Lutheran Satire is perhaps one of my favorite Youtube channels out there. The creator, a Lutheran pastor, regularly makes videos that poke fun at heresies, bad church practices, and popular misconceptions about Jesus. While I don’t necessarily agree with him on every point, he definitely has a way with words and his videos are entertaining, to say the least.
Recently, Hans, the creator of Lutheran Satire, posted a video entitled “Clint Eastwood Reads Praise Song Lyrics”, which can be found here. It involves Clint Eastwood reading the lyrics of somewhat contemporary worship tunes while he questions why they should be considered Christian. The video argues that Christian worship is meant to teach and that these songs fall very short.
It’s a sentiment that is heard from many people, not just the creator of Lutheran Satire. And while there are points that I agree with the video, it’s honestly a caricature of modern worship music that isn’t very fair. So what do we do with what some call the war on worship?
What Are We at War With?
If you’re familiar with the phrase “war on worship”, then you likely see it as contemporary vs hymns or something of the like. Those shouldn’t be the main combatants. Instead, the question is less “how” you are worshiping and more “who” you are worshiping.
Here’s what I mean. If you’re singing more about yourself and your response to God than you are singing about God himself, you might want to examine the purpose of the song. That’s the case in all our lives, not just in singing worship. The “war on worship” is more than songs. In truth, it extends to even our hobbies. Who are we seeking to glorify, ourselves or God?
Looking to the Bible
But let’s get back to musical worship. Many of the modern criticism of contemporary worship could easily be applied to the Psalms, which are the very word of God. Often the Psalms seek to understand God within the context of our own struggles and pain, even if those struggles seem very temporary in hindsight. But the Bible’s collection of worship, from the laments of the Psalms to the Doxologies of Paul, are very unique and varied.
Let’s take one of the examples from the Lutheran Satire video- Oceans (Where Feet May Fail). One on hand, this song speaks very little about the person and works of Jesus, aside from alluding to Peter and Jesus walking on water- “I will call upon your name. Keep my eyes above the waves”. For that, Hans criticizes the song. And I think that the song could be more explicit. But the sentiments sure sound like the Psalms, don’t they? Psalm 27 is the first one that comes to mind. Perhaps it’s not as simple as Clint Eastwood would have us believe.
Songs that Teach
Hans is right, though. Worship songs have serious power when it comes to the edifying of the church. More often than not, we’ll find that our theologies are shaped by the songs we sing. It’s much easier to remember “Your Love Never Fails” than it is to remember a sermon’s three points. That’s why worship songs should reinforce those truths.
A song doesn’t necessarily have to be complex to do that. Hans made a joke about a very poetic worship tune having 17 different chords in it. Because of that, the worship band would not play it. Honestly, that’s low hanging fruit that isn’t fair. First of all, a song doesn’t have to be super complex musically to teach a congregation. Second , not all worship volunteers are paid. If you volunteer guitar player doesn’t know 17 chords, then maybe we ought to relax, teach, and not make jokes that imply inadequacy.
But there are an abundance of worship tunes that teach so many theological truths that are easy to sing and easy to play. I for one am a huge fan of Andrew Peterson. His songs reinforce so much truth in a way that makes my heart happy. I even learned Matthew’s Begats from him!
Example 1: Is He Worthy
We recently introduced a song at our church by Andrew Peterson. It’s a call and response song called “Is He Worthy”. I remember when I first heard the song (it was a live stream of a concert). There were so many moments where I just thought to myself “wow, that’s powerful”. Let me give you some examples of the lyrics. After singing about the sinful nature of the world, we sing:
“Is all creation groaning? It is. Is a new creation coming? It is. Is the glory of the Lord to be the light within our midst? It is. Is it good that we remind ourselves of this? It is.”
That’s some powerful truth that points forward to the new heavens and the new earth. That’s some great teaching! When Andrew said “is it good that we remind ourselves of this”, I couldn’t help but be moved in the spirit. I think I actually applauded… in the living room that we were watching this in… Heh.
Just as another example from the song-
“Does the Father truly love us? He does. Does the Spirit move among us? He does.And does Jesus our Messiah hold forever those he loves? He does. Does our God intend to dwell again with us? He does.”
We get the entire Trinity in a verse that affirms God’s action and character. The choruses speak of Jesus’ sacrifice in a manner that almost directly quotes Revelation as we learn that Jesus is the worthy lamb who conquered the grave. It’s just a great tune.
Example 2: Remember Me
This is one of my favorite songs of all time. It’s a bit fast to use in a worship setting, but I couldn’t help but mention it anyway. It’s perhaps the only song that I know that goes over our sinfulness, God’s holiness, Jesus’ sacrifice, and his future return. That’s all in the same song. Here’s a couple snippets.
“Who can ascend the hill of the Lord? The one who utters no untrue word, whose hands are clean, whose heart is pure. Who can ascend that hill? There is none righteous no, not one. We are prodigal daughters and wayward sons. We don’t know that half of the hurt we’ve done, the countless we have killed.”
That’s God’s holiness and our sinfulness stated pretty plainly, don’t you think?
“Now hear the voice of the word made man, the spotless sacrificial lamb. A body you gave me, here I am. I have come to do your will. And no one takes my life you see, I lay it down now willingly, and I will draw all men to me when I ascend that hill.”
Jesus’ sacrifice is there too. It goes on further with more details about the crucifixion. It’s truly amazing. But where it truly gets inspiring is here:
“And we’ve heard this story all our lives, still we feel the pain of the crucified, and the end still comes as a surprise. But before the breath there in the tomb, before our joy sprang from the womb, you saw the day that’s coming soon. When the Son will stand on the mount again with an army of angels at his command, and the earth will split like the hull of the seed, wherever Jesus plants his feet.”
We get the second coming of Christ in a worship song. You really ought to just go listen to the song. It can be found here.
Last Example: Isn’t It Love
I thought for a moment of noting another song that we do in church by Andrew Peterson, Doxology (which is the doxology from Romans 11 put to music), but I thought I would instead give the example of a very personal song of Andrew’s- Isn’t It Love.
Like some criticized contemporary songs, this tune isn’t afraid to speak of how God’s love relates to me. Yet, as personal as it is, you can tell that the song isn’t about Andrew at all. He sings of his sinfulness, then continues:
“Isn’t it love? This rain that falls on the sinners and the saints? Isn’t it love? This well that won’t run dry? Isn’t it love? These mercies are made new ever morning. Isn’t it love? Isn’t it love? Isn’t it love?”
It goes to show you that a little bit of repetition can actually be a good thing for those who are worshiping. All of the bits of the song about Andrew Peterson, such as “I lost my luggage out in Kalamazoo, the same way I tend to lose my conscious too” and “I lose my way and I forget about you” are all contrasted with who Jesus is. In fact, the full quote for the second example is, “I lose my way and I forget about you, but you still remember me”.
Here’s one more example just to drive the point home.
“Isn’t it love to look down from the sky, and see your only son on the cross asking why, and somehow let him die that way, and not call the whole thing off? All for this man stuck here in Kalamazoo, who loses his bags and his way sometimes too. But that was something that you already knew, and still you died for me.”
Just writing about it points me to Jesus. Isn’t it Love?
What’s the Point?
Worship songs get a lot of criticism, often times for good reasons. Sometimes they lack real depth, other times so that are so self-worshiping. On the other hand, we are so quick to criticize worship music in a way that shows off human pride. For those who listen to worship that may be reading this, I’d encourage you to value solid truth in your worship songs. There’s an abundance of great worship tunes, new and old, that can be chosen. May it point to Jesus and lift you up.
For those who are more involved in worship, remember that you have a huge responsibility. Worship leaders are teachers, there’s no doubt about it. And remember, we who teach will be judged with greater strictness (James 3:1). So don’t go the route of singing a secular song in order to be seeker friendly, but also avoid the danger of creating a heart of bitterness within yourself regarding worship music. Lead the people well as the Holy Spirit leads you.
Plus, I got to talk about Andrew Peterson, so that’s pretty awesome and kinda the point as well.
Soli Deo Gloria, friends.
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