From “All My Rowdy Friends Have Settled Down” to “God Bless the USA” Country music has always been a strange mix of heart-land Christian values and drunken rabble rousing. Over the past several years, however, several artists have started to completely sever the music from its Church roots and have begun to create a completely new genre of agnostic and even atheistic Country music. The dress has become increasingly provocative and the lyrics less and less rooted in traditional values.
I began thinking about these issues several years ago while attending a songwriting workshop in Nashville. A group of successful songwriters and producers were listening to new songs by several of us who were trying to break into the industry. One of the songs that was presented was ostensibly a Christian song, but it contained a large amount of New Age imagery. One of the panelist explained to the writer that while it had many good attributes, it would never work in the Christian market because of the nature of the lyrics. The writer replied something to the effect that he was not surprised as he wasn’t sure if “you Christians” would get it.” I remembered thinking at the time, if you aren’t one of us, then why are you trying to write and sell songs into the Christian market?
The current extent of the decline in Country music became shockingly apparent to me when one of my church members shared a song by the band Florida-Georgia Line entitled “Holy”. This person presented it to me without any context, so when I began listening to it, I thought, “hmmm… a Country Praise and Worship Song” It has a nice pulse, a talented vocalist and a catchy tune. Most of the first verse could be sung in churches all over the English speaking world until you get to the last line, “But somehow baby You broke through and saved me.” All of a sudden I realized that the song was not about God at all. Instead of referring to Jesus as his savior, he identifies “baby”, whoever that may be.
The singer goes on to call his love interest an angel – the first thing he can “believe in.” I suppose experience has not yet taught this author that people are not a good foundation on which to place all of your trust. Okay, I admit, while the song has some questionable lyrics, I can see where some people may not understand why I have a problem with it. But wait, there is more. We are just getting to the chorus:
You’re holy, holy, holy, holy
I’m high on loving you, high on loving you
Isaiah 64:6 conveys the message clearly. Our righteousness is at best filthy rags before the Lord. 1 Samuel 2:2 says that “There is no one holy like the Lord.” The audacity of assigning God qualities and worship to a human being is an overt revival of idolatry.
The author continues to use Christian imagery along with sexual innuendo in this perverted worship song:
You’re the river bank where I was baptized
Cleansed from the demons
That were killing my freedom
Let me lay you down, give me to ya
Get you singing babe, hallelujah
We’ll be touching
We’ll be touching heaven
The singer concludes by saying that his love interest has healed him, that this person is his “saving grace” and his “kind of church”.
Not only does this song assign divine worship to a human, it denigrates and disrespects the traditions and need for the true church of Jesus Christ our only Holy, Savior, Baptizer, Healer and Lord.
I shudder to think of how many Christians are hearing this song and thinking that it’s beautiful or touching and failing to discern the demonic doctrine that is behind it. Bad and dangerous things often come in pretty packages. That is precisely why the Bible warns us that Satan masquerades as an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14)
Shalom