There’s no denying the global reach of contemporary worship music from movements like Hillsong, Bethel, Jesus Culture, and Elevation Worship. But is it time to reconsider singing their songs in your church?
While concerns surrounding these groups often cite prosperity gospel teachings, theological ambiguities, leadership scandals, or lyrical content, the most critical issue lies deeper. The music itself, particularly from Elevation Worship, often embodies a theology of worship that subtly shifts focus and emphasis in ways that are theologically significant.
It’s easy to point to problematic statements from leaders. Bethel Church pastor Bill Johnson, for example, promotes prosperity theology by suggesting Jesus’ miracles weren’t divine but an example for us to emulate: “If he performed miracles because he was God, then they would be unattainable for us. But if he did them as a man, I am responsible to pursue his lifestyle.”1 Similarly, Hillsong’s Brian Houston has authored books like “You Need More Money.”
Theological questions also arise with leaders like Steven Furtick of Elevation Church, who has been scrutinized for views that appear to align with modalism, a heresy concerning the Trinity.2 Bethel’s Bill Johnson has also controversially suggested that Jesus underwent a spiritual death in hell before resurrection.
Furthermore, Hillsong has faced serious accusations of sexual abuse within its leadership.3 And Brian Houston’s stance on gay marriage has also drawn criticism.4
Lyrical analysis reveals further issues. Some songs feature theologically vague lyrics (“Only Wanna Sing,” “Wake,” “Who You Say I Am”) or lyrics open to theological debate (“What a Beautiful Name,” “Reckless Love,” “This Is Amazing Grace,” “So Will I”).
The charismatic-pentecostal theology underpinning these groups5 is evident in songs emphasizing spiritual experiences and manifestations (“Oceans,” “Spirit Breaks Out”).
Financially supporting these ministries through album purchases or song licensing indirectly funds potentially questionable or even heretical theology. Moreover, using these songs in church services risks exposing less discerning Christians to wider, potentially problematic teachings from these groups.
While these are all valid concerns, the most significant reason to reconsider Elevation Worship and similar music is its embodiment of a specific, and potentially skewed, theology of worship.
The most significant reason to reconsider Elevation Worship and similar music is its embodiment of a specific, and potentially skewed, theology of worship.
The Rise of Pentecostal Influence in Evangelical Worship
Elevation Worship, along with Hillsong, Bethel, and Jesus Culture, operates within a Pentecostal theological framework. Pentecostalism, originating in the early 20th century, blended Methodist holiness and revivalism with a belief in the continuation of apostolic-era miraculous signs.
This continuationist theology reshaped worship, shifting it from traditional Reformed practices towards what Pentecostals believed was a more New Testament-aligned approach. Charismatic theologians emphasize the Holy Spirit’s role in making God’s presence tangibly felt during worship, enabling worshippers to directly encounter God. This focus prioritizes physical expressiveness and emotional intensity, leading to the “Praise & Worship” model. In this paradigm, experiencing God’s presence is the goal, and praise becomes the primary means to achieve it.
Understanding “Praise & Worship” Theology
“Praise and Worship” theology offers a structured approach to service design, aiming to facilitate worshippers’ entry into “the presence of God.”6 A foundational concept is the scriptural link between praise and God’s presence, with praise viewed as the very vehicle for entering His presence. Psalm 22:3, “Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel,” is a key text.7 Early Pentecostal thinkers like Reg Layzell and Bob Sorge,8 following Judson Cornwall, asserted that “the path into the presence of God [is] praise.”9 This theology distinguishes between praise and worship. Cornwall suggests, “Praise is the vehicle of expression that brings us into God’s presence. But worship is what we do once we gain an entrance to that presence.”10 Thurlow Spurr elaborates:
Praise and worship are not the same. Praise is thanking God for the blessings, the benefits, the good things. It is an expression of love, gratitude, and appreciation. Worship involves a more intense level of personal communication with God, centering on his person. In concentrated worship, there is a sort of detachment from everything external as one enters God’s presence.11
Darlene Zschech, former Hillsong worship pastor, exemplifies this Praise & Worship theology:
The word says that God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). It’s amazing to think that God, in all His fullness, inhabits and dwells in our praises of Him. … Our praise is irresistible to God. As soon as He hears us call His name, He is ready to answer us. That is the God we serve. Every time the praise and worship team with our musicians, singers, production teams, dancers, and actors begin to praise God, His presence comes in like a flood. Even though we live in His presence, His love is lavished on us in a miraculous way when we praise Him.12
This theological shift elevated the importance of musical style in worship, described by Lim and Ruth as “musical sacramentality,” where music becomes a primary conduit for encountering God’s presence in worship.13, 14
The Liturgical “Flow” in Contemporary Worship
This theological framework significantly altered liturgical practices. “Praise and Worship” services often abandon traditional liturgical structures, aiming instead for an emotional “flow.” The goal is to guide worshippers through stages of emotion, starting with energetic “praise” songs and moving towards intimate “worship.” Judson Cornwall describes this progression:
Praise begins by applauding God’s power, but it often brings us close enough to God that worship can respond to God’s presence. While the energy of praise is toward what God does, the energy of worship is toward who God is. The first is concerning with God’s performance, while the second is occupied with God’s personage. The thrust of worship, therefore, is higher than the thrust of praise.15
The “flow” is musically driven, with worship leaders curating song sets to create emotional arcs. Services often begin with upbeat songs of thanksgiving, progressing to “soulish worship,” and culminating in intimate expressions, sometimes with softer music to facilitate a prolonged sense of God’s presence.16 Zac Hicks emphasizes the worship leader’s role in managing this emotional journey, stating that “Part of leading a worship service’s flow … involves keeping the awareness of God’s real, abiding presence before his worshipers. As all of the elements of worship pass by, the one constant—the True Flow—is the presence of the Holy Spirit himself.” He further explains this flow as “understanding and guiding your worship service’s emotional journey.”17 Carl Tuttle stresses the importance of song selection for a positive “worship experience,” noting that “Grouping songs in such a way that they flow together … is essential to a good worship experience.”18
Early guides for worship leaders, like David Blomgren’s 1978 The Song of the Lord, outlined techniques for achieving this flow: continuous movement without interruption, natural transitions through song content, keys, and tempos, and progression towards a climactic experience of worship. Blomgren specified technical elements like thematic and scriptural song sequencing, smooth key transitions, and tempo arrangements (typically moving from faster to slower) to foster a deepening sense of encountering God.19
Reformed Worship: A Scriptural Foundation
This “Praise and Worship” approach marks a significant departure from the theology and practice of Reformed Christians. Historically, Reformed worship, rooted in post-Reformation theology, understood emotion and song as outcomes of the Holy Spirit’s work in believers, not as triggers for it. Calvin Stapert highlights this point concerning Ephesians 5:18–19 and Colossians 3:16:
“Spirit filling” does not come as the result of singing. Rather, “Spirit filling” comes first; singing is the response. . . . Clear as these passages are in declaring that Christian singing is a response to the Word of Christ and to being filled with the Spirit, it is hard to keep from turning the cause and effect around. Music, with its stimulating power, can too easily be seen as the cause and the “Spirit filling” as the effect.20
Stapert cautions against assigning an undue “epicletic function” to music, turning it into a means of “beguiling the Holy Spirit,” a characteristic he associates with pagan, not Christian, worship.21 Reformed theology emphasizes that the Holy Spirit works through the inspired Word and prescribed means of grace.
While the New Testament describes Spirit-produced emotions, characterized as the “fruit of the Spirit,” Jonathan Edwards clarifies that these are not defined by ecstatic euphoria but by “the lamb-like, dove-like spirit or temper of Jesus Christ.” True “religious affections,” Edwards argues, “naturally beget and promote such a spirit of love, meekness, quietness, forgiveness, and mercy, as appeared in Christ.”22
This theological perspective led to a philosophy of corporate worship as a biblically regulated service of covenant renewal. God shapes His people through His Word, and they respond with adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and dedication. Song selection and worship elements are based on their content’s alignment with this covenant renewal structure, not on emotional manipulation or the expectation of manifesting God’s presence through music.23
The Subtle Infiltration: Pentecostal Theology Creeping In
Pentecostalism’s shift in worship focus from covenant renewal to authentic emotional experience began to permeate broader evangelicalism, largely through its influential music.
Lim and Ruth, in Lovin’ on Jesus: A Concise History of Contemporary Worship, identify Pentecostalism as a key source of contemporary worship, driven by its “revisioning of a New Testament emphasis upon the active presence and ministry of the Holy Spirit.”24 They highlight Pentecostalism’s impact on contemporary worship in several ways:
- Popularizing physical and expressive worship.
- Elevating intensity in liturgical practice.
- Creating an expectation of tangible experience within worship.
- Establishing “musical sacramentality,” emphasizing the worship set and musicians as key elements.25
Pentecostalism, they argue, instilled the “expectation that God’s presence could be encountered in worship and the normal means by which this encounter would happen,” fostering an “expectation for encountering God, active and present through the Holy Spirit.”26 Daniel Albrecht concurs, stating, “The presence of the Holy Spirit then is fundamental to a Pentecostal perspective of worship. The conviction that the Spirit is present in worship is one of the deepest beliefs in a Pentecostal liturgical vision. The expectancy of the Spirit’s presence is often palpable in the liturgy. . . . Their liturgical rites and sensibilities encourage becoming consciously present to God—even as God’s presence is expected to become very real in worship.”27
Consequently, worship emphasizing the Spirit’s direct activity often values spontaneity and “freedom” over structured, regulated forms, which are sometimes seen as hindering “Spirit-led” worship.28 Albrecht’s observation of Pentecostal worship reflects a widespread evangelical expectation:
In the midst of radical receptivity, an encounter with the Holy Spirit may occur. Pentecostals envision such encounters as integral to the worship experience. While an overwhelming or overpowering experience of/in the Spirit is neither rare nor routine for a particular Pentecostal worshiper, the experiential dimension of worship is fundamental. The liturgical vision sees God as present in the service; consequently, Pentecostals reason that a direct experience of God is a normal expectation.29
This theology is embodied in the music of charismatic groups like Elevation Worship. Sociologist Gerardo Marti notes that “Hillsong represents a compelling musical pathway to an emotional one-on-one connection to God.”30 He adds that Hillsong worship cultivates “the hopeful anticipation of the Pentecostal ego motivated to participate in an event-dependent effort (the gathering of worshippers) to surrender oneself with a characteristic openness to God… that is meant to lead the earnest believer to the deployment of spiritual power.”31
This alignment is logical; charismatic theology naturally leads to charismatic worship. The issue arises when evangelicals who do not subscribe to charismatic theology begin to worship like charismatics, largely through the influence of this music. Marti terms this phenomenon the “Hillsongization” of Christianity,32 a trend equally applicable to Elevation Worship and similar movements. Singing Elevation Worship music introduces embodied Pentecostalism into churches, regardless of stated doctrinal positions.
Singing Elevation Worship music introduces embodied Pentecostalism into churches, regardless of stated doctrinal positions.
The Theology in the Music, Not Just the Lyrics
One might argue that lyrical content is the primary concern, suggesting that if the lyrics are doctrinally sound, the music is acceptable. However, the issue lies deeper than lyrical analysis.
The music itself, meticulously crafted, aims to generate visceral emotional experiences that are then interpreted as evidence of God’s immediate presence. This aligns perfectly with charismatic sacramental theology but clashes with non-charismatic, especially Reformed, theological frameworks. The result is a widespread phenomenon: much of evangelicalism now worships in a charismatic style, even if their doctrinal statements differ.
The crucial question becomes: what shapes congregational theology more profoundly – a website doctrinal statement or the weekly experience of worship?
If a church seeks to avoid teaching Pentecostal theology, incorporating music from Elevation Worship, Bethel, Jesus Culture, and Hillsong is counterproductive. These songs, beyond lyrical content, subtly shape theological understanding through embodied experience.
“But,” one might ask, “isn’t this embodied charismatic theology present in much contemporary worship music?”
Indeed, it is.
Let discernment guide your worship choices.
Update: followup post on how music embodies theology here and one on two kinds of worship music here.
References
| 1 | Bill Johnson, When Heaven Invades Earth Expanded Edition: A Practical Guide to a Life of Miracles (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, 2013), 34. |
|---|---|
| 2 | See Amanda Casanova, “Is Megachurch Pastor Steven Furtick Denying the Traditional View of the Trinity?,” ChristianHeadlines.Com, March 5, 2020. |
| 3 | Leonardo Blair, “Ex-Nanny of Former Hillsong NYC Pastor Carl Lentz Accuses Him of Sexual Abuse,” The Christian Post, June 1, 2021; Michael Gryboski, “Hillsong’s Brian Houston Says Sex Abuse Concealment Charges Are ‘a Shock to Me,’” The Christian Post, August 6, 2021. |
| 4 | Nicola Menzie, “Hillsong’s Brian Houston on Gay Marriage: ‘I Believe the Writings of Paul Are Clear on This Subject,’” The Christian Post, October 18, 2014. |
| 5 | See Tanya Riches, “The Evolving Theological Emphasis of Hillsong Worship (1996–2007),” Australasian Pentecostal Studies 13 (2010): 87–133; Bethel, “Glory Clouds and Gold Dust, Signs and Wonders,” Rediscover Bethel, 2021; Jeannie Ortega Law, “Bill Johnson Explains Why Bethel Is Praying for 2-Year-Old’s Resurrection,” The Christian Post, December 19, 2019. |
| 6 | Terry Law, How to Enter the Presence of God (Tulsa: Victory House, 1994), 69. |
| 7 | For a fantastic treatment of this text, see Matthew Sikes, “Does God Inhabit the Praises of His People? An Examination of Psalm 22:3,” Artistic Theologian 9 (2020): 5–22. |
| 8 | Reg Layzell, Unto Perfection: The Truth about the Present Restoration Revival (Mount-lake Terrace: The King’s Temple, 1979), 120–121; Bob Sorge, Exploring Worship: A Practical Guide to Praise & Worship (Canandaigua, NY: Oasis House, 1987). |
| 9 | Judson Cornwall, Let Us Praise (Plainfield, N.J: Logos Associates, 1973), 26. |
| 10 | Judson Cornwall, Let Us Worship (Plainfield, NJ: Bridge Pub., 1983), 49. |
| 11 | Thurlow Spurr, “Praise: More Than a ‘Festival.’ It’s a Way of Life,” Charisma 11, no. 6 (August 1977): 13. |
| 12 | Darlene Zschech, Extravagant Worship: Holy, Holy, Holy Is the Lord God Almighty Who Was and Is, and Is to Come (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2002), 54–55 Emphasis original. |
| 13 | Runn Ann Ashton, God’s Presence through Music (South Bend, IN: Lesea Publishing Co., 1993). |
| 14 | Swee Hong Lim and Lester Ruth, Lovin’ on Jesus: A Concise History of Contemporary Worship (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2017), 18. |
| 15 | Cornwall, Let Us Worship, 146. |
| 16 | Cornwall, Let Us Worship, 158. |
| 17 | Zac M. Hicks, The Worship Pastor: A Call to Ministry for Worship Leaders and Teams (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016), 184. |
| 18 | Carl Tuttle, “Song Selection & New Song Introduction,” in In Worship Leaders Training Manual (Anaheim, CA: Worship Resource Center/Vineyard Ministries International, 1987), 141. |
| 19 | Lim and Ruth, Lovin’ on Jesus, 33. |
| 20 | Calvin R. Stapert, A New Song for an Old World: Musical Thought in the Early Church (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2006), 19–20. |
| 21 | Stapert, New Song, 20. |
| 22 | Jonathan Edwards, A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections, New Ed. (Banner of Truth, 1978), 272. |
| 23 | For an explanation of this theology of covenant-renewal worship, see Scott Aniol, Biblical Foundations of Corporate Worship (Conway, AR: Free Grace Press, 2022) and Jonathan Landry Cruse, What Happens When We Worship (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2020). |
| 24 | Lim and Ruth, Lovin’ on Jesus, 17–18. The other four are youth ministry, baby boomers, Jesus People, and church growth missiology. |
| 25, 26 | Lim and Ruth, Lovin’ on Jesus, 18. |
| 27 | Daniel E. Albrecht, “Worshiping and the Spirit: Transmuting Liturgy Pentecostally,” in The Spirit in Worship—Worship in the Spirit, ed. Teresa Berger and Bryan D. Spinks (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2009), 239. |
| 28 | Lim and Ruth, Lovin’ on Jesus, 38. |
| 29 | Albrecht, “Worshiping and the Spirit: Transmuting Liturgy Pentecostally,” 240. |
| 30 | Gerardo Marti, “The Global Phenomenon of Hillsong Church: An Initial Assessment,” Sociology of Religion 78 (December 12, 2017): 378. |
| 31 | Marti, “Hillsong,” 382. |
| 32 | Marti, “Hillsong,” 384. |
