[Reformation Charlotte] Every day, we hear something about a celebrity Christian pop artist “doing something good,” or topping some kind of chart.
That’s the problem.
We hear about the artist. We hear about what the artist is doing, how many followers on social media they have, what kind of good deeds they’ve been up to. Rarely, is the fruit of modern Christian pop culture God’s glory.
I mean, look at Lauren Daigle for example. What is she doing to bring glory to God and people to salvation? Yes, God can work in any way he chooses and use any kind of evil for His good purpose. But does this mean we should turn a blind eye to the damages done in their wake?
Lauren Daigle has topped the Christian music charts for several months now which has even landed her an appearance on the popular secular show, Ellen. Drawing widespread criticism from the Christian community, Daigle went on to explain in a later interview that she wasn’t sure if homosexuality was a sin.
Contrary to historic orthodox Christian belief and biblical truth, Daigle held the position that would land her, not God, a higher honor among the world, stealing glory from God. She, in fact, set herself up as her own God making an idol of her own passions and desires that she knows the world would accept. She now ranks among the top secular music artists and has recently claimed that she doesn’t really consider herself to be a Christian artist.
Another example is the popular rap artist, Lecrae. Lecrae–who dubs himself “a rapper who happens to be Christian”–has also topped the secular charts in recent years. Lecrae started out as a Reformed Christian rap artist who clearly taught a gospel message in his music, but he, too, has succumbed to a secular ideology and worldview. He no longer holds biblical truths to be the mainstay of his music, he now caters to the world. He promotes secular Marxist ideology, even identifying with foul-mouthed secular musicians to do so.
What purpose would a Christian have in falling for the world? The Scriptures tell us exactly why. 1 Timothy 6:10 says, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” When professing Christians place their own standing before the world above God’s glory, idolatry ensues.
The commercialized Christian music industry not only enables this idolatry, but promotes it to the degree that God’s glory is robbed from Him at many levels, including in churches. The vast majority of Christian contemporary music is produced by celebrity artists who’ve compromised on biblical truths in order to server their own selfish desires.
The world wants to hear what these people say. The world likes it because what they say dismantles the biblical truths set forth by God in the revelation of His son Jesus Christ. The Biblical truths that we’ve held for so long–truths such as human depravity, the exclusivity of Christ, and God’s hatred of sin–are whitewashed with affirming antics and nuanced language that effectively stains the image of God from his perfect glory.
Let’s put the glory back on God.
