Gospel Flavored Bubble Gum

Welcome, one and all, to my official monthly blog on Advent Christian Voices!

Whilst my attention may flit from hermeneutics to politics to apologetics and back again, the primary thrust of this blog is to discuss [drum roll, please] . . .

Christian music! Music has always been such an important part of my life. I’ve been a musician longer than I’ve been almost anything else. So that’s what I’m gonna write about.

And what better way to launch this proverbial rocket than by lighting the fuse of controversy? You may remember my article a few months back entitled “mud-flavored bubble gum,” a discussion of false gospels drenched in the synth-laden morass of modern popular “Christian” music. Well, strap in, my fellow astronauts, because part 2 of that discussion finally has liftoff!

To begin, I have a confession to make: I enjoy pop music.

It’s simple, sweet, moving, catchy, and addicting. It’s bubblegum, and who doesn’t like bubblegum?

Alright, fine, there are plenty of people who don’t like bubblegum. But I ain’t one of them. The Elvises and Beatles and James Taylors and Justin Timberlakes and Justin Beibers of the music industry have always been able to capture my attention, at least for a passing moment.

But what about Christian pop music? A few months ago, I wrote an article lamenting the dull, shallow, vague drivel dribbling from the mouths of Christian pop stars. Today, I’d like to show you the other side of that auto-tuned and airbrushed coin.

I am going to show you three examples of Christian pop music that beautifully, clearly, and unflinchingly preach the Biblical gospel of Jesus Christ. And to make my magic trick all the more stupendous, I have chosen three of the most controversial Christian artists in recent memory.

Hillsong, Elevation, Bethel. These names inspire affection and admiration from some, revulsion and ridicule from others. The point of this article is not to defend these churches, their artists, their theologies, or even their music. My only goal is to reveal the best of their work, evangelistically speaking.

1. “King of Kings” by Hillsong

It was so difficult to choose sections of this song to highlight. I could have posted the whole thing, as all of it faithfully declares what we read in the New Testament about Christ and His saving work.

“To fulfill the law and prophets
To a virgin came the Word
From a throne of endless glory
To a cradle in the dirt”

“To reveal the kingdom coming
And to reconcile the lost
To redeem the whole creation
You did not despise the cross”

“Praise the Father
Praise the Son
Praise the Spirit
Three in one”

“And the dead rose from their tombs
And the angels stood in awe
For the souls of all who'd come
To the Father are restored”

Beautiful, simple, Biblical, faithful gospel proclamation. Now that’s some bubble gum you can really sink your teeth into!

2. “O Come to the Altar” by Elevation

“Are you hurting and broken within
Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin
Jesus is calling
Have you come to the end of yourself
Do you thirst for a drink from the well
Jesus is calling”

“O come to the altar
The Father's arms are open wide
Forgiveness was bought with
The precious blood of Jesus Christ”

“Oh what a Savior
Isn't He wonderful
Sing alleluia, Christ is risen
Bow down before Him
For He is Lord of all
Sing alleluia, Christ is risen”

“Bear your cross as you wait for the crown
Tell the world of the treasure you've found”

While the text of this one isn’t quite as rich as the first example (Brooke Ligertwood, Hillsong’s best writer in my opinion, is tough to compete with), it certainly presents a Biblical gospel. Christ, the risen Savior, has been exalted over all, and He offers forgiveness of sin and eternal life to all who will repent and confess faith in Him. See what I mean? Bubblegum pop can still speak Scriptural truth!

3. “Furious”, “What Would I Have Done”, and “You Have Won Me” by Bethel

I know what you might be thinking. Really? Bethel? Gold- dust-sprinkling, Jesus-is-my-boy-friend-song-writing, penal-substitionary-atonement-denier-platform-giving Bethel?

Yep, that one. Sorry to disrupt that nice, neat little filing cabinet in your head. Turns out that the same God who warned Balaam through his donkey can use other questionable messengers, too. Don’t believe me? Read for yourself:

“The Father loves and sends His son
The Son lays down His life for all
He lavishes His love upon us
He calls us now, His sons and daughters”

“Overwhelming sacrifice You freely paid the highest price
Suffering You traded blood for me
My heart will sing the deepest praise my lips rejoice my hands will raise
For the death that brought me into life”

“Grace, You've shown me grace
You've lifted my shame
Drawn me with loving kindness
Washed whiter than snow
You have redeemed and made me whole
Love, You've shown me love
By leaving Your throne
By bleeding and dying on a cross
That wonderful cross
That took all my guilt and sin away”

How ‘bout them apples? That’s Biblical gospel. Would it pass the standards of a systematic theology’s chapter on proper soteriology? No. But it hits the essential beats: sin, sacrifice, redemption. God’s the one who makes salvation happen. Jesus’ work is complete and sufficient. Period.

So what’s the lesson here? Simply put, chew the meat and spit the bone. Some popular Christian music is theological garbage. In fact, some of it is downright false gospel.

But not all of it. Amidst the endless audial onslaught of hyper-repetitive, hopelessly vague, theologically half-hearted attempts at Christian pop, there are diamonds in the rough. And rather than taking the position of the perpetual critic, we should be eager to hear the true Biblical gospel preached anywhere by anyone. Before I close, consider the words of Paul:

“It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.”

-Philippians 1:15-18