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by Vince Wright | January 24, 2018 | 4:33 pm

Throughout 2,000 years of Christian history, there have been numerous controversies over style, lyrical content, and authority. Christians all over the world have enjoyed a variety of music under the “Christian” label. However, how many of us have taken the time to examine our music to determine its biblical authenticity? Probably not many.

Any good examination must start with well-crafted criteria. Since I believe the Bible is true, I will use the Bible to develop a rubric for evaluation. I believe that,

“all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be [complete], equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, emphasis mine) and,

“the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12, emphasis mine).

Because I believe these things, the Bible is my best source for analyzing Christian music.

Song Criteria

There are two basic elements to a song: words and music. While some songs have only words (a cappella), and others have no words at all (instrumental), most have a combination of lyrics and instrumental accompaniment.  However, this website is dedicated only to lyrical review outside of consideration to the artist’s theology, beliefs, or intent.  The lyrics should stand or fall on their own merits.

I use the Bible to examine lyrics using the following criteria based on a numeric scale.  I will give all four sections a whole number rating ranging from 0 to 10, with 10 being the best.  The final score will be rounded to the nearest 0.5 unless the final score is not a perfect 10 or 0.  In those cases, I will score it 9.5 or 0.5, respectively.  I use color-coding to visually see song ratings without reading the numbers.  Red is 0 to 5.5.  Purple is 6 to 7.5.  Green is 8 to 10.

1. What message does the song communicate?

All media communicates a message. Music is no exception. What kind of message do Christian artists send in their music?  We must figure out the message to determine its biblical authenticity.

While I understand that not all songs are Gospel-centered, those that touch on salvation ought to include it. I use John 3:16-21, Romans 5:9, and 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 to examine the most important elements: death for sins, salvation from God’s wrath to reconciliation, and Christ’s resurrection.

Side Note: Per the repetition announcement, I will no longer score based on excessive repetition.

Weight: 20%

2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?

This is the heart of the Berean test. Once we understand the message and its purpose, we can do as the Bereans did in Acts 17:11, who “received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so”. While I understand the context as the Gospel message from Paul, we can utilize this principle to examine lyrics for Biblical authenticity.

There is a difference between non-biblical lyrics and unbiblical lyrics. The former means that the content is not evaluable by Scripture. We must make a conscious decision based on other principles. The latter means that it is contrary to Scripture. If so, consider avoiding it.

Finally, songs that do not clearly identify God/Jesus/Holy Spirit as the pronouns “You”, “I”, “He”, or others through explicit mention, attributes of God, or heavy use of Bible quotes may incur a 2 point penalty for assuming God.  This assumes that the artist intended to mean God, offering the song a chance at a higher score when applying the Bible.

Of all the categories, this one will receive the largest weight.

NOTE: There are several references to Casper the friendly ghost throughout my reviews.  This is meant to be a running joke that pokes fun at the “ooh”s, “aah”s, and similar filler in Christian music.

Weight: 40%

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

This principle is based on 1 Thessalonians 5:22, which tells us to “abstain from every form of evil”, which includes the appearance of evil. While I do not wish to be overly legalistic and to allow freedom on such matters (see Romans 14), we must also avoid communicating the wrong message to those outside the camp of Christ.

While each individual unbeliever is an individual and will have a unique interpretation, my opinion on this matter (unless stated otherwise) is about the average non-christian with little to no knowledge about Christianity.  The score will also reflect personal benefit and helping them/hindering them from considering Jesus.

Weight: 20%

4. What does this song glorify?

There are only two options: Either it glorifies God or it does not.  To the degree that it glorifies God will determine its grade.

When I say “glorifies God”, I am not suggesting that God cannot use a low-rated song to glorify Himself.  God can use any song to draw attention to Himself, bringing Him glory.  The score given is about the inherent glorification directly from the lyrics.

Weight: 20%

Recommendation for Corporate Worship

My recommendation for corporate worship takes the following into consideration:

  1. Does this song proclaim to God His value and worth? Some songs are inspirational and call us to do/believe things, but aren’t focused on praising God.
  2. Is the musical style palatable to the ears of its listeners? Most people don’t want to worship with heavy metal, country, or rap/hip hop music.
  3. Does the song contain theological errors? These are covered in my Berean Test reviews.
  4. Is the song clear? I don’t recommend songs with lyrics that a secular band could play without alteration, with their audience easily interpreting it as a human lover. This is easily rectified with a proper noun (God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Christ, etc.) or an attribute/act that only applies to God (omniscience, the cross, empty tomb, parting the red sea, etc).

I’ve included a “maybe” rating to cover songs that might be used in church service under certain conditions.  For example, a few word changes, appropriate for non-seeker sensitive church, etc.  Also, if you believe that corporately worshipping with an artist’s song endorses said artist’s questionable theology, then I recommend avoiding it.  Finally, a rating of “other” represents songs that are not recommended or appropriate for corporate worship, but could still be useful during a church service.

Finally, bear in mind that recommendations that contain song lyric changes likely require permission from the copyright holder(s).  While I don’t suspect modified lyrics for a church service will result in a lawsuit, I also don’t want to encourage people to break the law by altering copyrighted material.

Theological Depth Rating

Each song that is rated “8” or higher or has a corporate worship rating of “Perhaps” or “Yes” will receive a theological depth rating.  Below are the criteria for the three categories: milk, meat, or mixed.  Bear in mind that milk is not necessarily a “fail” or “bad” rating.

Milk:

  • Foundational Christian truths
  • Basic list of God’s attributes
  • Basic list of God’s laws/commandments
  • Simple prayer
  • Simple narrative

Meat:

  • Deep dive into foundational truths or advanced theology
  • Plumbing the depths of a single topic
  • Elaborate explanation of God’s laws/commandments
  • Advanced prayer
  • Advanced narrative

Mixed:

  • Intermixing of both milk and meat
  • Unsure if the song is milk or meat

Final consideration: How do I respond when hearing this song?

This is highly subjective. Not all of us respond the same way to every song. We must all take stock of our own internal reactions and biases to Christian music. There are several things to consider when completing our own internal analysis in response to the songs we hear:

1. What comes to mind when I listen?
2. Do I dwell on my dark past?
3. Does it cause me to run to God or to desire sin?

Even if the song itself has a great message, noble intent, and is Biblically sound, it still may cause us to have dark thoughts, dwell on our sinful lifestyle, or increase our desire to sin. If so, “cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you…than for your whole body to go into hell.” (Matthew 5:29-30).

A high score does not necessarily endorse the theology of said artist. For example, Hillsong is well-known for promoting the Word of Faith and New Apostolic Reformation movements, both of which are unbiblical in my view.  They also received many high-scoring reviews, some of which are 10/10.  We should all do our own due diligence to examine the theology of artists.

On the other hand, a low score does not necessarily mean that we should stop listening to a song.  For example, a song may have high marks for its biblical accuracy, but a low score on outsider.  This would be a great song to hear personally, but perhaps not one to share outside of Christian circles.  Also, God can use anything, despite my own views and opinions on any song.

Finally, this criterion is not set in stone.  As I continue to review content and consider criticism, I reserve the right to tweak the criteria and re-evaluate songs under new criteria or after prayerful consideration of commentary.

Agree?  Disagree?  Don’t be shy or have a cow!  Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.

Updates:

01/15/2023 – In section “Recommendation for Corporate Worship”, added an explanation for “other” category.

10/20/2022 – Added a new section, Theological Depth Rating, that provides criteria for determining theological depth rating for songs that are “8” or higher, or songs rated for corporate worship as “perhaps” or “yes”.  I also slightly increased the text size for headers and included a header for Song Criteria.

09/09/2022 – Explained precisely why I add references to Casper the friendly ghost in my reviews.

05/21/2022 – Added information to section “Recommendation for Corporate Worship” on altering copyrighted material.

04/25/2022 – Moved commentary on corporate worship in “Final Considerations” to section “Recommendation for Corporate Worship”.

02/07/2022 – Upon multiple inquiries, I included a section that contains criteria I consider when giving my “corporate worship” evaluation.  I created a new section, “Recommendation for Corporate Worship”, to include this information.

01/27/2022 – Moved scoring criteria right before section “1. What message does the song communicate?” and added that a higher score is better.  I also added an explanation to the color-coding.  Thanks to Karen Patrick for your question about scoring!

01/23/2022 – Under “Final consideration”, updated fifth paragraph to clarify commentary on an artist’s questionable theology.  Thanks to Lan for finding it!  Also, I removed bolding in “updates” dates.  This is consistent with other pages and reviews.  Finally, I placed the italicized “agree/disagree” statement above “Updates”.

11/10/2021 – Under “Final consideration”, I added a new sixth paragraph that explains why I recommend songs from artists with abhorrent theology with an alternative to those not wanting to support said artists.

11/04/2021 – Updated sixth paragraph to make it clear that all reviews are based on lyrical examination based on its own merits.

03/14/2021 – See repetition announcement.

11/12/2019  Placed “updates” section at the end of the page.

06/01/2019 – Due to several comments about section 4 in my reviews, I expounded on my review process for this section.  I also added additional text at the end to signify that all 4 sections receive a whole number rating ranging from 0 to 10.

05/15/2019 – Expanded on section 3 to explain trends vs. individual unbelievers in terms of my evaluation.

03/27/2019 – Added explicit statement at the end of the page to separate lyrical critique from artist theology (thank you commenter Noelle).  I also changed the pronoun “we” to “I” given that I am the sole owner and writer for this website, except where I include you, my audience.

03/08/2019 – Added language in section 2 regarding the usage of a 2 point penalty for authorial intent to invoke pronouns in the place of God without clear communication.

02/07/2019 – Though excessive repetition is part of my reviews, I never explicitly stated it here.  I also clarified the message section regarding grading Gospel-centric songs (thank you commenter Sage).

04/11/2018 – Scores now include a weighted distribution.  All previous posts will be readjusted under this new system as time allows.

Comments

Jemma

I just came across your site today as I was looking up scriptural references for Your Love Never Fails.
Although I don’t agree with all of your thoughts and considerations, I appreciated reading them. I feel anything that makes us think, and then go to the Bible for support of how we think, or even to change the way we think (when necessary) is a good thing. I am the worship leader for a small congregation and I search every week for Biblical references and making sure the songs I bring before the Lord are sound. I wrote down your scripture references and will now study them. Thanks

Oct 05.2019 | 09:44 am

    Vince Wright

    Jemma,

    Thank you for taking the time to read my reviews and compliment me! I appreciate that. I am also glad that I gave you something worth thinking about!

    -Vince Wright

    Oct 05.2019 | 08:11 pm

      Jeremy

      This is an awesome site and I very much appreciate the thought and effort that has gone into the many reviews!

      The topic of “should we sing songs written by artists with questionable theology?” Has undoubtedly come up many times I’m sure. Have you considered adding a column or maybe adding a background color (green/yellow/red) across a given artist or group that has questionable theology? What comes to mind is Bethel, Elevation, Jesus Culture and Hillsong (well, some of the older content seems to be more grounded at least)? I think this could potentially be helpful for any worship leaders out there who may use this site to vet songs in their worship sets. Sorry if this was already brought up but just food for thought!

      As a side and FWIW, Sovereign Grace recently did a pretty interesting podcast on the topic: https://youtu.be/G6kF7jGkjL8

      Jun 13.2023 | 06:26 pm

        Vince Wright

        Jeremy,

        Thank you for your inquiry!

        Yes, this is a frequent question that comes up! I’ve posted resources at https://www.thebereantest.com/resources to help people make an informed decision about artists in question. This website has, and will always be, a space where I evaluate Christian music apart from artist theology and teachings. Such a rating on artists deviates from the site’s intended purpose. The “Resources” page already deviates somewhat, but provides helpful information for people who want to learn more about artists’ teachings. However, I will not include an artists evaluation/rating. There are plenty of other sites that do that.

        For completeness, I’d like to include a few ways churches have typically responded to artists with questionable theology:

        1. Continually teaching their flock how to think for themselves (AKA critical thinking skills) and carefully examine everything a pastor or worship leader says, including themselves.  Some churches have focused specifically on youth, who are the most impressionable and more easily led astray.  This approach is useful not just for examining Hillsong, Elevation, and Bethel, but it’s great for examining song lyrics, questioning the teachings of college professors, and re-examining school-taught political ideologies.  However, it’s also a double-edged sword, as some have walked away from Christianity after carefully examining the Bible and lacking good reasons/acceptable evidence to believe it’s true.

        2. Providing resources (e.g.; church website page, pamphlet, rehearsed answer for questioners, etc.) on why their church worships with Elevation, Hillsong, and Bethel songs.  For example, you mentioned that these songs are sound doctrinally.  What other good reasons do you have for worshipping with them, as opposed to the hymns, songs from the ’90’s, or other modern songs from artists without controversial teachings?  Food for thought.

        3. Avoided paying the royalty fee by avoiding printed lyrics (including lyrics displayed on a screen) and dropped recording/broadcasting for their worship service.  See general information about copyright infringement. Make sure you double-check with your lawyers, as this isn’t legal advice.

        I hope this, alongside the “Resources” page, helps those who are interested in learning more about artist theology.

        -Vince Wright

        Jun 14.2023 | 10:39 pm

Vince Wright

Brady,

Great question! For me personally, I’d rather stay out of that arena and focus specifically on the lyrics and what they communicate. My recommendations are based solely on that focus. If worship pastors wish not to use Hillsong due to questionable teachings, then that is something they must decide. To quote from Steve Barhydt in one of his comments:

“Both [Bethel and Hillsong] consistently produce songs that are Biblically sound (as is evident by this very website) and lift up the name of Jesus.

When judging the ministries of others it is wise to take the approach of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 1

15 Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:

16 The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:

17 But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.

18 What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

I am NOT in 100% agreement with some of the doctrines that these groups have been associated with (most noticeably Word of Faith and Dominion theology) but it is important to note that these are NOT soteriological doctrines.

When it comes to salvation, to my knowledge, they both preach ‘Jesus Christ, and him crucified’ as the only way to get to Heaven.”

-Vince Wright

Mar 17.2020 | 09:22 pm

Tim Greene

Hi Vince, I’ve just found your site when looking for discussion of the Gungor’s “beautiful things”.
I appreciate your calm and thoughtful approach, and concern to honour our God, His written word, and the gospel. However I am concerned about the narrowness of your criteria, which seem to me to imply that ALL Christian songs ought to meet a range of criteria. I think this in itself an unbiblical approach, as it does not allow for the God-given creativity humans possess. In the scriptures we see a vast range of songs praising, worshipping and reflecting on God and his works and deeds, many of which would gain a woefully low score from you!

I would suggest you might express your evaluation criteria more narrowly than “determining its biblical authenticity”. Given your explicit focus on a non-Christian listener, perhaps ” assessing its gospel content” would be more accurate.
Yours in Christ
Tim Greene

Aug 30.2020 | 04:25 am

    Vince Wright

    Tim,

    Thank you for your comments and compliments!

    What Bible verse(s) do you have to show that my approach is unbiblical? I recently re-read my review of Gungor’s Beautiful Things and saw that I applied a two-point penalty for using unclear pronoun terminology and lack of attributes/acts that distinguish God from some mere mortal. I’m uncertain how this could be considered “unbiblical”.

    Do you have an example of Scripture that would “gain a woefully low score from [me]”?

    Finally, my audience is primarily Christians.

    -Vince Wright

    Aug 30.2020 | 10:07 pm

Anne Giordano

Dear Vince–
Your site is a wonderful resource as we look to honor God in the songs we sing! The Word of God IS the final Word, so it’s quite exciting to see you apply these criteria in your analysis.

Regarding the authorship of “In Christ Alone,” you have attributed it to Keith and Kristyn Getty when, in fact, it was the first song cowritten by Stuart Townend and Keith Getty. Keith and Kristyn perform it together, but unfortunately, Stuart is often overlooked as a co-author with Keith. I encourage you to be as careful in your attributions as you are in your most excellent Biblical analysis!

Thank you for your important work.

Blessings,
Anne

Sep 29.2020 | 04:11 pm

    Vince Wright

    Anne Giordano,

    Thank you for your comments and compliments!

    The attribution is within the introduction, as well as a separate entry on the Song Review Index page for Stuart.

    -Vince Wright

    Sep 29.2020 | 04:14 pm

racefanegurl

The artist’s theology and the evaluation of the individual song have always been separate on this site, so would it be changing horses in mid-stream to change now? This is why I wonder if posting links to others’ evaluation of the artist theology and to point out any moments of their theology popping up in lyrics is more right for this site. Perhaps when reviewing songs by artists with dubious theology, post the links when the theology’s not in that song with a warning something like this (I don’t endorse their theology, but since it’s not in this song I included a link to another’s explanation of it. Then have a link to a site pointing out the problematic theology they have.).

Apr 21.2021 | 04:09 pm

rberbaum

Thank you for creating this site! As a worship leader and song-writer for my community, I tend to be frustrated in the process of finding theologically appropriate songs. To that end, this is quite helpful.

One thing I might add to your criterion is the use of pronouns. In particular, I try to find music that helps people worship as a gathered community. Most worship music (even many well-loved hymns) are full of “I”, “me”, and “my”. A few of these every now and then is fine. However, in a self-centered culture, I think it is important to sing mostly about God, and –when pronouns are needed — make use of collective ones like “we”, “us”, and “our” to reflect a community united in worship rather than a sea of individuals connecting with God on their own spiritual islands.

Thanks again!
BB

Sep 19.2021 | 03:48 pm

    Vince Wright

    rberbaum,

    Thank you for your compliment and suggestion!

    I have severely penalized songs in the past when the pronoun “you” is used without a clear indication that “you” means God and not someone else. I also don’t have an issue with “I”, “me”, and “my” so long as the song directs praise to God. I think “we”, “us”, and “our” is probably better for congregational worship, but I don’t draw a hard line on that point. Thus, I haven’t made it part of my criteria. But, I understand where you’re coming from.

    -Vince Wright

    Sep 20.2021 | 09:39 am

Peter U

Your criteria is similar to that used by Tony Watkins in his book called |Focus: The Art and Soul of Cinema”. In it he “explains how films communicate the worldview of the film-maker, helping us to engage more fully with the films we watch – and so to enjoy them more. With a passion for film and a deep concern to develop a robust Christian understanding of our culture, Tony Watkins equips us to recognise and respond to the messages in today’s movies. Essential reading for anyone who enjoys films and who wants to get more out of their viewing experience. . . .”

When explaining “Why and how should we use film discussions in evangelism?”, Tony says:

“films connect with our culture very well. In evangelism it is vital to make a connection with the world of the audience, and films of course do this automatically. Fourth, films raise big questions. They are about all the stuff of life: happiness, freedom, love, purpose, spirituality, life and death, religion, politics, sexuality, morality, identity and many more. These are all vital issues about which the gospel has something to say.

Finally, people love films because they love stories. Stories matter deeply to us because, it seems, they are deeply ingrained into our natures – we are inherently story-telling beings. . . .

“People mostly watch films on a simple surface level, seeing them as merely entertainment. If you want a good film discussion, you clearly need to go below the surface, below the entertainment level, to see that the film has a theme or a message. What is this film fundamentally about: happiness, freedom, identity, love, or something else? We really need to dive deeper still, however, to reflect on what the film is saying at the worldview level.”

It seems to me that we can adopt many of the principles and questions that Tony has for films for music evaluation as well.

Music and songs also communicate the worldview of the song-maker or artist, they also connect with our culture very well; they can raise big questions; the can be about the stuff of life: happiness, freedom, love, purpose, spirituality, life and death, religion, politics, sexuality, morality, identity, etc (all vital issues about which the gospel can apply); and songs can tell stories (sometimes very personal stories).

Feb 28.2022 | 09:04 pm

Regina M Baker

Hey I came across this page looking up stuff. My grandmother used to warn me about that ‘5th” beat in some of Christian artist and their music. Now that I am older I understand what she meant. Not every christian singer out there is singing about God. Look at people like TobyMac his stage shows are laser lights and sound . machines. He puts on these high dollar shows but even he is missing the point. Do we need to fit in with the world or not? His shows fit what the world wants and not what is right.. do I know his walk with Christ ? No, but the message he is sending out isn’t speaking about God but speaking about the world. And it says in scripture that you can’t serve 2 masters.. so thank you for this..

Dec 14.2022 | 10:03 am

    Vince Wright

    Regina,

    Thank you for your comments!

    It depends on the song. Yes, some of my TobyMac reviews have low scores, but other ones are favorable. I prefer to look at songs on a case-by-case basis rather than judging the artist. However, if their content rates consistently low, then it’s a good sign that we should look elsewhere.

    -Vince Wright

    Dec 14.2022 | 10:15 am

Elizabeth H

Thanks for this! I just happened upon it while looking up something and it’s super helpful. I do have a question, though. Churches are specifically for believers, so I don’t see why some songs are marked low, just because a non-believer wouldn’t understand. They aren’t worshipping the Lord anyway. But if it’s a song that glorifies the Lord and is clear to Christians, then I don’t see why it matters what an outsider would think. I don’t want to cut them off at all, but I also think these songs aren’t made for them. And, maybe it will lead them to questions, and that will open the doors for a believer to share the gospel and the truth in the song, helping it to become clear to them.

Note: this is not about songs where God and Jesus are not specifically mentioned. I can’t remember now since I’ve looked at so many over the last several days, but there were a couple where it could definitely be taken as meaning someone else’s love or whatever. Those I fully understand a low(er) rating.

Thoughts? I really do want to know where my thinking is incorrect. Also, I fully understand non-believers will be in churches and I encourage it! Our pastor gives the gospel presentation every single Sunday – as he should. I’m strictly asking why the music should be catered to a non-believer sitting there in service, when they aren’t worshipping the Lord anyway.

Mar 23.2023 | 12:08 am

    Vince Wright

    Elizabeth,

    Great questions!

    I wasn’t thinking so much in a church context when I evaluate the unbeliever’s interpretation. I was thinking more along the lines of “if an unbeliever heard this at Walmart or secular radio and hadn’t heard it before, what do they think it will be about?” However, there are also seeker-sensitive churches out there that cater specifically to unbelievers. I’m not sure if we can call them “churches” in the etymological sense though, as the word “church” refers to believers who are gathered together. But, that’s another discussion for another day.

    You’re right, these songs are often not catered to them; However, I started putting in my reviews because several people wanted to know what I thought. Others don’t care. That’s fine. Those who don’t can feel free to ignore that section and re-adjust the total review score accordingly. You’re also right, that songs might cause them to ask questions. That’s why worship leaders should be led by the Holy Spirit to decide which songs to add to their worship sets.

    I’m not sure if I completely answered your questions, but hopefully, my response gave you a direction toward my thought process.

    -Vince Wright

    Mar 23.2023 | 07:32 am

    Sandra Bivens Smith

    This was my concern as well. Romans 3:10-11..

    Jun 11.2023 | 05:50 am

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