Well, since I’m on a roll with calling out a song in my last entry, today I’ll give you more songs to consider dropping from your church’s song list. Let’s say I’m trying to make myself less and less popular. J
Before I do, let me make one important clarification from my entry dealing with Mikeschair and their song “Someone Worth Dying For”. Forgive any misunderstanding in that I was not trying to say that the guys in the band are wolves. Only the Lord can truly know that. In fact, under their picture, I expressed that I hoped that they weren’t wolves. I hope and pray—just as I do with anyone that I don’t personally know—that they are genuine, sincere followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The “wolf” in my last entry was false doctrine, i.e. a warping and twisting of the gospel to fit man’s desire and not God’s. It was in that context that I was warning fellow Music Ministers to have discernment. (That’s not to say that people cannot be wolves—they can. But that was not the intent of my post.) We can’t assume that a song is biblically accurate just because it comes from Christian sources. I have asked the guys from Mikeschair to forgive me and trust that they have done that.
With that being said, let’s look at some other songs that you should consider dropping from your church’s repertoire:
In The Garden. It’s not based upon scripture but on a mystical subjective experience. It’s not that it’s heretical but there are many other better songs to sing about Christ’s eminence to us. That’s not to say that we should discount all mystical subjective experiences (as long as they agree with scripture). I pray that you have wonderful times with the Lord in your prayer closet. I just don’t know that we need to sing corporately about them.
I Bowed On My Knees And Cried Holy. While this song has a desire to center on Christ (a good thing) it is based on a dream (a not-so-good thing) and just like the first song in this list, it’s not the best basis from which a congregation should sing. I’ve sung it and directed it in the past but have now determined that there are better songs that center on Christ than this one.
Friend Of God. I’m sure this one will get some return fire. However, I would not include this song for a church service because it centers more on the worshiper than on the Object of Worship—Jesus. There are too many “I’s” in this song and not enough “He’s”. Again, I’m not gonna brand anyone a heretic for doing this one. But it has been done way too much in lieu of other far superior songs that speak of God’s love for His children.
The Heart Of Worship. My main bugaboo with this song is the line “Longing just to bring something that’s of worth that will bless Your heart” (with “Your” being God). I know what Redman means with this line in that the only worthy sacrifice is that of faith and not of works. However, it’s easy to confuse a congregant into thinking that it’s about making God dependent upon the worshiper as if He were the beneficiary. God is only and will always only be the Benefactor and the worshiper the beneficiary. If that can be properly taught in your church then this song may work fine.
I Love You Lord. You may think I’m being far too picky with this one too but the line “take joy, my King, in what You hear/may it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your Ear” just rubs me the wrong way. I just don’t see in the prevalence of scripture where the effects of worship on God are highlighted. The scriptures speak more of the benefits and blessings of obedience on the worshiper as the worshiper focuses on what God has done.
Above All. It’s just the last line (“you thought of me above all”) that’s the problem. Everything else in this song is gold. Why is the last line the problem? Because Christ thought of His Father above all—not us. He certainly thought of us—without question! But to usurp God the Father’s position in the Mind of Christ with man doesn’t jive with the Book.
God-Shaped Hole. In no way shape or form would I do this one. That title is based on a modern cliché that has no biblical merit. Our hearts are not fitted with a space for God. Our hearts are desperately wicked and filled with hatred for God before conversion. In regeneration, we are given new hearts that now love, cherish, and honor the Lord. God has to do away with our old hearts. This song is based on the premise that we are basically good and just need God to complete our lives. The bible says that we have no life apart from God.
Again, I do not mean to throw stones at any of the writers of these song or anyone who has sung them in the past (or else I would have to bash my own head in!) I’m just asking you to really think through every song that you use in a church service.
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