TOPIC: Principles for Selecting Christian Music - Part 1
GUEST: CHRIS ANDERSON, pastor and author, Theology That Sticks
“Houston, we have a problem.” That’s a slight misquote version of what an Apollo 13 astronaut said to NASA Mission Control in Houston after an explosion harmed their spacecraft back in 1970.
That was a physical, life-threatening problem. But there are even bigger God-dishonoring problems in the Evangelical church today. The preaching of weak or unsound doctrine is one. Another is the message and methodology of music in the church.
While music in sound churches over the centuries was mainly congregational singing of Psalms and hymns with or without musical instruments, that all changed over the past 60 years with the introduction of Christian Contemporary Music (CCM). The worldview driving this believes that the form of rock ’n’ roll, soft rock, and rap glorifies God and attracts people to Christianity by simply swapping secular lyrics for Christian lyrics.
And yet the result has been compromise. Instead of congregations belting out inspired Psalms or sound hymns, shallow, repetitive, mesmerizing, error-filled songs fill nearly every space in Evangelicalism.
The water may have flooded over the dam but our guest this weekend and next will help Christians and churches select “songs, hymns, and spiritual songs” (Ephesians 5) that are sound in theology, honoring to God and edifying for us. His name is Chris Anderson. He’s a former pastor of 25 years and author of several well-known hymns, including “His Robes for Mine”. He is also the author of the new book, Theology That Sticks—The Life-Changing Power of Exceptional Hymns.
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As cultural hostility toward Christianity intensifies, many Christians have grown more reluctant to advocate for biblical values in the public square. But our perseverance for the common good—a good defined by God alone—is more important than ever in a culture that embraces darkness.
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Featured Offer
As cultural hostility toward Christianity intensifies, many Christians have grown more reluctant to advocate for biblical values in the public square. But our perseverance for the common good—a good defined by God alone—is more important than ever in a culture that embraces darkness.
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David Wheaton is the host of The Christian Worldview, a radio program that airs on 250 stations across America. He is also the author of two books, University of Destruction: Your Game Plan for Spiritual Victory on Campus and My Boy, Ben: A Story of Love, Loss and Grace.
Formerly, David was one of the top professional tennis players in the world. He is married to his lifelong best friend, Brodie, and they are the parents of a son…and two Labrador retrievers. David is thankful for his faith in Christ, his family, and living near where he grew up in Minnesota.
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