O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. — Psalm 96:1
As a contemporary worship music leader for more than 15 years in various denominations, I am well aware of the power of music to form and reinforce theology. Now, as an ordained Presbyterian minister, I have witnessed the unique ways music can speak in ways preaching cannot. While the Book of Order considers song a means of proclamation, churches often focus primarily on the spoken word (W-3.0305). As a result, we may underestimate the power songs have to shape our faith and lives.
For that reason, I wrestle with selecting hymns and contemporary songs that align with Reformed theology and speak to God’s action in a vastly changing world. Music sticks in our heads. Songs mark our biggest moments, from birthdays to weddings and funerals. Through song, we open our hearts to God and offer the prayers of our communities.
It is essential, then, that we are deliberate about what we sing, why we sing it and to whom we sing. But what does that intentionality look like today?
How worship music shapes Christian theology
Recently, on a call about my new book on Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) and Christian Nationalism, a friend and colleague said, “The power of life and death is in the song.” I was struck by how deeply this adaptation of the familiar proverb resonated.
Just as what we say carries power, what we sing – and what we sing about God – has immense power to shape our theology.
Music also has a pedagogical function. Anyone who has been to Vacation Bible School has witnessed this. “Father Abraham,” “My God Is So Big,” “This Little Light of Mine” and “I’ve Got the Joy” can stick with us for a lifetime.
Finding songs in Contemporary Christian Music that align with my understanding of God and church is especially challenging. In A History of Contemporary Praise & Worship, Lester Ruth describes a transition in church music from singing about God to singing to God. CCM also frequently incorporates personal experience. At times, that emphasis can make worship primarily about the individual rather than God or the corporate body of Christ.
These “me songs” can obscure the Reformed understanding of worship as a corporate act.
What theology are we singing?
CCM can also contain themes of consumerism (“what God has done for me”), triumphalism (“name above every name; every knee will bow”), penal substitutionary atonement (“Jesus was punished to absorb God’s wrath for my salvation”), and exclusively masculine language for God. Some CCM songs have even been used by Christian nationalists.
At present, many songs in Christian Copyright Licensing International’s Top 100 use a first-person perspective, make little or no mention of neighbors or the church’s work for peace and justice, and employ theological language that deserves closer examination.
For example, Charity Gayle’s “Thank You Jesus for the Blood” sings: “Thank You, Jesus, for the blood applied. Thank You, Jesus, it has washed me white. Thank You, Jesus. You have saved my life. Brought me from the darkness into glorious light.” These lyrics center images of blood, cleansing and individual salvation. They also draw on multiple atonement images but offer little sense of how salvation leads us toward our neighbors or into the world. Its imagery also raises questions about associating whiteness with purity and relying exclusively on masculine language for God.
It is important to celebrate what God has done for us in Jesus. But Christian worship also points toward God’s reconciliation of the world (2 Corinthians 5:19) and what God requires of us in relationship with our neighbors (Mark 12:30-31).
How should Presbyterians choose worship songs?
If music is formative and central to our worship, how should Presbyterian ministers and worship leaders respond when lyrics reflect theologies that sit uneasily with the Reformed tradition?
One place to begin is by considering the shape of worship itself. Presbyterian worship moves from gathering to being sent into the world. As the Book of Order puts it, “Christian worship and service does not end at the conclusion of the Service for the Lord’s Day; we go forth to love and serve the Lord in daily living” (W-3.0503).
There is a time and place for songs of personal devotion. But corporate worship connects us to God, to one another, to people across generations and to the wider world. Do the songs we sing reflect that reality? Do they prepare us to be sent out?
A few years ago, Katie Ritsema-Roelofs, a worship specialist with Thrive Ministries in the Christian Reformed Church, led a team that evaluated CCLI Top 100 songs for congregational singing within a broadly Reformed tradition. The resulting resource identifies theological strengths and concerns and offers suggestions for liturgical use.
Such resources can help leaders move beyond the question, “Do people like this song?” toward a more important one: “What is this song teaching us?”
Expanding the church’s language for God
Theology is a human attempt to speak about a God who exceeds our understanding. The Book of Order reminds us: “The mystery and reality of God transcend our experience, understanding, and speech, such that we cannot reduce God to our ways of speaking” (W-1.0302).
That recognition should instill humility. Our words about God will always be limited. We are invited into mystery and asked to strive, however imperfectly, to put that experience into words.
Mystery leads us to metaphor and compels us to speak – and sing – of God in every age. The goal is not simply to find the “right” language or doctrine, but to speak more expansively about God: God is _____ and always more than _____.
That requires balancing, contextualizing and expanding a congregation’s musical vocabulary alongside its repertoire. Sometimes this can be as simple as varying exclusively masculine language with other biblical images of God: mother hen, creator, rock and redeemer. Expanding our language can expand our theological imagination.
Questions to ask when choosing worship music
Ritsema-Roelofs’ work offers a useful model for evaluating congregational songs. Worship leaders might ask:
- What does this song teach us about God?
- What does it teach us about ourselves and our neighbors?
- Does it imagine faith primarily as individual or communal?
- What kind of Christian life does it invite us into?
These questions can bring clarity to song selection. They can also help us see that choosing worship music is not simply about musical preference. Our songs give shape to our theology and, over time, to our lives.
Regardless of preferred musical style or expression, may we accept the psalmist’s invitation to sing a new song to God — not just melodically, but theologically.
