The Growing Shame of Christian Music
It does not appear they are out to glorify God but to build profitable worldwide brands...
Over the last several years, a lot of popular Christian music has moved away from worshiping God to become a self-serving, concert-like entertainment experience.
Along with light shows and talented singers, much of this so-called worship music uses mindless, repetitive lyrics that are intended to connect with the listener rather than glorify God. Many of the more popular songs have been written with mesmerizing, rhythmic melodies that are hard to resist. This type of performance-based fake “worship” has become commonplace in fake Christian churches, many of which promote social justice, acceptance of same-sex marriages, and religious unity rather than biblical principles.
The source of much of this music comes out of Hillsong, Bethel, and Elevation… three so-called churches that I refer to as the unholy trinity of Christian music. Worship is to be about pleasing God… and never about pleasing man for his own entertainment or to sell MP3s or CDs. People who attend these “churches” think they’re
praising God… while nothing could be further from the truth. The music appears to be “spiritual”, but it doesn’t point to God. Instead, as many times as not it declares only what its supporters think they can get from Him.
Any money that goes to Hillsong, Bethel, or Elevation for the sale of their CDs and MP3s, goes to support organizations (I hesitate to call them churches) that continually violate the word of God. It does not appear they are out to glorify God but to build profitable worldwide brands based on the ideas of man, and not the commands of scripture.
Sadly, increasing numbers of these “performers”, (whether or not they are at one of these three churches), desire to use their positions as worship leaders to stairstep into secular music stardom.
Bethel Music is known for its popular songs This Is Amazing Grace and We Will Not Be Shaken. Bethel, out of Redding, California is into the occult with Christian Tarot cards; mysticism with its gold dust practices; “little god theology” with their attempts to speak things into existence; and heresy with their grave soaking rituals. Grave soaking involves laying on the grave of a departed “anointed person” to soak anointing from their remains. Why would a true Christian want to support that nonsense?
Hillsong Music is produced by Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia as well as spinoff churches, Hillsong London and Hillsong Kyiv. Their worship “experiences” resemble rock concerts rather than respectfully leading others in giving thanks to and honoring God. Two of their most popular tracks include Oceans and Forever Reign. Hillsong’s recent Christmas programs have featured grossly paganistic performances of Silent Night. They hold Roman Catholic masses in the name of unity. Wracked by recent sex scandals, Hillsong offers nothing more than counterfeit Christianity.
Following in the footsteps of Hillsong, Elevation has built an empire that has grown to over twenty campuses in the U.S. and Canada. Elevation’s version of the prosperity gospel teaches that God is like a genie in a bottle and by having enough faith, you can get what you want from him. Pastor Steven Furtick has apparently stopped preaching about sin, repentance, and Jesus being our only hope for redemption. Popular Elevation music includes the popular Do It Again, Graves into Gardens, Here as in Heaven, and O Come to the Altar. These days, Elevation seems more about building an international brand than a biblically-based church.
Those who don’t have a problem with music from these churches say that “we aren’t paying them any royalties… or we pick and choose only the good stuff” are ignoring the fact that they are opening a door by allowing their congregation to think that anything from Hillsong, Bethel, or Elevation is acceptable. Their members then see other tracks or albums and think they are okay to listen as well. The music is a hook to get people exposed to their fake healing schools and apostate YouTube channels. Those churches, along with their worship leaders, whether they know it or not, are allowing satanically inspired deception into the hearts and minds of their congregations.
How can any pastor or worship leader still play this music with all that is known about these organizations? How can they be so blind to what is happening around them?
What’s an alternative?
Singing the Psalms… which is a New Testament command.
16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16)
An essential part of walking in Christ is singing Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, yet for many of us, that has not been a part of our praise and worship for decades. Instead, many so-called churches are listening to fraudulent “worship” bands singing overly commercialized “hit” songs.
Phil Webb from Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, puts it this way... “Throughout history, God’s people have found the Psalms to be their source of spiritual strength. It is also important to note that the Psalms were meant not only to be read and prayed but sung out loud as an expression of dependence upon God’s sovereign hand through times of defeat, sadness, oppression, war, famine, and captivity.”
If you’d like to listen to a more modern version of some of the Psalms check out the Sons of Korah as suggested by C.K., a reader…
The regular practice of singing Psalms may be one of the most powerful means of recovering Biblical worship. They teach us to celebrate God’s forgiveness, love his righteousness, and consider his judgment. Today, in the increasingly dark times we live in, more than ever, we need to be signing the Psalms.
Can you still sing contemporary worship songs? Of course! There are several good ones out there... as long as they are scripturally sound and not from Bethel, Hillsong, or Elevation.
If your church still plays this music, it is likely run by hirelings, not shepherds...
“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters the flock. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and does not care about the sheep.” (John 10:11-13)
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What you describe here is precisely one of the reasons I left a big megachurch here in the DFW Metroplex a few years ago. I got very weary of getting to church on Sunday morning to be in attendance of a concert, complete with a darkened sanctuary, flashing lights, musicians dressed like they live on the street, and music that was simply empty to my soul. As I began visiting other churches in my area, I found the identical same profile happening in multiple churches. I'm in a wonderfully worshipful small church now, and my soul is fed on a regular basis in the music, the preaching and the fellowship.
May God bless you and keep you, Jim. Today's essay sums up the state of the fallen Christian church. By and large, it has become an entertainment venue with coffee machines in the lobby and patrons (I refuse to use the word worshipers) crammed into seats to watch the rock and roll show. As most Christians realize, we are in the Laodicean stage of the church. It is a concern not only because the churches, in a mindless attempt to fill up the pews (or folding chairs) seem determined to support and preach non-Christian lies that their fans support. the Laodicean church is the lukewarm church. In the Book of Revelation, the church in Laodicea is admonished for being “neither cold nor hot, neither one nor the other, but just lukewarm” in its devotion. This church represents the last stage of human history and serves as a warning against spiritual complacency and indifference. Its lukewarm condition led to a severe rebuke from Christ, emphasizing the need for repentance and renewed passion for the Lord.
We should all pray that the church returns to praising the One God and ignoring the passions and trends that control many of the so-called churches that preach Progressive and Woke policies.
Personally, I think there is a possibility (especially if China, Iran, Cuba,. North Korea, Venezuela, and Russia form an unbreakable alliance to defeat NATO and the USA) that we will see a revival. I hope Billy Graham III has developed the gravitas and base that his father once enjoyed. While neither he nor Robert Schuller's son have the charisma of their famous fathers, they still preach Truth and may lead this country out of World War III through the power of prayer.