In the past week or two, our church leadership has taken time in the weekly newsletter, and also from the pulpit, to explain why we exclude certain worship songs from our corporate gatherings. Everybody has certain opinions and preferences when it comes to church music, of course, but this explanation was not so much about volume, style, or genre as it was about lyrics and theology.
In short, we avoid music produced by certain ministries and artists whose theology and message does not align in significant ways with what we believe to be biblical. For example, we do not include songs produced by ministries that promote a manifest ("name it and claim it") gospel or that focus more on therapeutic, "feel good" lyrics about a nebulous higher power rather than on solid biblical truths about the one true God. As many understand, the use of copyrighted songs in churches requires a financial investment, and as believers, we want to be careful where our dollars go and what messages they advance.
One particular song that was mentioned is a popular one, "Reckless Love of God," by Cory Asbury. By definition, this song title suggests that God's love is rash, careless, thoughtless, and even dangerous. Our pastor explained that the Bible is quite clear that God's love is anything but reckless, and because words have meaning, this is not a song that aligns with our values as a church, and therefore is not promoted or included in our weekly rotation of worship music.
Although I wouldn't consider this as one of my favorite songs, I've certainly heard it and sung along with it on the radio many, many times - never pausing to think about the meaning of those lyrics. As a writer, I'm big on words myself, and so I appreciate gaining new insight into this particular matter. Words do matter! You can bet I'll be listening to Christian music with much sharper ears from now on.
But as I was thinking about this whole issue of alignment - matching our words, actions, and dollars with the foundational tenets of our Christian faith - I couldn't help wondering about the spillover application in many other areas. I feel more strongly about some than others, but here are just a few that came to mind:
Homeschool curriculum - There is a curriculum I discovered a few years ago and really enjoy, as do my three kids. We use it for multiple subject areas. However I have heard of other families who avoid it entirely based on its supposed doctrinal roots, even if nothing overt is mentioned in the resources themselves.
Shopping & Entertainment - As Christians, should we be boycotting establishments that openly support and promote LGBTQ lifestyles? R-rated movies - or let's be honest, even PG-13 movies? Gender fluidity?
Medical interventions - Last week I wrote about the ingredients in childhood vaccines, one of the most concerning being aborted fetal tissue. As believers with a pro-life stance who represent Jesus to the world, is this reason enough to avoid these and other injections all together?
Diet - I'm not sure how widely known this is, but some 75% of Americans are either overweight or obese, with numbers climbing, and it is clear that the food we routinely eat is a major culprit in this devastating trend. With this is mind, is it appropriate for us to finance junk food industries, not only in our homes, but in our churches? When we routinely serve highly processed foods to our children and at youth group events, is that in alignment with our belief that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit?
Alcohol - I know a person who feels so convicted about the use of alcohol that she abstains even from drinking homemade kombucha. Along those lines, what about OTC medications such as NyQuil or even some homeopathic remedies preserved with alcohol? Does this seem extreme? Or is it just living with integrity? I don't have a firm answer - I'm just asking the question.
Depending on how far we take this, it becomes apparent that at some point it would be difficult for us to leave our homes (our beds?) without in some way promoting or financially supporting some entity or institution that not only deviates from our moral code of ethics, but actively fights against it. And so personally, I believe it comes down to awareness and individual conviction. These are not matters of salvation, but that doesn't mean they have no importance. I think the best we can do in these gray areas is to be ever open to conviction. If God asks us to pause, carefully consider, and perhaps make different choices than we have made previously, it's my hope that we will be obedient to that prompting and do our best to live in alignment with our core beliefs.
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