A few weeks ago, I explained why my church does not sing songs by Hillsong, and, by the same convictions, songs by Bethel and Elevation. I tried to be clear that I do not understand this to be a matter of clear right or wrong, but rather a matter of wisdom and conscience. While this is a decision we have made for our church, I would not look down on churches that choose differently.
I wish I had addressed a related matter at that time: what should you do if you see this issue in the way I do, but the leaders of your church do not? In other words, what should you do if your church sings Hillsong, but you wish it wouldn’t? I want to offer just a few thoughts on that.
In general, I would suggest you just sing the songs, provided they do not require you to sing anything that is unbiblical. And thankfully, the majority of the songs by Hillsong, Bethel, and Elevation will not force you to sing error. That said, there are a few songs that may come close, or whose lyrics are imprecise enough that they could be understood in different ways. For example, Hillsong’s “So Will I (100 Billion X)” has these words in its second verse and the chorus that follows it:
All nature and science
Follow the sound of Your voice
And as you speak
A hundred billion creatures catch your breath
Evolving in pursuit of what you said
If it all reveals your nature so will I
The most natural reading of those words is an affirmation of some kind of theistic evolution. I could not sing that, and I understand that you may not be able to either.
Bethel’s “Reckless Love” continually ascribes recklessness to God.
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
It is difficult for me (and for John Piper, as it happens) to find a sense in which the word “reckless” is a fitting word for God. I think I know what the songwriters were hoping to convey with the word, but “reckless” is not suitable when speaking of God’s love and purposes, and I understand why many Christians could simply not permit themselves to sing it. I couldn’t either.
But apart from those songs and a few others, most do not contain lyrics that are false or wrong. If your elders have deemed these songs suitable for your church, then it’s probably best to sing them in submission to the people whose leadership you have decided to follow. There is no “followership” in this world, other than following Christ, that does not at times involve submitting our own preferences to the preferences of our leaders.
There is no “followership” in this world, other than following Christ, that does not at times involve submitting our own preferences to the preferences of our leaders.
It would probably be a good time for a reminder that you just can’t have it all on this side of glory. Every pastor, every eldership, and every church will have both strengths and weaknesses. Too many Christians (who are also a bewildering collection of both strengths and weaknesses, of course) spend their whole lives searching for a perfect church, never quite grasping that it’s a futile effort. They go to the church with great preaching, but find that its evangelism is disappointing; they head for the church with great evangelism, but find its polity is poor. They soon switch again, this time choosing the church with their preferred polity, only to discover that it’s lacking in fellowship.
They never learn the joy of settling into an imperfect church, in which they can rejoice in the strengths while bearing with the weaknesses. Sometimes accepting those weaknesses means singing songs or tolerating musical styles that are not aligned with their preferences, even when that’s hard to do.
But what if the church does sing those songs that have actual errors in them? In the moment, I’d suggest you simply stop singing and refrain from making a big deal of it. You don’t need to make a fuss or storm out. But afterward, it would be wise to speak with your pastors to address your concerns, humbly, of course, and with an open Bible. Express the nature of your concerns and how they are affecting your ability to worship. Perhaps suggest a few songs that communicate what those songs do well, but without their errors.
And if the pastors are unmoved? That may leave you to face a difficult decision about whether you can stay or need to leave. I would generally not recommend that a Christian remain in a church whose songs they regularly cannot sing, either because their convictions prevent them or because the songs are false or unbiblical. To attend a church is to submit to the leadership of its pastors, including their choice of music. If you cannot or will not sing the songs, then you cannot or will not submit to the leaders and should probably consider moving to a church where you can do both.
But in most circumstances, if your church is sound, if its pastors teach the Scriptures and preach the gospel, yet they also ask you to sing songs by Hillsong and similar groups that contain no actual error, I’d suggest you do so, thanking God for your church’s strengths and, in love, overlooking what you believe is a genuine weakness.
