I saw a link to a song on Facebook this morning, a song called “Back to God” by Reba McEntire. I listened to it because I was killing time and the other option was to read more analysis of Nancy Pelosi’s insane comments about Justice Gorsuch. I love country music about as much as I love Boston sports so I was less than enthusiastic but I clicked through anyway. I also know the long track record of celebrity songs about God – a toxic blend of bad theology, American civil religion, and a tendency of Christians to exhibit little or no discernment about them. It was morning, I was being lazy and so, why not?
Honestly, this song is pretty good. I’m not planning to give it to my praise team for use in a Sunday service, but it’s one of the best celebrity God-songs I’ve heard. There are some lines that would not pass theological muster at our seminaries and it was absent of the Cross or Christ (verbally – there’s a crucifix displayed), but it was a lament, a cry for God. It seemed sincere.
There was quite the brouhaha recently when Carrie Underwood showed up at a large Christian gathering (Passion?) and suddenly joined the praise team. She then sang her God-song, which the discernment-oriented folks among us roundly condemned on theological grounds.
All this led me to a few moments of contemplation about how we should respond when celebrities sing about God. I’m not thinking here about Christian celebrity musical acts, but folks like Reba and Carrie and others who often throw a song or two with Christian themes into their repertoire.
Here are some random thoughts about the phenomenon.
- Use discernment with discernment.
Not every athlete or actor who thanks God after a winning performance is “one of us.” Look at the gospels – the clearest confessions of Christ came from demons. I’m not trying to make too much of that other than to say that someone who stands up and says, “I want to thank my Savior Jesus Christ” or who sings a song about God is not necessarily a blood-bought, born-again, saved, sanctified, heaven-bound spiritual sibling. We need to be careful.
On the other hand, we need to also be careful about joining in the Spiritual Stoning Brigade (SSB). Remember when those poor souls were marched out onto the beach and beheaded by ISIS? Within hours the SSB was writing articles and making post on social media making it clear that these were Coptics and not “real” Christians. We couldn’t wait till their blood was dry to consign them to hell?
You know what I thought about Carrie Underwood singing at Passion? Not much. I understand the complaints of the complainants, but was there anyone who was grievously and permanently scarred spiritually because Carrie appeared? Was the preaching so bad that her ONE song undid everything that had been taught?
It’s a balance thing. We need discernment. If Carrie had been the worship leader for the whole weekend, I’d be bothered. But it seems to me that too often discernment devolves into attacking ant hills with nuclear weapons.
- Don’t beatify too quickly.
I will have to admit that I know almost nothing about Reba McEntire. Is she a believer? Has she had some sort of recent spiritual renewal? Is she a charlatan looking to cash in on gullible and spiritually hungry Christians? I don’t know.
There was a famous athlete who was a vocal Christian. Every single time he was interviewed he “shared his faith” and spoke about Christ. But it came out that his life did not match his words in any way. He was living with a girl he wasn’t married to, had fathered several children by different women, and had been in a number of other situations that did not match his testimony. I’m not his judge and I’ve got my own struggles, but we need to be careful about elevating someone to role model status too quickly just because they claim to be a believer or wear a “purity ring” or mention Jesus or sing a song.
Reba sang a nice song. I’m not planning to invite her to the Pastors’ Conference. We should be slow to beatify her on the basis of this song.
- Stop demonizing.
On the other hand….
When I was a youth pastor back in the medieval days, one of the biggest country stars in America attended our church. She was the kind of household name that even non-fans like me knew. In the history of country, she’s one of the true luminaries. And her life was a mess.
But I think she really have faith in Christ. It was an undeveloped, undiscipled, undisciplined, uneducated, flawed faith, but I think that when she passed away, she went to glory. That’s a tough world. I’m sure there are pastors, perhaps some of you, who have used her as a sermon illustration. One of her most famous songs is a case-study in hypocrisy. She did not always live her faith, not by a long shot. But I think she genuinely loved Jesus. Our tendency to hold someone like this up to scorn is not necessary.
Some made a big deal about Carrie Underwood’s sympathetic statements about same-sex marriage. I’ve not seen them so I don’t know what she’s said and I really have no idea about the state of her faith. But the world she lives in exerts tremendous influence on her and unless she’s well taught in a Bible-expositing church, she’s not likely to have the ammunition to stand. I’m not advocating ignoring the lifestyles of these celebrities, but I also don’t think we need to apply the standards of 1 Timothy 3 or Titus 1 unless they are applying for ministry positions. that we shouldn’t care or that we should give anyone a pass, but as we deal with celebrities, grace and patience might be better than condemnation.
Mercy triumphs. Grace is amazing. This should be our language.
The ranks of the skeptics, the profligates, the degenerates – they are filled with people who grew up in church and felt judged and condemned. I’m not giving them a pass. Sin brings guilt and maybe they placed their own guilt on the church that preached the truth. But as a preacher’s kid who raised preacher’s kids, I know how harsh, judgmental, and picky the church can be – I’ve seen it firsthand.
Condemnation is not one of the fruit of the Spirit and judging is not a spiritual gift, in case you were wondering.
- There’s a difference between church and the radio.
There are songs that I can appreciate but which we wouldn’t (I’d say shouldn’t, but then I’m told I’m old, so my musical opinions don’t count anymore) use in worship.
If there are two lines of a song that are out of theological order in a song, we may not use it at our church. But I don’t expect Reba to be an accomplished theologian. She says, “cause we’re still worth saving.” Of course, God responds to us in grace, not because we are worth it, but because of his great love for us.
I wouldn’t sing that in church, because it violates the fundamental teaching of God’s grace. But on the radio, this song is an amazing call to prayer, to seeking God. We can appreciate it for what it is – a secular song about God that has a lot of biblical truth in it. Sadly, it’s got as much truth as some of the hymns and worship choruses I’ve seen in my nearly six decades of faithful church attendance, but I’ll get into that some morning when I’ve come to my garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses.
In church, our songs need to adhere to biblical truth carefully. A song like this can be given a little more latitude. No need to go postal about the “worth saving” thing – at least not until someone suggests we work it into a worship set.
That’s probably way more time than this topic demanded, but frankly, I’m tired of politics so something inconsequential like a Reba McEntire (I guess it was written by some guy named Randy Houser) was a welcome diversion for me.
1 – Reba and Carrie both profess Jesus as their Savior.
2 – Reba and Carrie were going to start posting here to be a part of the great theological denate happening then after reading this article, they changed their minds. They decided to leave it to the preachers who have it all together theologically and to those who have folks like them all figured out.
One of the above is known as truth. The other is, well not real but at keast should be thought about.
You can choose which is which.
Two words top correct – denate should be debate — keast should be least.
There could be others but I need to leave my office for a bit.
?????????
Please, please, please can you get Reba to sing with the Gettys at the PC? I’ll paint all them both. Lol
Good thoughts. I was sitting at a pastors lunch a few weeks ago and someone brought up Carrie Underwood and I thought it was much to do about nothing.
Not to be nit-picky, but that should be “much ado about nothing”. 🙂
Thoroughly enjoyed this, Dave and really have nothing else to add since I concur with virtually everything you said. You plowed that ground really well!
Shows you to have great intelligence and discernment.
My take on this, and a lot of civil religion, is this:
1. It can be shallow, even errant at times.
2. It’s often heartfelt.
3. There is some good in it.
4. It’s a huge door through which we can walk or upon which we can build. Use it as an opportunity.
5. Resist the urge to try and correct too much, too quickly, too often.
Good article, Dave!
I’ll have to take your word on those country songs… Because I absolutely steadfastly refused to listen to country music!
Tarheel,
“Because I absolutely steadfastly refused to listen to country music!”
You’re not saved.
Reba McEntire? Hmm. Nancy Pelosi? Hmm. All I can say is, “How could you choose anything else but Reba?”
You never know what celebrity may want to get in on the gospel singing act. Last year Terry Bradshaw (former quarterback and sports announcer) got up on stage at a church in the vicinity to sing with the gospel group The Isaacs.
No need to get caught up in the celebrity element, but to me it seems overall to be better for them to be singing about something wholesome (even when not theologically exact, and even if about puppy dogs) than to be singing about adultery, drunkenness and such like.
Dave, I have to ask, on what basis can you take issue with the argument that we “are [still] worth saving?” Clearly, in God’s opinion, we are. We are worth his Son’s death by torture. Was He wrong? (To say that we are worth saving is not the same as saying we deserve it, or have earned it, if I may cut short a protest.)
Actually, the protest you wish to cut short is the protest. One could argue–as theologians and preachers tend to do–that saying we are “worth saving” could be misconstrued as saying “we deserve saving,” and so better verbiage could have been chosen.
It’s the difference in a country song and a theology paper. In a country song, it’s all good, but in a theology paper you’d expect more “precision” or “nuance,” depending on your flavor of the day.
I think that’s actually the whole point. Much like Underwood’s song about “Something in the water.” We who hold that Baptism is symbolic would say, well, no there’s not anything in the water. But we should have been changed, and there’s something in the obedience–once again, a theology paper should be more precise than a country song. We can enjoy the country song without losing the theology.
But the most important thing: don’t be deflated this weekend but be filled with the breath of God 🙂
Oops. Sorry. I thought it was Dave to whom I was replying, but it should have been you.
We are not saved based on any merit in us but “while we were still sinners” Christ died for us.
Dave,
you must be really old. >grin<
Actually, while we were still sinners, God demonstrated His love for us in that Christ died for us.
But certainly, those He died for [however we determine that] were worth much to God. So Reba isn't wrong at all, even if some might think her imprecise.
The problem isn't in the song, not at all.
The problem happens when those that hear it have a wrong perception of God. And that is something Reba can do nothing about unless she wants to sing a song that we all could use in our worship services.
So .like someone else said, let us allow the song to call us to prayer and to use it as a place to witness to others as the Spirit gives us occasion.
Huh. I would have to argue that God has thought us worth saving since he created us, in spite of the fact that we were (or would become) sinners. And as I think more about it, I agree that we ought to be precise in our words, but the logical conclusion is unarguable: 1) God’s opinion of our worth is necessarily correct by his nature. 2) He thinks we are worthy of saving. 3) Therefore, we are worthy of saving.
Thanks for the response, Dave, and I think we are in accord on this one. As to your example, it’s hard to fit: “Submitting to Baptism is an act of obedience to Christ, not a salvation experience, but one that saved Christians ought to do because a) He told us to, and b) we want to follow his example.” Doesn’t really roll of the tongue, does it? 🙂
QED
It shows that a lot of the issue is how you interpret and apply a phrase.
If “worth saving” just speaks to our standing as image-bearers and objects of Gods love, great. But too often phrases like that speak of some kind of worth or value that motivated God to save. His motive was his love, not my merit.
In my visits to Dollywood theme park, I have noticed how they have a southern gospel show, the Southern Gospel Hall of Fame, a chapel where they have a service on Sunday, and Dolly sings Don Francisco’s “He’s Alive” in the Heartsong movie. In Dolly’s on site museum you’ll see a celebration of her country church background as well. On the flip side, Dolly also has memorabilia from some of her extremely questionable acting choices. Celebrity faith is puzzling at times.
Dear Pastor Miller,
I was so excvited to read the CT article by your friend Ed Stetzer and how you will represent small churches at the Southern Baptist convention. I rushed to read your blog and saw the post about Reba McEntire and found a commonality there but then I got to the second part of that sentence in my heart sunk to see politics mixed in.
I thought of another song “Come Every Soul by Sin Oppressed” and one of my favorite lines in it, ” only trust him, only trust him, He will save you, He will save you, He will save you now.” I fear how much trust is being placed in human beings and how much it’s been talked about right along with faith as if they are the flag bearers of Christ leading the way.
And at the mention of small things like small churches I think of the story about theologian Karl Barth being asked what he thought the most profound profound thing was an answering that he learned as a small child “Jesus loves me this I know.” The innocence of a child just as Jesus said to come as little children.
I hope all will be welcome at the convention despite their political persuasions or opinions. Our Christian leaders carry a huge responsibility to represent all those who hear and heed the call of Christ no matter how small a group they belong to ….a small church, a small portion of a denomination that might feel overshadowed by political rhetoric.
Hope in Christ includes that we are all welcome at His table.
Congratulations on your leadership role. I have a pastor friend who lived well into his 90s and I loved it when he said that some of us put on the help of salvation and were left standing in our underwear…
Ephesians 6:16-18New King James Version (NKJV)
16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
…..all the saints no matter whether they like Nancy Pelosi or Justice Gorsuch or they did a write-in in their ballot for Mickey Mouse.
Always In His Grace,
CStone
Charlie, Dave’s out of the country right now, but I think you’ll find this year’s SBC Pastor’s Conference to be a place where our unity in the gospel is emphasized as we partner together in Christ’s mission.
Thank you for reading my reply and responding. Please, if you have Pastor MIller’s ear (you seem to already know something about his heart), help him to continue to listen to small groups of believers who have in their hearts the desire to follow Jesus Christ and are struggling as any other follower of our Lord to discern the unique ways he would have each of us do that. I so appreciate that he is not a fan of cookie-cutter religion. Gives me reason to hope that we can all carry the banner of Christ together in a unifying goal of promoting the gospel.
Thank you.