Photo by Lucy Chian
Anyone who has been voting in my polls may notice that How He Loves was not one of the options. In fact, three separate people requested this one under the artist “David Crowder”; However, he is not the original artist! That title belongs to John Mark Mcmillan, whose first two albums, Hope Anthology, Volume 1 (2002) and The Song Inside: The Sounds of Breaking Down (2005) saw little success. I wanted to tackle this one for my own sake, in part because I worshipped God often with this song.
After Crowder popularized How He Loves, Mcmillan saw momentum with their third album release: The Medicine (2010), peaking at #8 on Billboard’s Top Christian Album chart. Having gained a foothold in the Christian Music industry, they released Economy in 2011, Borderland in 2014 (after a successful Kickstarter campaign), and Mercury & Lightning, his first #1 spot on the same chart.
Several other artists covered Mcmillan’s hit song, including Kim Walker-Smith, Jesus Culture, The Glorious Unseen, and Flyleaf.
Note to new users: This is a different kind of review site! Read About the Berean Test and Evaluation Criteria prior to reading this review.
1. What message does the song communicate?
The main thrust of this song is that God loves us. Mcmillan wrote this song after the death of a friend due to a car accident, an unfortunate tragedy. He has my condolences. However, I have a few major issues with this song.
- The lack of attributes of God and explicit mention makes it easy for anyone to substitute the word “He” for a boyfriend. That’s right, How He Loves is yet another “Jesus as my boyfriend” misstep!
- Mcmillan fails to explain how “He” loves us. Assuming this is about God, these lyrics have nothing on the cross or Christ crucified. This is how God shows us how much He loves us. That is how deep it is. We need to shout it from the rooftops, not bury it so deep that not even Christians can find it.
Side Note: To those who are sensitive to massive repetition, I counted the phrase “how He loves us” 30 times (including derivatives).
Score: 5/10
2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?
Though the verses have Biblical application, there is no explanation as to how God shows that He loves us so. I also take exception with some of the content in Verse 2. We will assume that “He” refers to God and apply a 2 point penalty for the lack of clarity.
Lyrics posted with permission.*
[Verse 1]
He is jealous for me
Not envious, but jealous in the relational sense. Idolatry is spiritual cheating (see Exodus 34:14).
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy
Not in terms of destruction, but a hurricane in raw power.
The bending tree imagery is bowing the knee to God, juxtaposing God’s raw force and merciful nature.
When all of a sudden
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
And I realize just how beautiful You are and
How great Your affections are for me
God’s glory helps us forget our troubles, best summarized in Hebrews 1:1-13.
[Pre-Chorus]
Oh, how He loves us so
Oh, how He loves us
How He loves us so
How does God love us so? How does He show it? Sadly, Mcmillan doesn’t bother to tell us.
[Chorus]
Yeah, He loves us
Whoa, how He loves us
Whoa, how He loves us
Whoa, how He loves
Yeah, He loves us
Whoa, how He loves us
Whoa, how He loves us
Whoa, how He loves
See commentary in Pre-Chorus.
[Verse 2]
So we are His portion and He is our prize
Speaking of Israel and, under the New Testament, Gentiles who are grafted in (Romans 11:17), Jacob and His descendants are God’s chosen people, a royal priesthood (Deuteronomy 14:2, Deuteronomy 32:9 and 1 Peter 2:9-10). God is the prize that we strive for (1 Corinthians 9:23-27).
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking
While God’s undeserved favor draws us, it is Christ’s shed blood that atones for our sins and makes grace possible, an unfortunate oversight in explanation (see Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:14, Hebrews 9:22, 1 Peter 1:2, and 1 Peter 1:18-19).
So heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss
This is not how we should view our Lord coming to earth, however accurate it might be to a relationship between a man and his bride (Ephesians 5:25).
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest
It becomes passionate for God.
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets
When I think about the way
See commentary in Verse 1, lines 3-7.
Score: 5/10
3. How would an outsider interpret the song?
Unfortunately, the boyfriend interpretation mentioned in section 1 will probably win the day with unbelievers, unless they pay close attention to Verse 2. The word “we” in the first line makes this interpretation less likely; However, it can be hard to spot. Even harder to make the connection.
Score: 2/10
4. What does this song glorify?
Though intending to glorify God, the aforementioned issues put a significant wet blanket over it, masking His light in a thick cloud. I don’t mean the cloud that led Israel across the wilderness either.
Score: 4/10
Closing Comments
I expect much disagreement over this review. While a beloved classic to many people, John Mark Mcmillan’s How He Loves is a major disappointment in terms of Scripture. Though it had a significant impact on believers, it communicates a “Jesus as my boyfriend” version of Christ, not as our Lord and Savior, One who is cuddly and warm instead of One who is not to be trifled with. It does find some biblical application, but only if we first assume “He” refers to God. Not that a single attribute of God is ever described. Mcmillan fails to communicate the most basic things about Jesus, putting a thick dark veil over His glory.
Final Score: 4/10
Artist Info
Track: How He Loves (listen to the song)
Artist: John Mark Mcmillan
Album: The Song Inside: The Sounds of Breaking Down
Genre: Contemporary Christian Music (CCM)
Release Year: 2005
Duration: 4:40
Agree? Disagree? Don’t be shy or have a cow! Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.
*Copyright © 2005 Integrity’s Hosanna! Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Updates:
04/07/2022 – In section 1, changed “why” to “how”. Thanks for mikeyisawsome26 for finding this!
03/24/2021 – Updated per repetition announcement. I raised the score for sections 1 and 4, increasing its overall rating from 3.5/10 to 4/10.
12/13/2020 – Upon prayerfully considering Erik Michael Delange’s comment, I removed references to Crowder’s “unforeseen kiss”. This is a review of Mcmillan’s version and Crowder’s “unforeseen kiss” is vague at best and unbiblical at worst, neither of which is helpful. This does not affect my rating.
01/26/2020 – Removed interrogative comment in Pre-Chorus and added a Bible verse to Verse 2 that does not affect my rating.
Comments
Nick Alexander
How utterly refreshing to have a critical review–agree or not–on a popular worship song. It gives me hope that this blog is truly impartial and desirous for Biblical integrity amongst our very best songs. I only wish this review had come out ten years sooner.
tastywallet
Nick,
Thank you for your kind words! I wish I found out 10 years sooner myself, though sadly very little has been written about it. I first found out from Patheos, who listed ten songs Christians should stop singing. I didn’t agree with everything they said, but this one stuck out. I am happy I had a chance to independently review it.
-TastyWallet
Mitzi Medley
The sloppy wet kiss doesn’t bother me because we are the bride of Christ! How are we supposed to receive our Husband and King?
Ferguson Kenneth
Must be poetic cause The Berean Test trashed it. Please tell me when you’ve updated your criteria. The Crowder choice of lyrics, by the way, was designed to appeal to a larger audience. It was quite simply a cash grab. It had nothing to do with properly sanitized kisses. Ever been on the floor weeping over prayer? Sloppy. Ever been crying out to got for help? Sloppy. Ever been deeply in love with somebody? Sloppy, right? God is far far far more in love with us! Being in relationship is sloppy. Christianity, in the trenches of missions, prayer, emotion, loss, love, passion, is sloppy. The word is correct because Mcmillan was trying to convey something beyond what our sanitized, often routinized worship, refuses to reach toward — poetry.
Linda
I love how you stated this. It is very poetic and I have always gotten it.
Matthew Mercado
Have you heard the story behind this song and the original version? If you haven’t you need to. He wrote this song after his friend died and the original version(which is on spotify) has an extra verse at the end after you think the song faded and it is just him and his guitar and he sings “oh I thought about You the day Steven died and You met me between my breaking. I know that I still love You God despite my agony. Some people want to tell me Your cruel but if Steven could sing he’d say it’s not true cause Your good.” I can agree with some of the things you said but not if you add this verse into the equation. He wrote this song in a time when he was breaking with grief and what held him together was knowing the immense unstoppable love of God. When he sings how He loves it is not asking how God loves us, he is making an exclamation of how awesome of wonderful God’s love truly is and we can do nothing but rest in it and be amazed at it.
tastywallet
Matthew,
I have heard his original story, and I thank you for bringing it up. However, it has not changed my mind about my comments. I understand that many have been touched by his song, but it could have been communicated better.
-TastyWallet
Elvira Zealand
I agree wholeheartedly with what you are saying. I was in mourning for my marriage when I first heard this song, my heart was raw. I heard the words of this song and felt the love of God Sooo clearly and deeply and it filled me to overflowing. I feel this song in my very bones and it fills me with love and peace and it truly humbled me to know I am loved by God as no person ever could.
Rebecca Medina
If the bereán test is truly about whether a song lines up with the Bible or not, then nearly all the songs you bash would actually be fine. As long as they are worshiping and giving honor to God– glorifying His Name, and not twisting some vital point of Christian theology. Most reviews seem to nitpick– like oh, it could also be used as a normal love song…..or too sloppy or an example…… may I remind you that our Savior, Jesus, Hung on a Cross and DIED for us while Blood drained out all over the earth? That’s pretty messy…. but that’s just…..ohhhhhh, how He loves us! And as a song writer wrote years ago….. the Blood that gives me strength from day to day…. will never lose Its power!” It still flows! Some might call that messy and gory…I call it beautiful Love….it washed my sins away
JGreezy
Man, John Mark McMillan’s entire catalog must really get under your skin. As a worship leader, I find some refreshment in the artistic and lyrical beauty and raw honesty of his body of work, while maintaining a Christian worldview. But the idea that this was ever meant to be a worship song is, quite frankly, ludicrous. As someone pointed out quite accurately, the little cash grab (and quite honestly, a really poor version of the song) by David Crowder, turned this into something it wasn’t.
I, for one, am thankful for artists like JMM, who aren’t afraid of using complex metaphors to describe the indescribable, whether it be the God he so clearly loves or the pain of grief or the angst and tension of living in the world, but not of it. The Christian life is not antiseptic. It’s marked with blood and joy and sweat and pain and delight and splendor and relentless opposition and confusion and confidence and doubt and existential crises and glorious transformation. It is a furious maelstrom. And it is hard to adequately describe in plain language. (Note: Jesus used metaphor and allegory in the form of parables to describe the indescribable, too).
And, for what it’s worth, unless you were being deliberately obtuse for the sake of making a point, the line “How He loves us” is not a question. It’s a declaration. “How” is not always used in an interrogative sense, but also an exclamatory one.
Vince Wright
JGreezy,
Thank you for your comment! I don’t take exception with artists when it comes to my review process. If Adolf Hitler wrote a compelling message that is Scripturally accurate and easy for unbeliever to comprehend, I’d likely give it a 10. So, my concern isn’t the artist. I am concerned about his message to believers, his Scriptural accuracy, and unbeliever interpretation and how this inherently glorifies God.
You are correct about the interrogative. I wrote that because it was a question I asked, but forgot that I communicated that McMillan asked it, which he did not. I removed that portion of my review.
For what it’s worth, I have another McMillan song in the queue for early February. I scored it higher than this song!
-Vince Wright
Silver
Adolf Hitler, really??? 🤮
Vince Wright
Silver,
Take a look at Philippians 1:15-18. Thoughts?
-Vince Wright
JGreezy
I’m going to let AW Tozer speak on this:
““When all my endeavour is turned toward Thee because all Thy endeavour is turned toward me; when I look unto Thee alone with all my attention, nor ever turn aside the eyes of my mind, because Thou dost enfold me with Thy constant regard; when I direct my love toward Thee alone because Thou, who art Love’s self hast turned Thee toward me alone. And what, Lord, is my life, save that embrace wherein Thy delightsome sweetness doth so lovingly enfold me?” So wrote Nicholas of Cusa four hundred years ago.
I should like to say more about this old man of God. He is not much known today anywhere among Christian believers, and among current Fundamentalists he is known not at all. I feel that we could gain much from a little acquaintance with men of his spiritual flavor and the school of Christian thought which they represent. Christian literature, to be accepted and approved by the evangelical leaders of our times, must follow very closely the same train of thought, a kind of “party line” from which it is scarcely safe to depart. A half-century of this in America has made us smug and content. We imitate each other with slavish devotion and our most strenuous efforts are put forth to try to say the same thing that everyone around us is saying–and yet to find an excuse for saying it, some little safe variation on the approved theme or, if no more, at least a new illustration.
Nicholas was a true follower of Christ, a lover of the Lord, radiant and shining in his devotion to the person of Jesus. His theology was orthodox, but fragrant and sweet as everything about Jesus might properly be expected to be. His conception of eternal life, for instance, is beautiful in itself, and, if I mistake not, is nearer in spirit to John 17:3 than that which is current among us today.
Life eternal, says Nicholas, is “nought other than that blessed regard wherewith Thou never ceasest to behold me, yea, even the secret places of my soul. With Thee, to behold is to give life; ‘tis unceasingly to impart sweetest love of Thee; ‘tis to inflame me to love of Thee by love’s imparting, and to feed me by inflaming, and by feeding to kindle my yearning, and by kindling to make me drink of the dew of gladness, and by drinking to infuse in me a fountain of life, and by infusing to make it increase and endure.””
— The Pursuit of God (Updated, Annotated) by Aiden Wilson Tozer, A. W. Tozer
https://a.co/bQQKD1L
high time
Love is a very broad concept that combines a lot in itself because it covers every area of our life and helps to perceive the world around us.
bethtwo
The sloppy wet kiss was problem for me at first. Then on day I was thinking about it and I remembered my son when he was a little boy of about 3 or 4. He had the sloppiest kisses of any of my kids. He practically drooled LOL . He would run up to his dad, throw his arms around him and give him a big sloppy wet kiss. I just thought of God coming down and his children greeting him with the joy and sloppiness of a child.
Vince Wright
bethtwo,
Thank you for your comment!
I’ve noticed that there are usually two different people who react to this song: it’s either the best lyric ever or the worst lyric ever heard! I fall in the latter and you fall into the former.
I found out today that according to a David Crowder interview, John McMillan himself changed it to “unforeseen” so that the entire church could sing it. That explains why all the covers sing “unforeseen”.
-Vince Wright
Dwight Moore
Lots of thoughtful, sincere comments here, which I don’t dismiss, merely offer another consideration. The Psalms likely represent the range of emotions and experiences God’s children have always sung to the Lord in lament or joy, in understanding or in perplexity. I appreciate your point about repetition, Vincent, if it is not a theme of Scripture. However, Psalm 118 and Psalm 137 both repeat the following words as the first and final verses: “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” And Psalm 118 repeats “His steadfast love endures forever” in verses 1,2, 3, 4, and 29. But Psalm 136 repeats the same refrain “His steadfast love endures forever” in every verse — all 26 verses! That is a poetic repetition we all expect to keep repeating for eternity. He is worthy and His love to us in Christ could never be overstated. Much of Psalm 118 echoes the love of Jesus the Son for the Father as verses 22-24 are quoted by Jesus to the Pharisees about Himself: 22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
23 This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Thanks for this discussion forum.
Erik Michael Delange
Hi there. Thanks for your reviews. This is a neat site I stumbled upon. In the Conclusion you say,
“it communicates a “Jesus as my boyfriend” version of Christ, not as our Lord and Savior, One who is cuddly and warm instead of One who is not to be trifled with.”
Simply from the fact that it doesn’t explicitly mention Jesus name. I would argue that
“Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy”
make’s it pretty clear this is a God not to be trifled with.
One more point of disagreement. I agree with others that “Sloppy wet” better highlights the messiness of our relationship with God through Jesus. Furthermore, Crowder’s “unforseen” is unbiblical! Many major and minor prophets saw it coming, did they not?
Vince Wright
Erik,
Thank you for your comments!
I’m not sure how “Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy” communicates a God who is not to be trifled with. Perhaps I am mistaken, but I maintain my original position, that “The bending tree imagery is bowing the knee to God, juxtaposing God’s raw force and merciful nature.”
As for unforeseen, I’m not sure what it has to do with prophets or not. Upon second thought, It’s a vague statement that could mean a lot of things. For example, it could mean that the earth (the secular world) that doesn’t see the kiss coming. Perhaps Crowder’s version isn’t better than Mcmillan’s.
I’ve removed my commentary regarding “unforeseen kiss”.
-Vince Wright
Rebecca Medina
Once again, the Berean test is supposed to be of it lines up to the Bible or not? Well, you may not like the analogy of the powerful force a hurricane causing tree to bend, but that doesn’t mean that’s not how powerful God’s love is! And capability His anger and jealousy are the flip side of that love: He shares His bride with no one. Remember when God was ready to wipe the entire nation of Israel out because of their complaining, etc in the wilderness? Had it not been for the intercession of a man of God named Moses to remind Him of His original love, the reason He had brought them from Egypt, There might not be a nation called Israel today! His love is fierce!
Linda
I love how you stated this!!
1517now
Wow. Well, the older brother didn’t care much for the unashamed display of love poured out on the younger brother via jewels, clothes, and partying. Unchained love is often disdained by those who are bound.
danieklerr
The entire premise of this site is flawed, because it allows nothing for artistic/poetic expression, and much of scripture is poetry. Psalm 78:65 says our Father God is like a warrior who passed out in a drunken stupor and woke up in a rage. Where does this fall on the Berean Test?
John
A significant portion of your criticism seems to centre around the “Jesus as my boyfriend” syndrome, a phrase frequently used.
I would suggest that believers and unbelievers alike are unlikely to associate this song with a romantic relationship, especially if we assume they are actually listening to it, rather than just reading the lyrics.
If your issue with repeated use of the word “He” is that it doesn’t say Jesus, then how can the message of the song be that Jesus is my boyfriend? On the other hand, if we take it that the song is about Jesus, then I would draw your attention to the other frequently used pronoun in the chorus… “us”. No-one’s looking for a polygamous boyfriend these days.
mikeyisawsome26
I have one question! Can anyone explain God’s Love for us? I have seen in many of your reviews “He doesn’t explain why God loves us”. I don’t think any human being can explain why God loves us. The truth is he just does! We disobey and reject Him so many times and yet he come to us with forgiveness and love.
Vince Wright
mikeyisawsome26,
Thanks for letting me know! It should have said “how” not “why”. I corrected it.
If there are other reviews where I said “why”, let me know. I couldn’t find them.
-Vince Wright
Vivian Gudan
When all of a sudden
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
And I realize just how beautiful You are and
How great Your affections are for me
God’s glory helps us forget our troubles, best summarized in Hebrews 1:1-13.
Actually I think the blibical reference is 2 Corinthians 4:17 ” For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”
James S. Frazier
In terms of the review, I completely agree with you on your analysis. I think the song is quite vague in its lyrics, and should therefore be explained by a worship leader before or after the song is played in church. I think that would help a lot with understanding the obscure descriptions of “His” (God’s) love.
Now, with that being said, I do not care for the imagery of “sloppy wet kiss.” It just makes me think of a newly married couple having sex for the first time, and I do not want my image of God to be one involved with sloppy sex. A lot of people use the alternative “unforeseen kiss” but I don’t like that one because it just makes me think of sexual assault or rape, and neither of those things do I want associated with “His” (God’s) love. Therefore, I thought that another alternate lyric could be “and the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night, but we as believers shall not be surprised…” or something like that to be quoting 1 Thessalonians 5 about the Day of the Lord.
Grayson Howard
Hearing this and appreciating your careful, biblical thinking applied to this song, I would just ask, do songs necessarily need to teach theology? or can they merely be expressive and a means of connecting to God’s heart?
Vince Wright
Grayson,
Great question!
Our primary source for teaching should be Scripture. Songs should reflect Biblical truths that are clear enough for the audience to comprehend. I’m ok with expressiveness that connects to God’s heart; However, my primary objection is that there’s nothing in the lyrics that indicates “He” is the Christian God, as opposed to a deity of another religion or an earthly leader. Yes, we can assume the Christian God if sung in church or by examining the artist profile; However, that doesn’t mean the lyrics are inherently clear. There’s millions of other Christians songs out there. Why choose an unclear one when we can choose something that’s both expressive and clear?
-Vince Wright
Michael Ramsey
I just thought of something, I might get bashed because of the questionable theology of what i am getting ready to say. If the church is Christ’s bride, wouldn’t “boyfriend” language be somewhat acceptable or appropriate for worship songs? I don’t mean that in an absolute sense, but worship is supposed be our offering of love and adoration before God. Obviously we should still mention who we are talking about in our songs, but just something to ponder. When my church sings this song the worship leader often sings closer to the end ” And I love you Back” to reflect the focus back to God.
Vince Wright
Michael,
Great question!
I think “bridegroom” would be the more correct term. Boyfriend is a term used to describe a romantic interest, but not necessarily long-term commitment. Bridegroom is the man who is about to become wedded to his bride. Scripture refers to Christ as the bridegroom in Matthew 9:15 (by Jesus Himself) and John 3:28-30 (by John the Baptist).
-Vince Wright
Linda
I don’t think this song is for outsiders or even new Believers for that matter. It is definitely a process and you won’t know how much God loves YOU until YOU fall in love with him and it hits you. This IS about a personal relationship. Yes, God died for all, but it seems that the lyricist had to express what God has done for him personally. This is poetry. How beautiful it is to discover the deep meanings in this song. Love this song.
Rob Pool
I had heard this song performed in church a couple of times around 2007 or 2008. I liked the simplicity. I didn’t fully understand the lyrics. I was listening to worship music on Spotify tonight. I saw the Crowder version. I was reading along with the lyrics. One of them made me curious. After a Google search I came across the video of how John Mark McMillan wrote the song (I too had always thought that the song was Crowder’s).
After understanding the story I looked up his version on Spotify. It was there. I listened as tears fell down my cheeks.
My friend Paul (best man in my wedding) was hit by a truck and killed while riding his bicycle almost exactly two months before your review was published.
That was over four years ago and I still remember it as if it were yesterday. Hearing the full lyrics of this song, I can’t think of anyone that would consider it to be about a romantic relationship (and that is something I also am frustrated about with much of Christian music). I can’t imagine ever singing this song as a worship song. Think of it as Christian art expressing that God loves us even in our anger towards Him and our pain. And, sometimes when we are in that place in our life, the only thing to do is just keep remember that He loves us (even if we have to say it 30 times). I doubt God is keeping track.
Now that I’ve found your blog, I might come back. Keep writing!
Jane
IMHO, sloppy wet kisses are just plain gross. It’s hard for me to get past that lyric. LOL. Therefore, I have the freedom to not listen to that song. There are plenty of others out there I can sing to the Lord…or make up my own.
Christian Hartis
Before I led worship in my current position, I accompanied this song on piano as a teenager when this song was first released. It caused a lot of controversy over the, “sloppy wet kiss,” lyric. The music director at the time changed the lyric to “unforeseen” kiss and we rolled with it. I have very seldom used this for corporate worship…I think I arranged this one for playing during our church’s altar call several months ago. I do avoid this song for corporate worship due to the highly intimate and personal tone this song strikes and a broad context that isn’t really rooted in any other scriptural sentiment other than God loving us…very deeply. The repetition also makes me avoid this song. I am a stickler about corporate worship songs that repeat phrases ad nauseum and this one falls into that trap.