Last week here at Pulpit & Pen I published a post entitled “Elevation Worship: Manslaughter or Murder” questioning the motivations of music ministers who include Elevation music (and music from other unbiblical organizations) in the worship services at their churches. I concluded that those ministers were in error regardless of their intent and level of … Read more
A collective of theologically questionable, musically-inclined misfits are coming together in a streaming concert to support a trifecta of humanitarian Christian organizations – Compassion, Food for the Hungry and World Vision. The show will be headlined by Hillsong Worship, supported by Roman Catholic Matt Maher, and in partnership with the Prince of Prosperity/The Sultan of … Read more
Trey Pearson, the former frontman and lead singer of the Christian Band Everyday Sunday’ who came out as openly, flamboyantly gay in 2016, released a Facebook post with his reflections on the Christian Music industry, taking shots and sharing insight into what he calls the ‘dark cloud over the Christian music industry.’ Pearson’s band disbanded … Read more
Kanye West debuted his new single, “Wash Us in the Blood” on Tuesday, instantly shooting to the top of the music charts and quickly becoming the #1 trending video on Youtube. Kaye announced the song the day before, also informing that it was the first single from his upcoming new album God’s Country, which will … Read more
Bethel Music has launched Bethel Music College, “an online school designed to equip worship leaders, songwriters and musicians with the technical skills and biblical foundations needed to become excellent leaders in worship ministry. “ Featuring classes taught by the Bethel Music Collective, Hillsong, Elevation Worship, and Jesus Culture, unlike the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, … Read more
Bethel Church has come under fire for being “opportunisric white colonizers” after Bethel Music musicians visited the George Floyd Memorial in Minneapolis and put on an impromptu worship concert, complete with all the charismatic shenanigans that accompany such an event. Sean Feutch, a worship leader at Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry in Redding, California, brought … Read more
Youtube’s DoubleYolker, maker of “musical interpretations of viral people with mediocre video accompaniment!” has blessed us with these musical theater videos of arch-heretic Kenneth Copeland. The theatrical endeavors overlay cheery and beauteous music over the creepy, demoniac looking expressions of Copeland, much to the delight and horror of all. Enjoy.
For years, Taylor Swift’s silence on political and cultural issues made her an adored celebrity to millions. Swift, in fact, was famously quiet during political hot-button years (so much so that it annoyed leftists). She told Time Magazine in 2012 that she doesn’t talk “about politics because it might influence other people.” Suddenly, out of … Read more
The man who is worth nearly a quarter-billion dollars, mostly from his ability as a rapper, tried to denounce rap as “the devil’s music” to his pastor, who dismissed the notion and told him he could rap for God. Kanye West has reportedly come to Christ after stepping foot into a California church affiliated with … Read more
“My fellow musicians of color: it is time to accept that we are in an abusive relationship with classical music.” This was one of the opening paragraphs from Nebal Maysaud in the New Music Box blog. Engaging in Critical Race Theory, Maysaud insists that “the everyday racism people of color experience and how it manifests … Read more
Pulpit & Pen told you in 2017 that ‘Snoop Dogg’ would be producing a Gospel album, and then reported to you last year that Mr. Dogg’s album was topping the ‘Christian and Gospel’ section on iTunes. Now, the pot-smoking, rhyme-slinging rapper has won the BET Gospel Music Award. Fo real, yo. On Sunday, Snoop Dogg … Read more
[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. … Read more
One Hillsong church leader recently claimed that if elderly people – in particular – don’t like the ear-piercing, thundering and rock-n-roll style of their “worship” music that they have a spiritual heart problem. The revelation regarding the hearts of the elderly came to Gary Clarke – the senior pastor of Hillsong London – by attending … Read more
[Christian News Network] A Hillsong branch in the United Kingdom has removed from YouTube a promotional video for its annual Christmas musical that depicted the wise men arriving at a Bethlehem inn to see the baby Jesus, and upon entering, finding an environment with much drinking and dancing just feet from the Christ child. The … Read more
Increasingly, Hillsong Church’s Christmas musical productions seem to break the blasphemy barrier of the year before. In 2015, Hillsong made international news for a “Sleazy Night” Christmas special, which was a cabaret and burlesque-type show that incorporated Christmas hymns. At the time, charismatic apologist, Michael Brown, defended Hillsong from critics, claiming that they meant well … Read more
