5 Ways to Tell if Your Church's Worship Music is Man-Centered
In the modern age, it's not uncommon to find churches falling into a pattern of cheesy, shallow worship music. The superficiality of these songs often reveals much about the theology in the church itself. When a church preaches and a congregation subscribes to shallow theology, a low view of the sovereignty of God, and a high view of self, the music produced inevitably mirrors these beliefs. In the end, this music tends to focus more on appeasing human desires and emotions rather than exalting and honoring God.
A church that understands the truth of God's majesty, righteousness, and grace is expected to produce worship that reflects these very truths. But how can you discern whether or not the music is man-centered? Here are five key ways to identify it:
1. Lyrics Focused on Human Needs and Desires
When lyrics are more about what we desire, need, or feel, rather than who God is and what He has done, it becomes a clear and concerning sign of man-centered worship. Such songs may discuss personal struggles, aspirations, and feelings of affirmation, but they fail to anchor these in the unchanging truth of God's sovereign will and providence. If the primary focus is on the self rather than the Savior, the worship is misdirected and deviates from its true purpose.
One glaring example of this is the increasingly popular music by Charity Gayle, particularly the song "New Name Written Down in Glory," and specifically the seemingly infinitely repeated lyric, "I am who I am because the I Am tells me who I am." While this line attempts to reference the divine name "I Am," it falls short of truly honoring God's character and majesty because it actually centers on the individual's identity, overshadowing the eternal and unchanging nature of God.
This lyric is constructed to emphasize personal realization and self-identification, overshadowing God's attributes. By making the worship about who we are in God rather than who God is in Himself, it risks reducing the grandeur of the Almighty to a mere tool for human self-discovery. This can lead to an anthropocentric view of Christianity, which inevitably distorts essential doctrines of the faith.
Such a man-centered approach can also mislead congregants, directing their focus away from the Creator and towards themselves. The primary role of worship music is to glorify God, declare His righteousness, and celebrate His mercy. By focusing on personal experience without a firm grounding in sound theology, worship can become self-serving rather than God-honoring.
2. Emotionally-Charged Lyrics
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