When Faithfulness Means Standing Apart: A Call to Theologically Rich Worship
Why biblical truth - not trends - guides our worship
by India McKee
Growing up in a Christian Missionary Alliance Church, the bulk of my childhood was spent with the melodies of hymns floating through my head, not only in church, but every time I’d step into my grandma’s house (which was often). I clung to hymns, and sang them boldly and proudly. The richness of scripture within these songs poured into my spirit and never left. I can thank the small CMA church I grew up in for that, and my grandma too I suppose.
As I began to serve in different denominational settings, I noticed a dip in hymnal involvement. I didn’t care at the time, because I was enamored by the songs we were singing, and how they seemed to cater to every emotion I held. As a late teen, I was drawn to these songs. I led them often. Dare I say my voice frequented heretical lyrics and my lack of familiarity with the scriptures made my biblical discernment non-existent. But where was the scripture? Where was the Gospel in these songs? And why on earth were they more about me than about the Savior I desired to worship
Years later, I answered those questions with God’s patient guidance. And I hope to do the same for you.
Understanding Theology in Worship
To understand why what we sing matters, we first have to understand why theology (the study of God) in our songs matter.
Worship defined: The purpose of corporate worship is first to glorify the Lord, and second to edify the saints.
Why do we gather on Sundays? To worship the Lord. Why do we do it together as a body of believers? To encourage, admonish, and edify one another in the word through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Colossians 3:16). Great truths about God can be expounded upon through our worship. We are simply putting into musical form biblical truths that we hear through the word of God read and preached. I have never memorized as much scripture through any other means than music. There is something about putting a melody behind a verse that makes it remarkably easy to retain and embed in our memory.
Theology in our songs can shape church beliefs over time. For example, wealth, health, and prosperity doctrine teaches that it is always God’s will to heal, provide financially, and prosper earthly. A simple look into countless scriptures tells that this is simply not true (2 Corinthians 12:7-9, 1 Timothy 5:23, Matthew 6:24, Luke 6:20, and many more). Paul’s life is a living testimony of being content in trial, physical infirmity, and lack of wealth and comfort. So, it is wise to stay away from songs that teach this dangerous doctrine.
Theology makes our songs rich with biblical truths, helps us to dwell in scriptural knowledge, and grows us in scripture memorization. Most importantly, it brings rightful glory to God. This is why hymnal reference is so important. Although instrumentally hymns may be viewed as “out of date” in many of our Christian circles, they are filled with scriptural truths that many modern worship songs lack. Just like the songs written today, not all hymns are theologically sound. Yet, it is few and far between to find a hymn not aligning with scripture. I am not favoring hymns over contemporary Christian music as our church frequently sings contemporary worship songs, but I do think it is important to not let go of the old in place of the new. Robert J. Morgan sums up my thoughts well in stating that “It’s the sturdy old hymns of faith that strengthen and steady me when I’m weary and worn”. We all find songs that latch onto our soul in the seemingly most trying of times. This is something that hymns are famous for doing.
It is important that the theology we sing in our songs match the theology we preach on Sunday mornings, not contradict it. I once heard, “You never leave a service humming a sermon, you leave humming a song.” There is eternal weight in what we sing unto God, just as there is eternal weight in what we preach. 2 Timothy 2:15 tells us to “Do our best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” We will give account for every word we have ever spoken, and that includes every word we have ever sung (Matthew 12:36). So you better be sure you’re representing Christ well and accurately.
Rule of Thumb: The more scripture a song holds, the better.
Emotional and Spiritual Impact
Emotionalism is often the main factor in many songs today, which is problematic. The word of God should ignite all sorts of emotions within us; sorrow and conviction over sin, comfort, peace, joy, contentment, etc. But the spiritual implication of the lyrics are more vital to our spirits than how the song makes us feel. Emotional connection to a song should never compensate for weaker theological content; accuracy is essential.
As John Piper puts it, ““Worship must have heart and head. Worship must engage emotions and thought. Truth without emotion produces dead orthodoxy and a church full of unspiritual fighters. Emotion without truth produces empty frenzy and cultivates people who refuse the discipline of rigorous thought. But true worship comes from people who are deeply emotional and who love deep and sound doctrine.”
God-centered vs. Man-centered
It has been made painfully obvious to modern Christians that many of worship songs today are made to serve one purpose: ourselves. Man-centered (introspective, personal, testimonial) worship is focused on what Christ does FOR us and TO us. I am not demonizing man-centered worship songs as there is a place for them in our services. However, they are not the primary source of worship in the congregational setting. In this form of worship, we are reflecting more so on our personal relationship and individual experience with Christ than we are on the person of Christ alone. These songs may not in and of themselves be heretical, but they typically do not fulfill the purpose of corporate worship. Theologian A.W. Tozer states “There is grief in my Spirit when I go into the average church, for we have become a generation rapidly losing all sense of divine sacredness in our worship. Many of whom we have raised in our churches no longer think in terms of reverence” (Whatever Happened to Worship, p.117). If Tozer, whose ministry took place throughout the early-mid 1900’s, was saying this about the church then, how much more does our worship fall short now? I believe this is largely in part of the influx of man-centered worship songs that leads us to naturally lack true reverence and adoration for God albeit unintentionally.
God-centered worship (reflective of who God is, upward, theocentric) points to His holiness, glory, and truth. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but worship is not about us. In a “self” crazed culture, that could be hard to hear. When we gather on Sunday, we do so with God at the forefront of our minds and hearts, offering pure and genuine worship to Him simply because He is God. We need no earthly reason to worship Him. Because of this, our songs should be reflective of Him. We sing of His attributes, character, sovereignty, etc. We sing of the gospel; the saving grace of God in redeeming us and reconciling us back to Himself through His son Jesus. We sing of the scriptures, often word for word. The Psalms albums by Shane & Shane are a great place to start.
Psalm 34:3- “Proclaim the Lord’s greatness with me; let us exalt His name together.”
Psalm 8:1- “Lord, our Lord, how magnificent is your name throughout the earth! You have covered the heavens with your majesty!”
Putting melodies to these verses allows the local church to worship God upward in nature. Ephesians 5:19 instructs us to “address one another in psalms, hymn, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart”, echoing Colossians 3:16. John Calvin quoting Augustine, writes, “We shall not find better songs nor more fitting for the purpose than the Psalms of David, which the Holy spirit spoke…And moreover, when we sing them, we are certain that God puts in our mouths these, as if He Himself were singing in us to exalt His glory (Then Sings my Soul, p.19).
“Indeed, we would claim that traditional Reformed worship is potentially the experientially richest of all worship, thrilling the soul with rich praise of God, deep confession of sin, fresh appreciation of the promises of pardon through the cross of Christ, and the peace and joy and contentment that flow from it (Terry Johnson, Ligonier Ministries). Isn’t the aim for all believers to have the richest, most fulfilling, most reverent, and deepest worship experience possible? We should desire nothing less. The Lord’s day and gathering is a catalyst into experiencing true worship to this degree.
And my friends, this is so that we might enjoy Him! What a privilege is it to gather as the body of saints and worship the Lord together as one family (Heb. 10:24-25). This is nothing short of an honor when we recognize that believers all over the world do not get to partake in such joys outwardly.
Going Against the Grain
There are two options in approaching biblical song selection; choosing each song based on its own merit alone (looking at the lyrics exclusively, not the artist or source), or researching the source, artist, and church behind the song and their beliefs. I have a strong conviction towards the latter. One of these approaches can leave room for false doctrine to seep through the cracks. In accessing a song based on its own merit, we run the risk of exposure to heresy, which is not a problem to take lightly.
Worship leaders have an eternal responsibility to bring the most biblically and scripturally sound worship to their churches each Sunday morning. The source matters. The argument that I receive often is that God can still use any song and that many of the artists produce very solid and fruitful songs. In all my years of leading, I know that to be true. You have to ask yourself, though, is it worth the risks? Because there are so many worship songs out there, we never have a shortage to choose from. These songs may not play on platforms like KLOVE, and they may not be on Spotify’s top 10 Worship Hits. Yet, I can guarantee that they are richer in scripture than any of the songs that would be considered mainstream. Listen to your convictions and be obedient to them. I live in the minority on this issue, and I am in fact grateful for that. If you are a leader, whichever way you lean, make sure your conscience is clean before the Lord and you take every step possible to prevent exposing your people to heresy. You have to be okay with going against the grain, and I’ll be at the door to greet you.
Analyzing the Lyrics
What can we do practically to shield ourselves, our families, and our churches from worship that doesn’t solely glorify God? Exercise discernment. Discernment is a gift from the Holy Spirit that will flow from regular communion with God. I encourage you to not simply take the word of every worship leader and pastor as to what music should fill your mind and spirit (scripture tells us to test all things, 1 Thess. 5:21).
These are the questions I inform leaders to ask before welcoming a song onto their platform. These questions can also be asked when choosing songs for your own personal worship time.
Are the lyrics biblically and doctrinally sound?
Are the lyrics God-centered or me-centered?
Does it induce genuine praise, thanksgiving, and joy that is God-directed?
Does it leave one delighting in God’s character and deeds or upon ourselves and/or worldly values?
Are the lyrics edifying and instructive?
Do the lyrics enhance one’s understanding of the truth?
Assess your songs. Build discernment. Be obedient to the word of God.
A Final Plea to Worship Leaders
After years of leading songs in which I’ve come to realize were not a biblical representation of Christ, I walked away from leading entirely for a period of time. There was a call to repent and rebuild, and the weight of conviction that I could not ignore. As with anything that we do contrary to the word of God and influenced by sin, there must be a turning away from (repentance) and a return to the truth of God’s word and implementing it in our lives. It is only by God’s grace that He opened the door for me to lead worship again years later, and for that, I am eternally grateful.
I urge you to turn from all worship that does not reflect Jesus and the Bible accurately. There is no room in congregational worship for anything less. Seek Christ and His discernment. Repent. Start fresh. Enjoy Him in the process. His mercies are new every morning (Lam. 3:22-23) and the world of Christian music contains a lot of beautiful and biblical undiscovered songs, all you need is a little patience and resourcefulness to find them. Your congregation will be better discerning, more equipped, and enormously fulfilled by your obedience, guidance, and leadership if you take seriously the matters of worship and the importance of theology in the songs you present.
Suggested Resources:
Allan Parr- Misled Book & YouTube channel
A.W. Tozer- On Worship & Entertainment (book)
The Worship Initiative- website (countless resources through articles, podcasts, and trainings)/ Weekly devotional
Theology Sources
Mike Winger- YouTuber & Theologian, prior worship leader
Wesley Huff- Historian and Bible Scholar (YouTube)
For the Gospel- Costi Hinn (website/social media)
American Gospel documentary