A urgent call for discernment in our worship
Friends,
Every so often, I receive emails from concerned believers who share the same troubling observation: “Brother Paul, something doesn’t feel right about some of these contemporary songs we’re singing, but I can’t put my finger on what’s wrong.”
You’re not imagining things. Your spiritual instincts are picking up on something real and significant. Let me help you understand what’s happening—and why it matters more for your soul than you might realize.
We Become What We Sing
Here’s the truth that will change how you think about Sunday morning forever: the songs we sing are actively discipling us.
This isn’t about musical preference or generational conflict. This is about spiritual formation. Dr. David DeGarmo, whose research has profoundly shaped my thinking, puts it this way: worship is how we become God’s people. It’s the process by which we’re formed “to love God, one another, and the world as Spirit-empowered citizens of the kingdom of God.”
Think about that. Every Sunday, as we open our mouths to sing, we’re either being trained as Kingdom citizens or we’re being shaped into spiritual consumers. There’s no middle ground.
When we gather for worship, we’re supposed to be entering what DeGarmo calls “a countercultural event”—a time and space “apart from the kingdom of this world and immersed in the kingdom of our Lord” (Revelation 11:15). But what happens when the songs we sing are saturated with the values of “this crooked generation” that Peter warned us to save ourselves from (Acts 2:40)?
We get disciples shaped by Babylon instead of citizens formed by the Kingdom.
The Ancient Pattern Playing Out Today
The struggles we face with worship aren’t new. Throughout Scripture, God’s people have battled the same four temptations:
First, we forget that worship belongs to God alone. We start trying to serve both God and cultural approval.
Second, we’re drawn to attractive alternatives. In Moses’ day, it was golden calves. In our day, it might be emotionally manipulative music with terrible theology wrapped in beautiful melodies.
Third, corrupted worship corrupts everything else. What happens on Sunday shapes how we live Monday through Saturday.
Fourth, God raises prophetic voices to call His people back to faithful worship.
I believe we’re living in such a time. The contemporary worship music industry has given us songs that look and sound Christian but are forming people in ways that contradict Scripture. Here’s what I mean:
Songs with unbiblical language—phrases you won’t find anywhere in Scripture, or worse, language borrowed from New Age spirituality. Proverbs 30:5-6 is clear: “Every word of God is pure… Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.”
Vague, feel-good lyrics so generic they could be sung to anyone or anything. A non-Christian could sing many popular worship songs without ever mentioning Jesus. But Colossians 3:16 calls for songs rich with “the message of Christ.”
Word of Faith terminology that treats faith like a magic formula rather than trust in Christ. When songs talk about “manifesting” or “speaking things into existence,” they’re promoting a different gospel. Paul warns: “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy” (Colossians 2:8).
Six Questions Every Song Must Answer
How do we test our worship music biblically? I’ve adapted DeGarmo’s framework into six essential questions every song must pass:
1. Is This Song Biblical?
Not “does it have Bible words?” but “does it accurately represent what Scripture teaches about God?” Some popular songs prioritize emotional experience over biblical truth. They’re spiritual junk food—they might taste good, but they’re not nourishing your soul. Paul demands we handle God’s Word accurately (2 Timothy 2:15).
2. Is This Song Forming Kingdom Citizens or Worldly Consumers?
Many songs today sound more like prosperity gospel commercials than biblical worship. They focus on what God can do for us rather than who He is. They treat faith like a transaction rather than a relationship. John the Baptist had it right: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).
3. Does This Song Challenge Cultural Idols or Embrace Them?
True worship should make us uncomfortable with the values of “this generation.” It should call out our idols of success, comfort, and self-focus. Does the song you’re singing push back against cultural lies or reinforce them?
4. Does This Song Build Community or Feed Individual Experience?
The New Testament vision of worship is corporate, not individual. It’s about “we” and “us,” not “me” and “I.” Paul commands that everything in worship should build up the whole community (1 Corinthians 14:26). If a song is all about my personal experience with Jesus, it’s missing something essential.
5. Is Jesus Central to This Song?
This should be obvious, but you’d be surprised how many “Christian” songs barely mention Christ. He’s not a footnote to faith—He’s the whole point. Our worship should “continually tell and enact the story of Jesus—the Savior, Healer, Baptizer in the Spirit, and King.”
6. Does This Song Make Room for the Holy Spirit?
Without the Spirit’s empowerment, all we have left is marketing and performance. True Pentecostal worship expects God to move, to speak, to transform. It’s not just good music—it’s an encounter with the living God.
“Help Me Understand the Concerns”
The most common question I receive goes something like this: “Paul, I’ve looked into this, and these churches have solid doctrinal statements. They affirm the Trinity, salvation by grace, biblical authority. I’m genuinely trying to understand—what exactly are the concerns with their worship music?”
This is a fair question, and I appreciate those asking it with sincere hearts. Some respected theologians have made similar points, noting that these churches’ official statements are orthodox and concluding that the music concerns may be overstated.
Let me help you think through this more deeply, because there’s a crucial principle at stake: formation happens through practice, not just through stated belief.
Think about it this way. I could have the most orthodox doctrinal statement hanging on my office wall, but if I preach prosperity gospel from the pulpit every Sunday, what am I actually teaching my people? If I affirm biblical authority in writing but twist Scripture in practice, what am I forming in the hearts of my congregation?
The Pharisees had impeccable doctrinal statements. They knew their theology. They could quote Scripture from memory. But Jesus called them whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside, full of death on the inside (Matthew 23:27).
Words on paper don’t form disciples. Weekly practices do.
When we sing songs that focus primarily on our experience rather than God’s glory, we’re being formed as self-centered worshipers, regardless of what the church’s website says about God’s sovereignty.
When we sing vague, feel-good lyrics that could apply to anyone or anything, we’re being trained to think of faith as generic spirituality, regardless of how clearly the church affirms the uniqueness of Christ in their doctrinal statement.
When we sing songs that promise health, wealth, and constant victory, we’re being shaped to expect a prosperity gospel, regardless of what the official theology claims about suffering and sacrifice.
This is why Paul didn’t just write doctrinal letters—he established liturgical practices. He didn’t just correct false teaching—he gave specific instructions about how churches should worship, pray, and conduct themselves. He understood that how we practice our faith shapes what we believe about our faith.
James K.A. Smith puts it perfectly: we are “liturgical animals.” Our hearts are shaped more by our habits than by our intellectual beliefs. The songs we sing week after week are forming us at the deepest level, beneath conscious thought, creating what Smith calls “cultural liturgies” that mold our understanding of God, ourselves, and the world.
So yes, read their doctrinal statements. But then ask yourself: What are their songs actually teaching my people? What kind of disciples are being formed through these weekly practices? What desires and affections are being cultivated in our hearts?
Because at the end of the day, we become what we sing. And if we sing songs shaped by the values of “this crooked generation”—even songs written by people with orthodox doctrinal statements—we shouldn’t be surprised when our people start thinking like the world instead of like the Kingdom.
The question isn’t whether these churches have sound doctrine on paper. The question is whether their songs are forming sound disciples in practice.
The Industry Behind the Songs
Here’s something that will shock you: According to Worship Leader Research, from 2010-2020, 37 of the 38 most popular worship songs in American churches came from just five megachurches:
- Bethel Church (Redding, CA)
- Hillsong Church (Australia)
- Elevation Church (Charlotte)
- Passion City Church (Atlanta)
- Northpoint Community Church (Atlanta)
Five churches. That’s it. They’re essentially determining what millions of Christians believe about God through their music.
This creates massive problems:
Celebrity worship culture where we watch worship instead of participating in it. We’ve become consumers of religious entertainment.
Commercial motivations that prioritize what sells over what forms disciples. Jesus was clear: “You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24).
Spiritual homogenization where churches in Africa sing Australian songs and churches in Asia sing American songs. We’re losing the beautiful diversity God intended for His global church.
What This Means for Your Church
I’m not saying we should only sing hymns written before 1950. I’m saying we need to apply the same biblical discernment to our music that we (hopefully) apply to our preaching.
For pastors and worship leaders: Test every song theologically before you put it in front of your people. Don’t choose songs because they’re popular or emotionally stirring. Choose them because they align with Scripture and will form your people as Kingdom citizens.
For church members: Know your Bible well enough to discern when something isn’t right. Don’t just go along with whatever the worship team puts on the screen. You have a responsibility to test everything against Scripture.
For parents: Pay attention to what your children are singing. These songs are discipling them. Make sure they’re being formed by biblical truth, not cultural lies with Christian vocabulary.
A Time for Decision
DeGarmo warns that “the capitulation of Evangelical-Pentecostal liturgies to popular western culture is complete.” In 2004, he feared we were heading toward syncretized worship. In 2024, he believes “we have largely arrived.”
But there’s hope. Throughout history, God has always preserved a faithful remnant. The question is: will you be part of the problem or part of the solution?
Every worship service should bend our hearts toward God’s Kingdom and away from “this crooked generation.” When we gather, we should experience “a taste of heaven” that prepares us for the day when “the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).
The songs we sing matter. They’re changing us. The question is: are they changing us into the image of Christ or into the image of this world?
I know this is challenging. Change always is. But our loyalty isn’t to contemporary culture or popular trends—it’s to Christ and His Kingdom. We need worship that is biblical, transformative, prophetic, loving, Christocentric, and Spirit-empowered.
Nothing less will do.
Grace and peace,
Paul Natekin
P.S. — I’ve received several questions about specific songs and artists. While I won’t create a “banned songs list,” I encourage you to use the six questions above to evaluate any worship music. Trust the Holy Spirit to guide your discernment, study Scripture diligently, and don’t be afraid to have honest conversations with your church leadership about these concerns.
Essential Reading:
- David L. DeGarmo, “The Pentecostal Worship Service as a Countercultural Event,” Pentecostal Think Tank, July 2024
- James K.A. Smith, Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation
- Marva Dawn, A Royal Waste of Time: The Splendor of Worshiping God and Being Church for the World
- Mike Cosper, Rhythms of Grace: How the Church’s Worship Tells the Story of the Gospel
For Further Research:
- Why Churches Must Avoid Music from Bethel, Hillsong, and Elevation
- The Gospel Coalition: Should We Use Bethel Songs in Worship?
- Sam Storms: A Defense of Singing Songs from Bethel and Hillsong
- Holly Pivec and R. Douglas Geivett, Counterfeit Kingdom: The Dangers of New Revelation, New Prophets, and New Age Practices in the Church
