of the debate. We take seriously the warnings of the Don’t Do Its. But, we also affirm and agree with the position of many Can Do Its, like Storms and Lamm.  

We are very particular about the songs we sing because we believe worship is God-centric. So, we demand doctrinal/biblical fidelity and Gospel clarity in every song. We want to sing songs that don’t just provoke an emotional response, but that enable us to sing Gospel truths together. We want to sing songs that remind us of God’s worthiness of worship and declare Him to be great, glorious, good, and gracious. Because first and foremost, we want to worship the Lord how He desires and deserves to be worshiped.

But we also recognize that, as the Psalms reveal, our God-centric worship is also humanly accessible and beneficial to one another. Looking to God together rightly produces both emotive and active responses. In other words, God-centered worship is used by the Lord among His people to build one another up, encourage, and strengthen each other.  

This was the point the author of Hebrews had in mind (I know he wasn’t thinking about singing specifically) when he wrote, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Heb 10:24-25). And, it seems Paul sees that God-centered worship both honors God and provides benefit to God’s people when he charged the Ephesians and Colossians to sing “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” to each other (Eph 5:19; Col 3:16).  

True worship will both honor God and benefit His people. So, we seek to choose music that helps us do what God-centered worship should do, not based on who authored a song, but on how it draws us together to look upon, trust more deeply in, and find more joy in the Lord. That is not to say we don’t think about it or that we disregard authorship completely, but it isn’t our highest priority.  

We will selectively (note the word selectively) utilize songs authored by ministries with which we have strong disagreements if they meet the following set of criteria listed below in order of priority:

1. Biblically/Doctrinally Accurate – simply put, this means it proclaims what is true according to the Bible. If a song doesn’t proclaim truth, we can’t worship God as we sing it.
2. Gospel Saturated – There are lots of biblical truths that can be sung about. But Jesus came proclaiming both truth and grace (Jn 1:14). To sing that sinners deserve condemnation is true, but we also want to sing the truth that forgiveness and salvation are provided for by faith in Jesus Christ.
3. Singable – The fact of the matter is that many songs great for personal devotions, singing alone or just listening to, are not easy to sing in large group settings. If we are working hard at staying in sync with each other, we are distracted from what we want to be doing. We aren’t calling for simple and shallow songs. We are all for robust theology being sung. But we look for music and melodies that serve as a tool in worship, rather than distract from worship.
4. Missional – The first three criteria apply to every song we sing. This fourth priority explains why we occasionally use songs from those people. So, let me provide a little more detailed eplanation.