Worship Theology:
what we can learn from a baptist
In the midst of all the talk about ‘postmodern’ thought and developing a relevant, applicable theology, we often do not look at the key influencer’s of our day. Instead assumptions are made, statements crafted, and for the most part things may change on the upper levels of thought, but there can still be a huge underlying ‘folk’ theology that is vibrant and strong. Why do things such as the “Left Behind” series sell so well and yet a good portion of theologians within our churches despise the thought of Dispensationalism? People believe what they hear, people are influenced, and to some extent, the church holds a great responsibility in addressing these issues of theological conflict and chaos. Not that it is the church’s responsibility to police or regulate what is out in our society and the culture that surrounds us, but if we as the church are truly seeking to find the sacred in the secular we must be willing to take a good look at things that we endorse or bring into a church community. Thus, how many people take the time to look at the theology of the music that we sing and play? If we are serious about our pursuit of God, I think it is crucial that we examine the theology that we sing or that is present in ‘Christian culture’ so that we as a church can have a strong grasp upon what people are really hearing, singing, and participating in their normal, everyday lives. Is what we sing a poor ‘folk’ theology, or are we truly communicating on another level, the thoughts views that we accurately want to express to God? This is a pursuit to identify the key theological ideas of David Crowder and how he and his music can influence and shape our lives.
Before we can get into some of the deep thoughts of David Crowder, we must first look back at the places from which this ‘Christian’ sub-cultural idea of worship music came from. This sub-culture has spawned the birth of ‘Christian Rock’ which is now know as it’s own genre of music. People within Christian music put worship music into what they call the “worship movement.” While there are many different definitions of this and even many questions wondering how one defines ‘Christian music,’ “ten percent of the Top 100 bestselling albums in Christian music history are worship albums (Beaujon, 226).” This ‘Christian culture’ supports a whole industry and one must come to understand that to some extent what sells in this genre, people trust and people buy because to them it has been labeled and approved by “Christians.” Worship music and key worship leaders such as Chris Tomlin, Crowder, Darlene Zschech, and Lincoln Brewster to name a few, have a huge influence on the very same people that the church comes into contact whether it be on Sunday or through the week. In fact, to some extent, with the abundance of Christian music out there, one would have to argue that someone living in the United States is in contact with their ipod full of Christian music more than with their pastor or church community. So how did this whole “worship music” thing come about?
For a full and interesting start into this subject I would recommend reading “Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory” by Randall Balmer and then to follow that up with “Body Piercing Saved My Life” by Andrew Beaujon. These two books have provided great insight into the small world of American Evangelicalism, while at the same time writing on something that has not been widely talked about. Even within our church, the church of the Nazarene, we find that we have strong ties to music and song with both John and Charles Wesley contributing to many of the great hymns that we sing today as well as one of the founding thinkers, Phoebe Palmer and her contribution of “Blessed Assurance.” Music and worship and praise through song run deep in our tradition, but it wasn’t until the Jesus Movement out west that the musical genre and the industry really began to come into being. It was a time when hard rock and the entertainment value were high and then you would end with a preacher preaching the good news after the music had ended. Beaujon refers to it as the early form of the bait and switch that many people have experienced when attending a ‘Christian’ rock show. It was however that during this time in which the creative juices of music within the Evangelical church (or really the new evangelicals that were just coming out of the hippie lifestyle) began to morph and change the way in which music was approached within church communities. David Di Sabatino states “Then you had music that was just between the person singing and God. And that was very worshipful. And that was, like, you were singing songs of praise to God, and they were slower songs, they were meant to be translated into the church songs, and that stuff got known as ‘worship’ because that’s the stuff that was used for the times when you broke into corporate time of prayer and praise to God. Which is the staple of a lot of church worship services in conservative evangelical churches (Beaujon, 231).” Before long people were taking notice of the musical difference between churches and music began to be shared. Groups like Maranatha (Calvary Chapel’s label) and Integrity Music were born as people began to share music in a tape of the month club, and churches began using and promoting the same songs all across the country. It was not only a money maker but seemed a logical way for people to share the resources they were using with people from all over. Expand that over a few years and you have an industry that brings in an “estimated three-quarters of a billion dollars annually by the mid-1990s, and by 1998, Billboard magazine stated that the contemporary Christian market share of the recording industry had exceeded that of jazz, classical, New Age, and soundtracks (Balmer, 300).” It is obvious that people are listening to what is out there, and with much of the music originating in churches, we must recognize the influence that these artists have on people.
Where does David Crowder and his music fit into all of this one may ask? Really, he is just an ordinary man, playing music all over the country, all over the world, seeking to help people participate with God. What that fails to mention is that he is a man of great influence, great passion, and someone who has changed the way that not only the music is played, but the importance of being intentional when one is singing. His band claimed over seventy seven percent of the vote out of two hundred and seventy thousand votes, against groups like INXS, Prince, Christina Aguilera and Kenny Chesney, to be named MSN’s 2006 artist of the Year. Someone is listening and according to all the sources that are available on David Crowder, it all started one day when he was searching to find the right music to lead his newly founded church in that following Sunday, when his neighbor happened to let him know that “whatever you are listening to sounds like, well, something that cannot be printed here (Davidcrowderband.com).” It was through that experience that he decided to write some songs that people could relate to, something that students could understand, and something that would be real. So this recent music student at Baylor began to write because “It was a brick to the head, going, ‘Holy crap, this is who I’m trying to articulate this stuff for, and music’s what we have in common—why don’t I just try to say something for us (Beaujon, 239).” If you go to the band’s website (www.davidcrowderband.com) and begin clicking on the links at the bottom you will find their mission statement which states: “david crowder* band exists to embody and communicate a refreshing hope discovered through following God in the way of Christ. God has not abandoned us to live life on our own but is dynamically working out His story of redemption among us within relationships of integrity.” That is quite a theological statement being made by a man, a leader of a group, who has great influence within the Evangelical community.
Throughout his music, Crowder seems to focus on several of the same themes. In the six albums that he has released (Pour Over Me, All I Can Say, Can You Hear Us?, Illuminate, A Collision, and Remedy) there is a continual recognition that our lives should be lived in a ‘lifestyle of praise,’ that ‘there is hope in a fallen world,’ and that we need to recognize the center of that hope ‘Christ.’ It is through these themes that I would like to explore and talk about what I think Crowder is trying to communicate, his theology, and really how what he is saying through his music and his books lines up with us as a church in the Wesleyan Holiness movement. That, there is a way that David Crowder is effectively communicating many of the same things that we as a church are seeking to communicate, and by being aware of them we can be more open to the ways in which God may use Crowder’s lyrics and songs to help communicate our message if we are intentional about the ways we use his music in our services, and in our lives.
A Lifestyle of Praise
In his book “Praise Habit: Finding God in Sunsets and Sushi” Crowder breaks down the what his definition of habit is and how that appropriately fits in with his definition of praise. It is not some self help book in which there are guidelines to follow and new definitions to remember. Rather, Crowder seeks to challenge people to a life of praise by not redefining it, but using some of the old, traditional definitions to help bring these words to life. He writes, “Think back. Try hard to recall what praise in its undiluted purity felt like. When you would dance with your arms fully extended rather than elbows bent, folded closely to your person in such a guarded fashion. Remember how effortlessly we sang the praises of things we enjoyed? It was so easy and fluid and natural. What is this kind of praise freely leaked from us in delightful response to God? What is life were like that all the time? What if we were so moved by who God is, what He’s done, what He will do, that praise, adoration, worship, whatever, continuously careened in our heads and pounded in our souls? What if praise were on the tip of our tongues like we were a loaded weapon in the hands of a trigger-happy meth addict and every moment might just set us off? This is what we will do for eternity. What makes us think our time on earth should be any different? What keeps it from being so (Crowder, 23).” It is through these questions that Crowder pushes and prods us to look at our lives and to begin to see the ways in which God should be praise. To make it our lifestyle, to make it our habit. Not like a habit that we form after twenty something days of doing the same repetitive thing, but more a habit like that of the nuns in a nunnery. It’s what they wore, plain and simple, it becomes who they are. Every day they rise and put on their habit which helps to mark them as one intentionally seeking out God in all and through all. That if we can begin to recognize what God has done for us, recognizing that he is worth of all our praise, in the smallest least important things, to the huge life changing moments, and if we adopt a style of wrapping ourselves us in this praise, we will find that the world in which we live changes, that our lives are radically altered, and that we are fully content with where we are as people.
His lifestyle approach also carries over into his lyrics and to some extent with this understanding you can begin to see the ways in which Crowder seeks to give praise over and over again through his music even in times of doubt knowing that it is through those times of being intentional about praising God that he will be able to connect and participate with the work of God in his life and in the lives of those around him. O Praise Him (All This For A King) is a song that most will recognize and yet many do not see the intentionality of the lyrics in directing the attention from ourselves and towards our creator.
Turn your ear
To Heaven and hear
The noise inside
The sound of angels awe
The sound of angels songs
And all this for a King
We could join and sing
‘All for Christ our King!’
How constant
How divine
This song of ours will rise
Oh, how constant
How divine
This love of ours will rise
Will rise…
Ohh praise Him!
Ohh praise Him!
He is Holy!
He is Holy!
How infinite and sweet
This love so rescuing
Oh how infinitely sweet
This great love that has redeemed
As one, we sing…
Many would wonder about this song and it’s mention of Heaven and phrasing of ‘How Constant and How Divine” as if Crowder is basing all of his praise towards the goal of eternal praise in heaven, leaving the thought of the earth here and now out of it. Instead, Crowder is embracing the thought that God is worthy of all praise when at the end he ends with “this great love that has redeemed.” Crowder is recognizing the fallen state of man, recognizing that it is only through the grace and love of God that we are redeemed and out of that realization he wants to lift up and affirm that God is to be praised, not just today or tomorrow, but constantly and eternally. Crowder has taken the focus off of us, our works, our lives and putting the focus on God, what he has done for us, and what that means to us, something that I think should resonate quite well with our tradition.
While known for writing and creating new songs, new lyrics for “a corporate group of people to articulate their faith (Crowder, 241),” he is also known for taking traditional hymns and applying them to this ever changing world. On Remedy, Crowder takes an old Charles Wesley hymn “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing” and once again helps maintain the focus on Christ by adding two small phrases throughout the song:
So come on and sing out
Let our anthem grow loud
There is one great love Jesus
There are so few words
That never grow old
There are so few words
That never grow old
Jesus
Christ at the Center
It is through songs and phrases like these that Crowder develops a very strong Christocentric theology, where there is no doubt that Crowder upholds the authority and importance that the life of Christ plays. It is clearly evident that without Christ, there would be no hope, there would be no joy, as we have found rescue and relief through the grace and love of Jesus. In ‘Only You’ Crowder directs all of our praise toward God. There is no doubt that he directing us to let go of everything from our heart, our life, to our fears, hopes, and dreams.
Take my heart, I Lay it down
At the feet of you whose crowned
Take my life, I’m letting go
I lift it up to You who’s throned
And I will worship You, Lord
Only You, Lord
And I will bow down before You
Only You Lord
Take my fret, take my fear
All I have, I’m leaving here
Be all my hopes, be all my dreams
Be all my delights, be my everything
And It’s just you and me here now
Only you and me here now
You should see the view
When it’s only You
In essence one would have to say that Crowder is really directing those who are participating with him to become entirely sanctified. I know it sounds interesting and maybe a little awkward, but after reading through the words, and seeing the call that Crowder routinely makes through all his songs, this sounds more like a prayer from the Psalmist, than a modern piece of music. There is no doubt, no question whom his praise is being offered to and it is clearly stated for all to see. If there was any doubt of who Crowder’s Lord was he clearly states who his king is in his bands fifth release “Collision” in the chorus of “Here is Our King:”
Here is our King
Here is our Love
Here is our God who’s come to bring us back to him
He is the one,
He is Jesus
Crowder clearly makes the point that our King is Jesus, the one who has been sent to bring us back to God. The one to repair the damage, the fall, and the one who brings hope. After listening to this song one can not help but be energized and moved because it really is an anthem of hope. The song ends with Crowder belting that his majesty is finally here and he is not just saying that Jesus came, but that Jesus is still alive and well in the present. What does this tell us about Crowder’s view on the atonement? I think it clearly states that there is an understanding that Jesus came to repair the damage that separates us from God. While that is not specific enough for some (because it is not endorsing a specific atonement theory) it seems that maybe Crowder is doing that for a specific reason. Do the people in the bars and the clubs that he is playing in really need to dwell and think about a specific atonement theory or debate whether Jesus was the ransom or just paying their debt. No, I think he would want to say that people need to know the freeing power of Jesus, that with Jesus’ death on the cross they are able to find hope, and to have joy. That Jesus’ message is not about some far off time or all about being written in a book for people to only read, but that Jesus has the power to be at work in their lives if they are open to participating with him. And lastly, that they can only have hope through Jesus. That Jesus is the only way and that it is freeing to recognize that we do not have all the answers but that through our praise and faith and trust in Jesus, we will be freed from this fallen world.
In many ways there have been some strong critiques of worship music and the ways in which as the music has slowly distanced itself from the traditional hymns of old, that many have been worried and bothered that the content has lost it’s focus on Christ being the center. While this is a general statement of opinion, it is somewhat valid as churches are struggling to redefine their values, their doctrines, and their relevancy in today’s world. If we are to embrace word through song, we must know what we are seeking to do, and seeking to fulfill. Is the purpose to bring people into an encounter with God or is it maybe to also provide ways and places for people to start the conversation? If we are truly seeking to help people center their lives on Christ, we must be willing to provide opportunities that go beyond just the sacred spaces and yet maintain a strong theological understanding that Christ is what we stand upon. Crowder echoes this thought when he states: “Music has become synonymous with worship, and I think that’s a screwed-up thing. We started this church (UBC Waco) to try and blur the line between sacred and secular. We have this belief that there’s not a moment that’s happening that’s outside of the presence of God (Beaujon, 241).” It is true that for most worship has just become the act of singing on Sunday mornings from the fourth row on the left side, and yet Crowder is challenging those who listen to embrace it not just in the church building, but in every aspect of life. To make it a lifestyle understanding that God is everywhere, God is all powerful, and that God is love. As a church looking for a strong worship theology, I believe identifying this is a key to that development. It fits right in line with our church’s idea and foundation that we do not exist as a body of believers to provide for ourselves, but that God breathes us out to be joyfully broken in our world. This is both recognizing the fallen nature of us, and recognizing the redemptive measures of Christ and the hope that he brings. Wrapped up in a three minute and forty six second song, powerful.
A Hope in a Fallen World
When you combine the thoughts of Christ being center with the hope that that brings which then motivates and helps create a lifestyle of praise, you can’t help but see the tension that is created between these two very different worlds. The tension that Christ is center and we want to praise him for all that he has done for us, and yet we still live in such a fallen, broken world. That there is hurt that is going on all around us and if we just stick to our guns stating that there will be a time when all this will be repaired, we are really just saying that this life on earth is pointless. Do we really want to embrace such a thought? I know that I do not, and it seems that Crowder doesn’t as well. In fact, there are multiple messages that he makes through his songs, but I find a couple quotes from him to shed a lot of light on what he is trying to communicate, what his underlying theology really is. First he stated “I think when Jesus was talking about the kingdom of heaven, he’s speaking of the here and now, and we’ve got to make a difference in the way we treat people, the way we’re responsible with the societies that we live within (Beaujon, 240).” In the interview he was talking about the ways in which the December 2004 tsunami in Asia really challenged him. That to him “it was a picture of the depth of our fall, you know, the ground under our feet’s not even right (Beaujon, 240), and yet there was a feeling that American Christianity doesn’t have a whole lot of good to look forward to. This has really shaped some of the ways in which Crowder has written, not to direct things to those who have experienced loss, but to recognize that we are lost, broken people. That we do not have it all figured out, and that we really need someone to fix it (really a concept of total depravity).
Remedy
Here we are
Here we are
The broken and used
Mistreated, abused
Here we are
Here You are
Here You are
The beautiful one
Who came like a Son
Here You are
So we lift up our voices
We open our hands
To cling to the love
That we can’t comprehend
Oh, lift up your voices
And lift up your heads
To sing of the love
That has freed us from sin
He is the one
Who has saved us
He is the one
Who embraced us
He is the one who has come
And is coming again
He’s the remedy
Here we are
Here we are
Bandaged and bruised
Awaiting a cure
Here we are
Here You are
Here You are
Our beautiful King
Bringing relief
Here You are with us
So we lift up our voices
And open our hands
Let go of the things
That have kept us from Him
Oh, I can’t comprehend
I can’t take it all in
Never understand
Such perfect love come
For the broken and beat
For the wounded and weak
Oh, come fall at His feet
He’s the remedy
He’s the remedy
You are the one
Who has saved us
You are the one
Who forgave us
You are the one who has come
And is coming again
To make it alright
Oh, to make it alright
You’re the remedy
Oh, in us
You’re the remedy
Let us be the remedy
Let us bring the remedy
Understanding the challenges and struggles that we bring with us through life, Remedy seems to be a perfect fit in the long line of records that have been released. While David Crowder has not ignored the fact that we are broken people needing a savior on the other albums, the content of this album helps walk us through the importance of what Christ has done for us, why we should be praising God, and then to the fact that we have the opportunity to participate with God as Christ is the Remedy to all of creation and because of this we have the opportunity to participate in truly creating the kingdom of heaven here and now. Crowder takes it a step further as he emphasizes that we can be the Remedy. That we can help people experience the kingdom of heaven, that the God he is talking about isn’t just going to come, but has come, offers hope, and offers it now. It’s the blending of the two worlds, as well as taking the secular and making it sacred. Is that not what we stand for in our denomination as we seek to not only provide an eternal hope, but a hope that invades all aspects of the body here and now? Is that not what Wesley stood for through his methods and through his groups as he sought for people to not only come into a life of constant praise, but a life of holiness as they are constantly seeking to participate in God’s greater narrative? When we begin to asses and put together our theology of worship, maybe, just maybe we ought to consider the goal of worship not to be just an experience, or providing a space and an atmosphere for one to participate with God, but instead seeking to provide opportunities where we as broken human beings can connect and really, collide with the divine. Maybe it’s about us embracing a life of praise as we are acknowledging our brokenness and as we do that, letting everything else go, we are actually truly participating in the kingdom of heaven here and now. That may look different in different places and situations, but our spiritual act of worship is helping to usher the kingdom of heaven in, not as individuals but as the church. Thinking about this brings me to a song that I think beautifully illustrates the ways in which we can recognize that when we seek God out with our entire body, soul, and mind, we are inviting the divine to dwell in us, thus blurring the line between us and God.
Beautiful Collision
The heart breaking makes a sound
I never knew could be
So beautiful and loud
Fury filled and we collide
So courageous until now
Fumbling and scared
So afraid You’ll find me out,
Alone here with my doubt
Here it comes, a beautiful collision
Is happening now.
There seems no end to where You begin and there I am now
You and I collide
Something circling inside,
Spaciously you fly
Infinite and wide,
Like the moon and sky
Collide
Here it comes, a beautiful collision
Is happening now.
There seems no end to where you begin and there I am now
You and I, collide
While this paper started off with the goal and hope of finding something to pick on or question within David Crowder’s theology, I must admit that there is really nothing here that I would disagree with. Instead what I have found is that Crowder embraces, lives out, and challenges us to look at the basics of what we believe, understanding that if we truly believe what we say we do we should be radically different. It has nothing to do with us, everything to do with the love and grace of God, but through our recognition of our fallen, broken state, we are awakened to the tremendous joy and hope that Christ provides, because while for some the grass is greener on the other side, we recognize that this world we live in is not a holding pen but instead we have the opportunity to participate with the creator in ushering the kingdom of heaven here and now. That the purpose of our worship is not to set aside a specific time and place for the music to be played, but that it should be overflowing from our hearts. That is a challenge.
I think we must also recognize the challenge and responsibility that the church has in being able to speak upon issues of the day. David Crowder is someone with influence and the ability to communicate with his audience really well. What about the church? Is the church accurately communicating with it’s audience in a relevant way? While there may be a way that the church has lost some of it’s ability to influence the mass culture that we find ourselves surrounded by, I think Crowder has something to say about that as well. At a recent concert where he was playing he said these words that have challenged me to constantly be intentional about the way I live my life. In between songs he said “you know, if you lived with the same passion and loudness that you sing with, this world would be a much better place.” Quite a challenge coming from someone who is just an ordinary guy playing music.
