We need to stop singing songs with bad theology in church
A favorite part of church service for many Christians is worshipping God through music. Many churches invest heavily in sound equipment instruments that talented musicians can use to lead congregations in worship through music.
Depending on the church, worshipping through music can look a little different. Some churches use no instruments and only hymnals. Some sing traditional black gospel choir music. Some sing contemporary music that comes out of institutions like Hillsong and Bethel. Some put on what can only be described as a straight-up rock concert.
Regardless of the music style preference, all of these worshippers who like to worship through music are vulnerable to the same malady: bad theology.
Worship songs with bad theology
Many worship songs are thoughtfully written and have deep meaning that touch the singers’ hearts and are beautiful in the ears of God. However, it's easy to get caught up in enjoying the worship and the music and overlooking the bad theology in the lyrics of some songs.
Don’t get us wrong. We don’t believe God is going to come strike you down for singing along to a song without thinking much about the lyrics, but we do think it honors Him better when we participate in worship music that is meaningful and theologically sound.
We’re not the end-all experts on what is or isn’t good or bad theology, but we like to think we can spot bad theology when we see it. Here are some examples of songs with bad theology you might want to exclude from your set list:
“In Christ Alone” by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend — This main problem with this song isn’t so much that it contains bad theology; it contains controversial theology. A lot of Christians with progressive interpretations of the Bible have a problem with lyrics like: “Till on that cross, as Jesus died / The wrath of God was satisfied” and “The Father turns His face away.”
It’s so controversial that the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA) dropped it from its official hymnal because they, and other churches, don’t accept the theology of penal substitution, which is the belief that God has a burning rage bent against mankind that is mitigated by Jesus. There is a case to be made for this theology and against it, but if you want your church to be inclusive, it might be best to stay away from such controversial music.“Shine, Jesus, Shine” by Graham Kendrick — The problem with this song and many like it is not that it has bad theology necessarily, but it doesn’t have any theology. Worship songs like this are very “me, me, me” focused rather than God focused. If you’re going to worship, then let it be worship, not music about how great your life is and a quick “Thanks Jesus” at the end.
“Let My Words Be Few” by Matt Redman — For a while, there was a trend in Christian worship music that can be best described as “Jesus is my boyfriend” music. The lyrics in these songs are heavily romantic and just downright uncomfortable. Loving Jesus is great, but let's remember that He is God and not an intimate lover.
No doubt that the writers of these types of songs are just excited and want to express their love for God, but the lyrics aren’t really rooted in theology and are overdescriptive of how much the singer personally loves God. A lot of music like this is great for personal worship and praise but is a little weird for a congregation.
Centerpoint Church is ready to walk with you on your faith journey
At Centerpoint, our community believes in purpose and passion, and we would love to walk with you on your journey in finding yours. We are currently going through a new sermon series titled “To Hell With Normal.” It’s all about redefining what we consider normal in life as we seek to make our lives more like the way Jesus would have them to be.
Do you want to grow in your faith or are you simply curious about who this Jesus guy is? You’re not alone. We encourage you to listen to our series online and welcome you to come to one of our Sunday morning services in Valrico, Florida.