A typical Sunday service in a Nigerian church starts with a short opening prayer followed by a session of worshipping God and progresses to the praise session; the part where the choir shows expertise in leading people to the presence of God joyfully, where danceable and lively Christian praise songs rent the air, and people show appreciation to God.
But with the passage of time, Christian praise songs have evolved to be more than just lively, relatable, rhythmic and danceable songs with spiritual lyrics. Now, people are getting used to trending secular songs with altered lyrics.
The congregation these days surges with excitement, dancing with more energy that feels more akin to a club gyration than a praise session and it got me wondering, how did the so-called choristers become accustomed to secular songs?
Is it that they listen to these songs in secret and wish that they have something like that in the church or they just randomly picked up these things on social media? Should these people who lift up holy hands in the church still be the ones going down low to vibe to songs that promote hedonism and immorality? Does the Bible, that's supposed to be their standard of living, condone listening to such music and the lifestyle that the music promotes, let alone incorporating it into their praise session?
Arguments have been raised to justify this ‘matchmaking’ of gospel lyrics and secular sounds that it makes praise sessions more engaging, interesting, and relatable, especially to the younger generation. I even stumbled on a piece that justified that this act which has been tagged ‘Gen Z praise' brings ‘sinners’ into the church where they are later converted.
On the other side, some people worry that this matchmaking dilutes the essence of giving praise to God to mere activities sparked by excited people who want to be ‘worldly in a godly way.’
Must we incorporate secular music and patterns into our Christian praise session? Or, can we balance the two?
At the core, praise sessions are meant to be pure, spiritual, and glorify God. It is meant to create a connection and atmosphere where people get uplifted spiritually.
Before now, sacred songs used to be devoid of any secular embellishment. In fact, showing any knowledge of these secular songs was not condoned let alone singing it. But as the world evolves, many churches feel there's the need to adapt, especially in approach to worship.
Afterall, adopting these songs and changing their lyrics will make Christian praise songs relatable to the youth and make the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ appealing to the younger audience who are easily swayed by worldly distractions.
These are barely understandable but must it be at the cost of spiritual depth?
Secular music has dived its talon into culture and religion. Many of our gospel musicians borrow from secular beats, rhythm, and sometimes lyrics that are commonly heard in clubs and concerts, giving their ministration club-like atmosphere.
In fact, some churches and musicians remix these songs by replacing the sensual lyrics. If a song's intent is not to glorify God, can changing the lyrics sanctify it? Or is the Holy Spirit not releasing fresh inspiration to gospel musicians anymore?
There's absolutely nothing to justify this unhealthy matchmaking as the Bible itself says, ’give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God what belongs to God.’ Why should churches, choristers, and worship leaders force God together with Caesar?
Even the Bible clearly states that Christians should not be conformed to the world (Romans 12:2). So, why are they joining themselves with the world by subtly singing their songs under the disguise of ‘relatable praise session’?
I'm not against being creative with the gospel but be careful and stop drawing inspiration from secular music. The Holy Spirit is the source of all things and can inspire you freshly without building on what the world has built.
Incorporating these secular styles into praise sessions shows that you actively listen and score secular songs that won't edify you. What you're doing is promoting these songs and encouraging others to listen to these songs.
While we trying to make the church welcoming and dynamic in our ways as Christians, our focus should not shift from being spiritually inclined to getting conformed to the culture of the world. We should not merely entertain, we should pass the message we ought the way it should. Our focus should not be on the beat and trends but it should be on the impact of our ministration on worshippers.
In conclusion, the church should not deviate from being the light of the world to promoters of secular songs. We should be careful of the demonic evolution that's creeping into the church. God should be at the centre of praise and worship, not the world and trends.
Pastor Chris Oyakhilome weighs in on Christian music controversy
Earlier, TheRadar reported that Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, the general overseer of Christ Embassy Church, weighed in on the ongoing controversy in the gospel music industry.
Oyakhilome alleged that the gospel music industry had exploited the church more than any other entity. He also claimed that numerous gospel artistes had utilised the church as a platform for self-promotion, only to abandon their spiritual roots and establish their own churches or pursue lucrative opportunities.