Can worship music be unholy?

We sang it recently in worship. It’s a beautiful song about the word of God. It was called “contemporary” years ago but now seen as mainstream. Our congregation sang it loud and proud. No one got upset about it, but I remembered a person who did.

At the time, a number of years ago, the lyric writer, whose name was inscribed at the bottom of the page, had been in the news the week before. She had a very public separation from her husband, and reportedly was in love with someone else already. I don’t think most of us noticed who’d written the hymn, but one person did and suggested it shouldn’t have been part of our worship that morning.

I was employed at a Christian college and talked with the head of our music department a few days later to ask his opinion. He said it’s impossible to judge the worth of worship music by the writer of the notes or the lyrics, and that some of the greatest composers led anything but holy lives. Thus, they wrote about good and godly things but didn’t incorporate these things in their lives.

Another contemporary hymn writer, now deceased, contributed two or three hymns to the hymnal we use in our church. And they’re great hymns. But we remember before his death he was stopped by law enforcement who discovered cocaine in his car. He said he was helping a friend “detox” and took the drug away from him. I don’t recall now how this case was settled or if the singer/composer ever talked about it further.

Does this mean we shouldn’t sing his songs?

Some have argued about an entire collection of worship music because the particular sect publishing it has been rife with allegations of abuse of various kinds.

I think the same kind of ethical question could be posed to those of us who proclaim God’s word on Sundays. None of us is perfect, though we try hard to teach and preach the truth week by week. If sinlessness were the standard, who among us would dare to stand behind the sacred desk?

His name was Sam Cathey, and he spoke at a denominational meeting and made a comment I remember.

“We say, ‘God can’t use a dirty vessel,’ but why do we say that?” he asked.

Of course. I’ve heard this and said it countless times.

But Cathey continued, “Nonsense! He uses you!”

This doesn’t mean that preachers and singers as public figures must not strive to be exemplary; it just means that perfection isn’t possible.

Though we struggle with ethical questions, we don’t struggle with God’s grace.

He offers it to all of us dirty vessels.

Reflections is a weekly faith column written by Michael J. Brooks, pastor of the Siluria Baptist Church, Alabaster, Alabama. The church’s website is siluriabaptist.com.