[An important note: There has been some confusion on the tone of this article. After the introduction, it’s intentionally written from the perspective of someone who would say using music from these churches isn’t a problem. It’s intended to present a fair and strong version of this argument. If you read this article as someone who disagrees with using music from these churches, please use this article to help you better understand the other side of the debate. You can also click here to read “Why Churches Must Avoid Music from Bethel, Hillsong, and Elevation.]
Music is an important part of the weekly gathering. Most pastors and music leaders are intentional about the songs their churches sing together, desiring to glorify God through the music as much as the preaching. As such, we must be mindful of the things we sing in the same way we’re mindful of what the pastor says from the pulpit.
A great debate within the modern church is whether churches should sing music from Bethel, Hillsong, and Elevation. Many acknowledge that these groups come from problematic churches, but some of the songs are good enough that those issues can be ignored. Others try to be more selective in their songs, only choosing songs from these churches that are clearly biblical while rejecting those that aren’t.
The issue with Bethel, Hillsong, and Elevation isn’t that every single song is filled with heresy. Rather, it’s whether we can honor God and say “I’ll take the good and reject the bad because no one is perfect.” The discussion about using music from these churches extends beyond imperfect people writing music about a perfect God. There are significant issues in these churches that have caused many to refuse to use any music that comes from them.
This will be a full-bodied discussion. I write this article from the perspective of those who have legitimate reasons for using music from these churches. The second article takes the perspective of those who see the broader issues in using music from any of these churches (click here for that article). The final set of articles will examine specific, major issues in each church that are dangerous for Christians who follow or promote them.
I must make a very special note about this series: I write it under the assumption that readers would disagree with things like the Prosperity Gospel, an unbiblical understanding of supernatural gifts and the Holy Spirit, or teaching different versions of Jesus and the gospel. Some may already be aware of these issues when choosing to use their music. However, for those who don’t fully understand what these churches teach, I’ll discuss it at the end of this series.
Table of Contents
Reasons we can use Bethel, Hillsong, and Elevation music
I must preface this with a simple warning: The weight of the argument ultimately falls on those who believe we must avoid their music. Defending the use of music from these churches doesn’t require much discussion. If you look online, there’s far more said about why we shouldn’t than why we can. But the amount of discussion for one side says nothing about which side is right.
That being said, these are the most common things I’ve encountered in defense of using Bethel, Hillsong, and Elevation music.
We can’t let personal convictions dictate all Christians
Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on opinions. One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. The one who eats must not view the one who does not eat with contempt, and the one who does not eat must not judge the one who eats, for God accepted him. Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. (Romans 14:1-4)
God allows us to have personal convictions that are binding on our consciences, but not the consciences of others. Just as a pastor or worship leader shouldn’t use music from these churches if it would betray their personal convictions, they also must be careful not to outright reject them because of pressure from others (especially those outside their own churches). To elevate music to the same level we would as heresy is to place an absolute truth on a subjective matter.
We can’t divide over secondary issues
Similar to the importance of recognizing personal convictions, we also want to be careful not to divide over matters that aren’t related to the gospel. As I’ve discussed in the past, there are issues that Christians must agree on for salvation and there are issues we must agree on for church unity. If Bethel, Hillsong, and Elevation are teaching the true Jesus, then we should view their churches the same way we view other churches that truly love Jesus but practice differently than we do, just as many do with men like John Piper or R.C. Sproul. It’s okay to have personal convictions on secondary issues that would prevent us from attending a certain church, but that doesn’t mean the church itself teaches a false gospel.
As Mike Harland reminds us, “if we started making a blacklist of compositions we can’t sing because of the theology of the composer, it would be shocking how much of our hymnal we would lose, not to mention masterworks and standards of choral literature..… God uses all kinds of people to instruct us. And, just because a person is wrong on one point, doesn’t mean they can’t be trusted with any other point.”
The “Leading Worship Well” YouTube channel has a great discussion reminding us that the only reason to reject these churches outright is if they teach a different Jesus and a different gospel. So if these churches teach a genuine gospel and a true Jesus, we can rejoice that we agree on the essentials despite disagreeing on non-essential, secondary issues.
For a balanced and well-articulated perspective on this point, see this article by Sam Storms.
We want to sing engaging music
As of this writing, the CCLI (the biggest provider of worship music licenses used in churches) shows that many of their most popular songs come from these churches. We can’t escape the reason these songs are so prevalent on the radio, in churches, and on personal playlists. People resonate with them.
According to a survey of over 400 song leaders from a variety of traditions: “The most influential factors in discovering a new worship song are peer endorsements and personal experiences.” Music leaders choose these songs because they see the value in them. People want to sing these songs in their churches because they create positive worship experiences. Music from Bethel, Hillsong, and Elevation contains elements that appeal to song leaders and the congregation alike, thus their prevalence in churches.
Of course, music isn’t chosen because of personal preference, but also how much it encourages participation. As Rick Warren writes in The Purpose Driven Church, “Many churches overuse certain songs due to the personal preferences of either the pastor or the music leader..… What the minister of music or pastor likes should not be the determining factor in the style of music you use. Instead, use your target to determine your style.” Song selection isn’t just about what a particular person or group likes, but what they need. A song shouldn’t be so complicated that people are distracted by the style or word choices and unable to be in the moment. Likewise, a song shouldn’t be so dull that people aren’t engaged in what they’re singing. The art of choosing music every week is finding the “sweet spot” that keeps the congregation fully engaged.
Lastly, there’s value in how familiarity keeps people engaged. Just like most of us enjoy the same songs we’ve listened to for years, sometimes on repeat, singing familiar songs in worship encourages more of the congregation to be fully engaged during the worship set. In an article titled Familiarity is the Key to Selecting Songs for Worship, the author concludes “I recommend there be familiar song(s) to most people in your congregation every week. I hope no one in our congregation leaves without being [able] to participate if they wish to.” It’s exciting to spend the week hearing certain songs on the radio, then getting to sing those songs alongside other Christians on Sunday.
In the end, one goal of corporate worship is for people to participate. The music should support the congregation’s engagement, not hinder it. Thus, music from these churches may be chosen because it brings a level of enjoyment across many areas of a person’s life.
We choose music that lets us worship God
Beyond just liking the music, many songs from Bethel, Hillsong, and Elevation create a deeply emotional worship experience. As we read the Psalms, it’s clear that worshiping God will lead us to feel something. Many worship services feature heartfelt cries to God, tears (from either joy in the Lord or sorrow over sin), and even dancing. These songs allow worship leaders to provide a space for people to freely experience worship as they enter God’s presence.
The International House of Prayer shares one story of the transforming power of worshiping God through music. On Sunday morning, many like the woman in the story enter the church with great burdens and distractions. Yet as they sing, they experience God in a way that changes everything.
Abundant Life defines one purpose of worship this way: “Corporate praise and worship are important, and so are personal praise and worship. God wants to hear your voice, your words, your cares, and your heart. He wants you to enter into His presence. The Bible says God inhabits, or enthrones, in the praises of His people.
When you magnify God, singing of His wondrous works—from creation to the cross and into eternity—you invite Him into your life. It honors His greatness and focuses your mind on Him, no matter the season you are walking.”
If the purpose of worship is to bring us into God’s presence, then corporate worship can include any music that enables that experience.
We sing whatever is true
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is dignified, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, consider these things. (Philippians 4:8 LSB)
As Kenny Lamm says in his article discussing this topic, “I do not believe that God holds us responsible for what a songwriter believes, but He does hold us responsible for the diet of songs we give to our congregations–that we give them songs full of truth without error.”
Not every song from Bethel, Hillsong, or Elevation will be perfectly written. Some may be too vague, others may have questionable lyrics, and all of them are written by imperfect people. However, what’s important isn’t where these songs come from, but what they teach the church. If the songs don’t deviate from a church’s own doctrine, nor create conflict with a leader’s convictions, why should they not sing something true about God?
We must be consistent about what we use
Many Christians object to using music from Bethel, Hillsong, and Elevation because they disagree with certain aspects of their teachings. And beyond just following their own convictions, they insist all Christians must reject these groups. However, as almost every discussion about this topic points out, this isn’t a consistent standard.
In our daily lives, we would be incapable of giving business to almost anyone if we insisted that people must meet certain doctrinal unity with us. We’d be unable to shop almost all big businesses, acquire food, or even use whatever device people are using to read these words. We’ll give money to God’s enemies, then refuse to participate with other Christians in music.
But if we focus these standards down to just music, we’re still inconsistent.
“It Is Well With My Soul” was written by Horatio Spafford who eventually denied Hell, embraced Universalism, and allegedly took part in some odd Charismatic practices that wouldn’t be too out of place from what we’ve seen at Bethel.
“Lord I Need You” is written by Matt Maher. Maher is a Roman Catholic, a religion that many Christians would say doesn’t proclaim a true gospel message.
“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” was written by everyone’s favorite Protestant, Martin Luther. Although we speak much about his devotion to Jesus, and continue to read many of his works, Luther spent the end of his life deeply steeped in antisemitism, even writing a book titled “On the Jews and Their Lies.”
The inconsistent standards can’t be ignored.
We’re in good company
It’s easy to read a lot of compelling reasons to avoid music from these churches and feel like there’s only one right answer. However, Proverbs 11:14 reminds us that we can find wisdom from a group of wise counsellors. We must think about this issue ourselves, but we also live in a time where we can “check our work” against what other mature Christians are doing. So while the pastors of a local church are responsible for leading their flocks, it’s worthwhile to look outside the walls of their church to see how other pastors have followed godly wisdom about this issue. If other gospel-centered churches use their music, it adds weight to using it in our own church.
We may not understand the controversy
All of us have gaps in our knowledge that we’re unaware of. As the saying goes, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” Though not openly discussed, one thing worth considering is that many who use music from Bethel, Hillsong, and Elevation are unaware of the issues surrounding those churches. Though many may have evaluated the churches and found their music acceptable to use, many others are likely unaware of the bigger issues raised by the other side of the discussion.
Although there are certainly some churches that have heard and read dangerous and heretical things from the pastors of these churches, not everyone willfully minimizes or ignores the dangers I’ll discuss in the next articles. As we think through this issue, we must acknowledge that many Christians may read something like Bethel’s doctrine statement, see no red flags, and assume it’s just a matter of different teaching and not false teaching.
Final thoughts
It can seem unnecessary to justify using music from certain churches as long as the lyrics are true. However, it’s also valuable to see that there are valid reasons to do so. I hope it’s especially useful for those who refuse to use their music to understand that pastors and music leaders take the role of worship seriously. Hopefully, it’s also useful to those who don’t use their music by helping them understand that other pastors and music leaders do take their role seriously as they make decisions on music.
Don’t let this be the only article you read in this series or you’ll get an imbalanced perspective on why this topic is so important. The next article will take a broad look at why churches should not sing any music from these churches, no matter how true or moving a particular song may be. After that, we’ll closely examine each of the three churches to better understand why their beliefs may extend beyond simple disagreements over secondary issues but actually reveal false teachers giving a different gospel.
