Cracked Pots

By Mike Glenn

NEWS FLASH: Churches are arguing over what kind of music should be allowed in worship services.

I've been in the ministry for a long time, and I've never known a time when church members weren't arguing about music. When I was a boy, the controversy was over traditional hymns and gospel singing. A lot of people wanted more songs that "came from the heart" like "Beulah Land." They didn't like the starchy, slow-beat hymns written with old words and odd rhymes. As I remember, a lot of people got upset about the choice of worship music. Some even left the church.

That was nothing compared to the day when a drum kit was brought into the church. Now the debate was, "Should we bring the "devil's music" into the Lord's House?" Rock and roll was generally referred to as the "devil's music" since Elvis swung his hips on the Ed Sullivan Show. Everyone agreed that it was atrocious and vulgar and they all could describe every one of Elvis's moves because they all had seen it. We spent a lot of talking about why no one should have seen what everybody saw. Some people left the church over that one as well.

Then, there was the familiar battle between choruses and hymns. The traditionalists complained about having to stand for three hours in church to sing three words over and over again and the change agents said that they couldn't worship using someone else's words. The words had to be in their own language and played with their own instruments. There's no way, they said, an organ would lead people in true, life-changing worship. Once more, people left the church.

Much has been written about the worship wars. I will not add to that growing stack, but I will say that we need to add a new chapter. There's a new argument happening in our churches about music. This debate is about whether or not we should sing Hillsong and Bethel music. Some consider these two churches to be teaching a false gospel. If the churches that produce such music are teaching false gospels then we shouldn't sing their music. We should distance ourselves from false teachers. These songs shouldn't be part of our worship. Others say the music is good enough to stand on its own and if the song encourages worship, why should we care who wrote it?

Many of us have forgotten that the church has already dealt with this issue. A long time ago, several hundred years ago, the church had a problem. Priests, who turned out not to be good guys, were baptizing people and administering the Mass. When the people found out that their priest wasn't a good guy, it threw them into an existential crisis. If a bad priest did my baptism, did my baptism count? Or did a person have to get baptized again if the priest was a bad guy? After a conference or two and several papers back and forth, the church decided that the worshiping faith of a true believer was enough to make the moment valid. If you believed in your baptism when you were baptized, your baptism counted.

I kind of feel the same way about worship songs. If the song helps me worship, fine. If not, that's fine too. I just won't use it. Now, understand, my taste in music is quite eclectic. I like a lot of music and I like a lot of different kinds of music. I grew up on Southern rock. I love the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd. I like blues and R&B. I'm a big Motown fan and I think "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" by the Temptations is one of the best songs ever. That's just me. I'm sure you have your favorites as well. We're probably not going to sing any of them in church. They aren't meant for church. They aren't about Jesus.

Some of them were written by people with questionable character. Hank Williams is considered an American musical genius. He was also an alcoholic and died at 29. Does that make his music any less great? John Newton was a slave trader. After his conversion, he wrote "Amazing Grace." Do his previous sins nullify his confession in this great hymn? Some of the best sermons I've ever heard were preached by flawed preachers. Does their failure negate the truth they proclaimed? Not at all.

God used a king who had an affair, a father of a nation who lied twice to save his own life, a disciple who denied Jesus, and even a donkey to proclaim His Good News. It's the news that matters, not the messenger. I'm sure there are some who are bothered by the failures of the songwriters and this gets in the way of their worship. In that case, don't use the songs. On the other hand, a lot of people have been helped by these songs. God uses what He uses the way He chooses to use it. If the song helps you focus on Jesus, there's no sin in singing it.

Paul reminded us that we have this great treasure in cracked, leaky, earthen pots, but it's the contents - not the pots - that matter. If we start declaring that we won't use anything touched or produced by a sinner, will we have anything left?

Like I said, if you like the song, sing it and don't worry about it. If on the day we stand before Jesus and the only thing He brings up is that we sang the wrong song, I'll think we'll be all right.