Leaders, Songwriting, Worship Theology, WTTU Special Public Post
Show #148 | “Do Our Songs Pass Through the Theological Filter?” 12-12-17
#TheologicalFilter
2 min read | 30m Show
Song Check
As a worship leader, do you ever find songs you would like to use, but the lyrics don’t line up with Scripture? Where is the line between being so strict with theological correctness and allowing some poetic license with the lyrics, just as Scripture is filled with poetry and imagery?As a songwriter, how can you be sure that the poetic license you are taking as you craft lyrics doesn’t inadvertently teach something contrary to Scripture?
Learn how to put your songs through the theological filter, and how to determine which songs line up with Scripture and which songs teach something different.
12-12-17 WATCH SHOW #148
The Theological Filter and Other Stories
by Marc JamesI recently had an email from Spring Harvest, who wanted to use one of my new songs in their new song book. They said that they had run the lyrics through their “theological filter” and wanted me to change one of the lines. In my minds eye I imagined a large machine, possibly run on fossil fuels, with men in white coats shovelling stacks of song lyrics into it..
The line was “knowing that your grace is my reward” they correctly pointed out that grace isn’t a reward for anything, it is the unmerited favour of God. In my head I wasn’t thinking I had to earn a reward or do something to get God’s grace, I was more thinking that I wasn’t following Jesus for reward, more that his Grace was available to me as I give my life to him and come to him. So I changed the line to “knowing that your Grace will be enough.”
And now the song is stronger, so I am thankful for the machine. I have, over the years, learned to take on advice and criticism about songs without having a melt down!
Any way it got me thinking about that whole area of writing worship songs for the church.
Songs and Prayers
I was recently listening to the Keith Green song “lord you’re beautiful”. There is a line in there that goes,”when your eyes are on this child your grace abounds to me”. It is such a tender and beautiful line in the song. I wonder if it would pass the theological filter test. Surely God’s eyes are on us always. God knows all things, sees all things, at all times.But I think for many of us we may feel God’s eyes are on us sometimes more than others, and connect with that sentiment and that song, we “feel” that God is closer sometimes. So is it wrong to sing, or is it poetry?
I once wrote a song called “Wake Up.” I took the line from a Psalm of David. David is calling out for God to wake up, to rise up and fight for him and Israel he asks the question “are you sleeping?” . The psalm resonated with me strongly as a prayer. The truth is the Lord, the Everlasting Lord, doesn’t sleep nor slumber. But there needs to be a place for us to express our frustrations, our longings for God to move. Life is complicated and sometimes we just don’t understand. We need to ask God “why?” Where are you? Wake up!.
I felt that if it is good enough to be cemented into the fabric of scripture it is good enough to sing in our churches. others warned me of the consequences of writing a song like this. It was never published.
A good friend of mine wrote a song that we used to sing in the burn church. It was a raging rock song called “so near”. The chorus was simply “consume me”. It connected deeply with the raw rough and broken people who God had gathered together at the burn church. It was a guttural cry, encompassing passion and desperation.
Now if you look up the word consume in the dictionary you get references about eating, using up, to completely destroy. the theological guy who looked over the song felt the lyric should be changed as God didn’t want to destroy us.
Interestingly when the line was changed to “Take my life”, it was fine..(this could also mean kill) Since then the phrase “consume me” has popped up in some great songs that are regularly sung in churches all over the world.
Another friend of mine quoted David’s poetic “I will awaken the dawn” line, and was told “only God can awaken to dawn not us”; I had to laugh at that one.
[ctt template=”6″ link=”7Pl1I” via=”no” ] If it is good enough to be cemented into the fabric of scripture it is good enough to sing in our churches.[/ctt]
Leave Room for Honesty and Poetry
I think what I am driving at is that there has to be room for honesty, poetry and description. These are the lyrics that unlock the heart of the singer. We get to express our human frailty, and are brought face to face with the God who became one of us.Jesus cried out on the cross, “my God my God why have you forsaken me.” the worlds of a song written years beforehand by a struggling man who felt abandoned by God. Little did he know that he would be prophesying the greatest moment in human history. Amazing to that God himself identified with a human song in his darkest hour!
Our songwriting, to be truly prophetic, must be a heart cry. It must be born out of the reality of life. the struggles, the defeats and failures.
[ctt template=”6″ link=”7Pl1I” via=”no” ] “At three o’clock, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ which is translated, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” (Mark 15:34; Matthew 27:46).[/ctt]
Filters and Wonder
I guess in conclusion. Submitting our stuff to people who have read more and studied more than us is a Good thing to do. But lets not strip ourselves of the gift and mystery that is songwriting where our heart cry and creativity is dumbed down in the name of good theology.
Author Bio – Marc James
Marc’s story isn’t conventional. Nor is his creativity. And both combine to make for some truly great music.After giving his life to God in car crash when he was 16, he then embarked on a 2 half year search for meaning which resulted in him reading the bible and becoming a christian in 1994.
Marc became part of the St Albans Vineyard Church where he became an assistant pastor and was one of the leaders of The “Burn Church” an alternative congregation plant made up of mainly young unchurched people..
As a musician has been involved in many projects over the years as a Lead Guitarist and Worship leader, most notably, the first 7 Vineyard UK albums he also wrote and performed the title track of the Album “Surrender” which is now widely sung all over the world.
He has fronted the Rock Band “Verra Cruz” for many years who released 3 albums and toured extensively spreading the message of the gospel into venues and festivals!.
His session credits include, Martin Smith, Tim Hughes, Ben Cantelon, Soul Survivor, Pete Doherty, Graham Kendrick, and Vineyard, Brenton Brown, Stuart Townend ..
Marc Now works as Youth and Student pastor in Three Rivers Church Bedford UK where he also Heads up the worship ministry.
Marc released his 3rd solo album Promise in 2016, produced in portugal by David Nuetell and featuring Brenton Brown it is some of Marc’s strongest material to date.
He has a passion for Unity, the presence of God and communicating Jesus to those who would bother with Church!
@BranonDempsey @worshiptt @WorshipTTU
Want to watch MORE Worship Team Training Videos?
Not a WTTU Member, or Choose to Upgrade? Update Now
Worship Team Training® Is your worship team stuck? Want worship leading to be better? Want to be free? We can take you there. Inspire, create and transform the leading of worship. Get a WeekendWorkshop
Copyright 2017 Worship Team Training®
