A late historian explores how crusade hymns told both the classic story of gospel salvation and the evolving story of evangelical worship music.Crowds of over 50,000. Famous special guests. Hundreds of cities in the US and around the world. Beloved, catchy songs. For many, these might sound like readouts from the Taylor Swift Eras Tour hype machine. But exchange the glittery girl power for the gospel in baritone, and you have one of the most successful musical touring acts in the postwar world: the Billy Graham Crusades.The first association that “Billy Graham Crusade” may evoke is not musical at all, but rather a close-up shot of the evangelist, with his penetrating, wide-eyed gaze and raised forearms, thundering, “The Bible says …” Admittedly, music was not the main focus.Yet as the late historian Edith Blumhofer shows in her final book, Songs I Love to Sing: The Billy Graham Crusades and the Shaping of Modern Worship, neither Graham’s ministry nor the late-century rise of contemporary Christian music can be understood without it. As crusade song leader Cliff Barrows pursued his main goal—“sing to save”—he and his teammates bridged stylistic, cultural, and generational divides, transforming evangelicals’ music into the harmonic blend of old and new that is familiar today.Mining rich resourcesBefore unpacking this highly original book, a few words about the author. Blumhofer is an American religious historian renowned for her empathetic biographies of hymnist Fanny J. Crosby and evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, as well as broader studies of evangelicalism and Pentecostalism. She concluded her career with this new study, sadly succumbing to a battle with cancer in the process.To finish the project, she tapped Jesus People expert Larry Eskridge, with whom she had for many years directed the Institute ...Continue reading...

The plan would organize UMC churches in four global regions, with each given more leeway around same-sex marriage and other theological issues.The top legislative body of the United Methodist Church passed a series of measures Thursday to restructure the worldwide denomination to give each region greater equity in tailoring church life to its own customs and traditions.The primary measure, voted on as the UMC General Conference met at the Charlotte Convention Center in North Carolina, was an amendment to the church’s constitution to divide the denomination into four equal regions—Africa, Europe, the Philippines, and the United States.According to the plan, each region would be able to customize part of the denomination’s rulebook, the Book of Discipline, to fit local needs. While church regions in Africa, the Philippines, and Europe have already enjoyed some leeway in customizing church life, the United States has not.The vote on the constitutional amendment passed 586–164, or by 78 percent, which means it surpassed the two-thirds majority needed for constitutional amendments. It must now go before each smaller church region, called an annual conference, for ratification by the end of 2025.If ratified by two-thirds of delegates to the annual conferences, the restructuring would allow the four regions to set their own qualifications for ordaining clergy and lay leaders; publish their own hymnal and rituals, including rites for marriage; and establish its own judicial courts. A new Book of Discipline would have one section that could be revised and tailored for each of the four regional conferences.The two-week worldwide meeting is the first meeting of the General Conference in five years, due mostly to delays associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. It follows a painful schism that has split some 7,600 US-based churches from the denomination—a ...Continue reading...

The plan would organize UMC churches in four global regions, with each given more leeway around same-sex marriage and other theological issues.The top legislative body of the United Methodist Church passed a series of measures Thursday to restructure the worldwide denomination to give each region greater equity in tailoring church life to its own customs and traditions.The primary measure, voted on as the UMC General Conference met at the Charlotte Convention Center in North Carolina, was an amendment to the church’s constitution to divide the denomination into four equal regions—Africa, Europe, the Philippines, and the United States.According to the plan, each region would be able to customize part of the denomination’s rulebook, the Book of Discipline, to fit local needs. While church regions in Africa, the Philippines, and Europe have already enjoyed some leeway in customizing church life, the United States has not.The vote on the constitutional amendment passed 586–164, or by 78 percent, which means it surpassed the two-thirds majority needed for constitutional amendments. It must now go before each smaller church region, called an annual conference, for ratification by the end of 2025.If ratified by two-thirds of delegates to the annual conferences, the restructuring would allow the four regions to set their own qualifications for ordaining clergy and lay leaders; publish their own hymnal and rituals, including rites for marriage; and establish its own judicial courts. A new Book of Discipline would have one section that could be revised and tailored for each of the four regional conferences.The two-week worldwide meeting is the first meeting of the General Conference in five years, due mostly to delays associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. It follows a painful schism that has split some 7,600 US-based churches from the denomination—a ...Continue reading...

The plan would organize UMC churches in four global regions, with each given more leeway around same-sex marriage and other theological issues.The top legislative body of the United Methodist Church passed a series of measures Thursday to restructure the worldwide denomination to give each region greater equity in tailoring church life to its own customs and traditions.The primary measure, voted on as the UMC General Conference met at the Charlotte Convention Center in North Carolina, was an amendment to the church’s constitution to divide the denomination into four equal regions—Africa, Europe, the Philippines, and the United States.According to the plan, each region would be able to customize part of the denomination’s rulebook, the Book of Discipline, to fit local needs. While church regions in Africa, the Philippines, and Europe have already enjoyed some leeway in customizing church life, the United States has not.The vote on the constitutional amendment passed 586–164, or by 78 percent, which means it surpassed the two-thirds majority needed for constitutional amendments. It must now go before each smaller church region, called an annual conference, for ratification by the end of 2025.If ratified by two-thirds of delegates to the annual conferences, the restructuring would allow the four regions to set their own qualifications for ordaining clergy and lay leaders; publish their own hymnal and rituals, including rites for marriage; and establish its own judicial courts. A new Book of Discipline would have one section that could be revised and tailored for each of the four regional conferences.The two-week worldwide meeting is the first meeting of the General Conference in five years, due mostly to delays associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. It follows a painful schism that has split some 7,600 US-based churches from the denomination—a ...Continue reading...

? Temple Baptist Church - 4-17-2024John 15:11? Introduction:? A.? In verse 11, we find two kinds of “Joy.”? ? 1.? My Joy.? “remain in you”? A Joy that is found ONLY in Jesus Christ!? ? a)? The Joy of Salvation.? The Joy of Sanctification.? The Joy of Security.? The Joy of Serving.? ? b)? The Key words are “remain in” which implies that the joy of God is given to every believer and can be removed by the believer.? ? ? ? c)? “Living for Jesus” is a song that describes our Joy that is found in abiding in Jesus Christ:? Living for Jesus, a life that is true,Striving to please Him in all that I do;Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free,This is the pathway of blessing for me.Refrain:O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee,For Thou, in Thy atonement, didst give Thyself for me;I own no other Master, my heart shall be Thy throne;My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for Thee alone.Living for Jesus Who died in my place,Bearing on Calv'ry my sin and disgrace;Such love constrains me to answer His call,Follow His leading and give Him my all.Living for Jesus, wherever I am,Doing each duty in His holy Name;Willing to suffer affliction and loss,Deeming each trial a part of my cross.Living for Jesus through earth's little while,My dearest treasure, the light of His smile;Seeking the lost ones He died to redeem,Bringing the weary to find rest in Him.2.? Your Joy.? The key words here are “be full.”? The implication here is that the believer can have Joy to some degree and still not have fulness of Joy.? To have fulness of Joy is totally tied to the “My Joy” that is found only in our abiding in Christ.? “I had rather be an old time Christian that anything I know!”? Nehemiah 8:10? Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.? 3.? “Your Joy!”? I hear so much “Woe is me” preaching in our day.? People live lives of quiet desperation because of circumstances while God wants His people to enjoy life!? He wants them to enjoy His creation!? Proverbs 15:13? A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.? Proverbs 17:22? A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.? Ecclesiastes 2:24? There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.? Ecclesiastes 3:10-13? I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.? (11)? He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.? (12)? I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.? (13)? And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.? Ecclesiastes 3:22? Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?? Ecclesiastes 5:18-19? Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion.? (19)? Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.? Ecclesiastes 8:15? Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun.? Ecclesiastes 9:7-9? Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.? (8)? Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.? (9)? Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.? B.? What is this joy of Christ?? I want to look at the best definition that I have ever seen, and it comes from your Bible because “My Joy” is not found in our circumstances which are subject to change.? It is completely found in the “God of my salvation” and the “God … my strength!”? *** Habakkuk 3:17-19? Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: ? (18)? Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. ? (19)? The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.? 1.? In these verses, we find both the “Cause” and “Effect” of the Christian's Joy.? The cause and effect is certainly not found in our circumstances as our days are so full for sin and sorrow!? Noah's Day, Lot's Day, Falling Away Days, Laodicean Days, Perilous Times all work together in our day to cause God's people to fret and fear.? Habakkuk used the word “Yet” to introduce “I will rejoice” and “I will joy!”? 2.? In Verses 18-19, we find the Cause of Joy:? a)? The God of my Salvation.? True Christian Joy comes from God in the form of Eternal Salvation.? John 15:13? Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.? b)? The LORD God, my Strength.? True Christian Joy is maintained in the spiritual Strength that comes from God, not circumstances.? John 15:5? I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.? 4.? In Verses 17-18, we find the Effect of Joy:? a)? Though things go wrong, and they do; though life is hard, and it is:? b)? Rejoicing comes from our inner fountain of Joy.? ? ? ? ? ? ? 5.? There was a day when praise and rejoicing were spontaneous, not something “worked up” by emotion.? “Popcorn Testimonies” have become a thing of the past.? We need to get our Joy back and Rejoicing will follow without having to be stirred or worked up.? Rejoicing is more than an emotion; it is a realization brought about by relationship and remembrance!? 6.? We live in days when pastors feel the necessity to stir our emotions with fleshly music and preaching as to produce rejoicing.? Thus, they become Promoters—not Pastors, Entertainers—not Preachers.? ? a.? A Pastor is none of these things.? He is to feed the flock of God, not stir them up.? Churches now have “Praise Leaders!”? ? b.? I find that preaching the Word is a divider because the Word brings about the knowledge of sin, the need for repentance, and division from the world.? c.? Rejoicing should be a spontaneous result of an inner Joy found in the Lord.? Rejoicing is a product of that inward Joy, not the cause of Joy.? Romans 12:12? ? Rejoicing in hope;? patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;? Philippians 3:1? ? Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.? To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.? Philippians 4:4? ? Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.? 7.? The hymns of the Faith no longer cause Rejoicing, so the modern day “church” is now in the “Entertainment Business” instead of reproving, rebuking, and Exhorting with all longsuffering and doctrine.? Modern day preaching and music reflect the world because most professing “Christians” are more worldly than spiritual.? C.? Both rejoicing and joy are to be despite our circumstances, not because of them!? Most Christians live in discouragement with little joy.? ? Why?? The answer is simple.? 1.? Because Of Sinfulness - Matthew 24:12? And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.? ? (God's people are not drunks and harlots, but sin creeps in and we now walk at a guilty distance from God and the joy is gone.)? 2.? Because Of Our Situations - Matthew 14:30? But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.? ? (God's people have their eyes upon the “wind and waves” of circumstance and not upon Christ.? When Peter looked up instead of looking down, he saw the Lord of the “wind and waves” and once again walked on the water.)? D.? Many Christians live in defeat with no joy at all.? 1.? For The World, Joy Is Found In Circumstances – Luke 12:16-21? And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:? And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.? ? And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.? But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.? 2.? For The Christian, Joy Is Found Despite Circumstances - 2 Corinthians 7:4? Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation.? 2 Corinthians 8:2? How that? in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty? abounded unto the riches of their liberality.Colossians 1:11? Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power,? unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;? 1 Thessalonians 1:6? And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord,? having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:? E.? Loss of joy comes through:? 1.? Losing the freshness of our salvation.? 2.? Losing the burning love for our Saviour.? 3.? Losing the excitement of our service.? WHERE THE CHRISTIAN FINDS HIS JOY? 1.? Christian Joy Is Found In Salvation - Luke 10:20? Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.? Psalms 35:9? And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall? rejoice in his salvation.? Psalms 51:12? Restore unto me? the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.? Psalms 132:16? I will also clothe her priests? with? salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.? Isaiah 12:3? Therefore? with joy? shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.? 2.? Christian Joy Is Found In The Holy Ghost - Romans 15:13? Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,? that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.? Joy Is Not Found In The Things Of The World - Romans 14:17? For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink;? but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.? 3.? Christian Joy Is Found In God's Word - Nehemiah 8:9-12? And Nehemia

What do you picture when you think of church?Do you think of the rows of wooden pews or the intricate stained-glass windows in the sanctuary? Stacks of Bibles and hymnals? What about a stage or pulpit? Maybe you think of a large auditorium setting if you attend a mega church.? All these details tell us what we see when we look at a building, but they tell us nothing about what a church should biblically look like. Scripture does not give directions about the format of seating or the use of a stage. We find no mention of a required carpet color or use of stained-glass windows. During the early days of the church, there were no chapels or cathedrals with steeples. That is because the Church is not a building.? Believers make up the body of Christ, the Church (1 Corinthians 12:27).? As members of the body of Christ, what we look like stems from our relationship to Jesus and the mission He gave us. He has called us to be a multiplying people, a community that grows and reaches into the lives of others. It is a group of individuals who increasingly look like Him.? C.S. Lewis wrote about the purpose of the church in Mere Christianity. As he explained, “[T]he church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time” (HarperOne, 2001, p. 199).At first, Lewis' statement might surprise us. Constructing buildings, doing missions, and studying the Bible are wastes of time? They are if people are not growing in Christ and making disciples. The body of believers is meant to look increasingly like Jesus and help others become reflections of Christ too. If the church is not doing that, then it is not accomplishing its purpose. It will not look like a biblical church. ? ? But what are the indications that a group of believers are accomplishing this purpose of growing to become more like Christ? ? ? ? Scripture does not have directions about what a church building should look like, but it does have a wealth of information about what it looks like to live as individuals belonging to the Church.Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Will & Deni McIntyre

I have heard for many years people in churches or on social media say something like this:? “we need to sing more hymns because they are deeper than modern songs.”

Reflections on 250 Years of “Amazing Grace”Tyler JohnsonMon, 11/20/2023 - 01:22 On New Year's Day 1773, John Newton preached from 1 Chronicles 17:16–17. It was during this message that Newton introduced to his congregation a special song—arguably the most well-known hymn of all time—“Amazing Grace.”In 2023, some two-hundred fifty years since “Amazing Grace” was first sung, the message of God's grace is still powerfully ministering through this hymn to people all over the world. But why? Why has “Amazing Grace“ resonated within the hearts of so many since its writing?Deliverance from Spiritual DarknessYou may know that the lyrics to “Amazing Grace” were birthed out of personal testimony. When Newton was just six years old, he lost his mother to tuberculosis, and at only eleven years of age, he joined his father at sea. In years to come, Newton's life took a sharp downward trajectory as he participated in the slave trade, transporting people from the African continent.It was during a particularly stormy journey from Africa to Europe in 1748 that Newton, fearing for his life, began reading the Scriptures and contemplating his faith in God in an attempt to find some comfort for his soul. Although his mother had died early in his life, she had instilled in his heart a scriptural foundation that John remembered then, even within the darkness of the slave trade. God did rescue Newton and the entire crew in that storm. But more significantly, it was through this experience that Newton placed his faith in Christ as his Savior.Newton eventually rejected the ills of the slave trade and became a respected voice in his day against the evils of slavery. Ultimately, he pursued a ministry life in the small English town of Olney.It was in Olney that Newton worked together with his friend William Cowper to produce the well-known collection Olney Hymns. It was in this book that “Amazing Grace” was first published.? The song “Amazing Grace” was birthed against the backdrop of the personal testimony of John Newton and God's great salvation from sin. Light is more readily appreciated in contrast with darkness. Goodness is seen more vibrantly in the face of evil. The beauty of God's grace is demonstrated more dramatically against the ugliness of sin. Shortly before Newton's death, he said, “My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior.”? On Newton's tombstone is the following inscription: “John Newton, clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was by the rich mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long labored to destroy.”Delivery of Scriptural DoctrineScriptural worship always begins with properly understood truth. Truth ought to be the driver of our affections and should generate a response within the heart and life of the believer. These responses—whether of praise, surrender, giving, or serving—are the sacrifices of worship we offer to God.? The essential nature of truth in our worship is seen in Jesus' words in John 4:24, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”It is the beautiful communication of truth in “Amazing Grace” that has made it resonate so deeply in the hearts of Christians over the centuries. We sing in this hymn the wonderful realities we as Christians hold dear: the depth of our sin; the richness of Christ's grace and love; the comfort of God's presence, goodness, and care in our lives; and the ultimate hope for the believer in Heaven with God for all of eternity.? The truths expressed in “Amazing Grace” are ultimately a reminder of the unlimited reach of God's grace in our salvation. This is reminiscent of the apostle Paul's encouragement in 1 Corinthians 6:11: “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”Intergenerational Timelessness of TruthGreat songs are not relegated to a specific time period. In fact, wonderful and doctrinally rich songs communicating truth from God's Word can and are being written today.? Even so, I am appreciative of the heritage that we as believers have in many great songs of the faith. One of the enduring values of a hymn like “Amazing Grace” is that it appropriately and excellently expresses truth about Who our God is, what He has done and desires to do, and what He has given us in Scripture. When we as believers understand these truths and the immeasurable value of our personal relationship with God, our hearts overflow with a desire to sing praise to God.There is great beauty in multiple generations participating in singing corporately to the Lord. “Amazing Grace” contains timeless truth through which both the old and the young, the time-tested Christian and the new believer, and those of any and all cultural and ethnic backgrounds can participate in worshiping the Lord.Isn't that the heart of God's grace? God loved the world (John 3:16, Ephesians 2:4–5, 1 John 4:10), He gave His Son for the world (Luke 19:10, John? 1:17, John 3:16), He extends His grace to the world (Luke? 19:10, 2 Corinthians 8:9, Ephesians 2:4–9), and He desires “that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17, Romans 5:8–11, 2 Peter 3:9).May our hearts rest in and be refreshed by His amazing grace, and may we be encouraged to share the story of God's grace with the world!Editor's note: To hear a special 250-year anniversary arrangement of "Amazing Grace," performed by the West Coast Baptist College Choir and directed by Tyler Johnson, click here. Category Music Ministry Tags Music Music Ministry Grace

Reflections on 250 Years of “Amazing Grace”Tyler JohnsonMon, 11/20/2023 - 01:22 On New Year's Day 1773, John Newton preached from 1 Chronicles 17:16–17. It was during this message that Newton introduced to his congregation a special song—arguably the most well-known hymn of all time—“Amazing Grace.”In 2023, some two-hundred fifty years since “Amazing Grace” was first sung, the message of God's grace is still powerfully ministering through this hymn to people all over the world. But why? Why has “Amazing Grace“ resonated within the hearts of so many since its writing?Deliverance from Spiritual DarknessYou may know that the lyrics to “Amazing Grace” were birthed out of personal testimony. When Newton was just six years old, he lost his mother to tuberculosis, and at only eleven years of age, he joined his father at sea. In years to come, Newton's life took a sharp downward trajectory as he participated in the slave trade, transporting people from the African continent.It was during a particularly stormy journey from Africa to Europe in 1748 that Newton, fearing for his life, began reading the Scriptures and contemplating his faith in God in an attempt to find some comfort for his soul. Although his mother had died early in his life, she had instilled in his heart a scriptural foundation that John remembered then, even within the darkness of the slave trade. God did rescue Newton and the entire crew in that storm. But more significantly, it was through this experience that Newton placed his faith in Christ as his Savior.Newton eventually rejected the ills of the slave trade and became a respected voice in his day against the evils of slavery. Ultimately, he pursued a ministry life in the small English town of Olney.It was in Olney that Newton worked together with his friend William Cowper to produce the well-known collection Olney Hymns. It was in this book that “Amazing Grace” was first published. The song “Amazing Grace” was birthed against the backdrop of the personal testimony of John Newton and God's great salvation from sin. Light is more readily appreciated in contrast with darkness. Goodness is seen more vibrantly in the face of evil. The beauty of God's grace is demonstrated more dramatically against the ugliness of sin. Shortly before Newton's death, he said, “My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior.” On Newton's tombstone is the following inscription: “John Newton, clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was by the rich mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long labored to destroy.”Delivery of Scriptural DoctrineScriptural worship always begins with properly understood truth. Truth ought to be the driver of our affections and should generate a response within the heart and life of the believer. These responses—whether of praise, surrender, giving, or serving—are the sacrifices of worship we offer to God. The essential nature of truth in our worship is seen in Jesus' words in John 4:24, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”It is the beautiful communication of truth in “Amazing Grace” that has made it resonate so deeply in the hearts of Christians over the centuries. We sing in this hymn the wonderful realities we as Christians hold dear: the depth of our sin; the richness of Christ's grace and love; the comfort of God's presence, goodness, and care in our lives; and the ultimate hope for the believer in Heaven with God for all of eternity. The truths expressed in “Amazing Grace” are ultimately a reminder of the unlimited reach of God's grace in our salvation. This is reminiscent of the apostle Paul's encouragement in 1 Corinthians 6:11: “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”Intergenerational Timelessness of TruthGreat songs are not relegated to a specific time period. In fact, wonderful and doctrinally rich songs communicating truth from God's Word can and are being written today. Even so, I am appreciative of the heritage that we as believers have in many great songs of the faith. One of the enduring values of a hymn like “Amazing Grace” is that it appropriately and excellently expresses truth about Who our God is, what He has done and desires to do, and what He has given us in Scripture. When we as believers understand these truths and the immeasurable value of our personal relationship with God, our hearts overflow with a desire to sing praise to God.There is great beauty in multiple generations participating in singing corporately to the Lord. “Amazing Grace” contains timeless truth through which both the old and the young, the time-tested Christian and the new believer, and those of any and all cultural and ethnic backgrounds can participate in worshiping the Lord.Isn't that the heart of God's grace? God loved the world (John 3:16, Ephesians 2:4–5, 1 John 4:10), He gave His Son for the world (Luke 19:10, John 1:17, John 3:16), He extends His grace to the world (Luke 19:10, 2 Corinthians 8:9, Ephesians 2:4–9), and He desires “that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17, Romans 5:8–11, 2 Peter 3:9).May our hearts rest in and be refreshed by His amazing grace, and may we be encouraged to share the story of God's grace with the world!Editor's note: To hear a special 250-year anniversary arrangement of "Amazing Grace," performed by the West Coast Baptist College Choir and directed by Tyler Johnson, click here. Category Music Ministry Tags Music Music Ministry Grace

by Phil JohnsonBTW, "Get Woke or get out" is no way to promote Christian unity.ohn McWhorter, professor of linguistics, comparative religion, music history, and Americana at Columbia University has been pointing out (since at least 2015) that Woke anti-racism is a religion. McWhorter says, "When someone attests to his white privilege with his hand up in the air, palm outward . . . the resemblance to testifying in church need not surprise. Here, the agnostic or atheist American who sees fundamentalists and Mormons as quaint reveals himself as, of all things, a parishioner."Wokeism satiates the religious cravings of the human spirit for people who have rejected conventional expressions of theistic worship. It has therefore become the current orthodoxy in the academic world and the official religion of secular society.It has also become a kind of plaything for evangelicals who crave the world's admiration and approval—and who don't mind dabbling in syncretism. This is a frivolous and dangerous experiment, however, because no one who holds any real evangelical convictions can ever be truly Woke. Too many of Wokeism's cardinal tenets flatly contradict biblical principles. The truly Woke are militantly pro-abortion; devoted to the LGBTQAFLCIO agenda, rabid socialists, and high-handed secularists. Pure Wokeism is openly hostile to any whiff of evangelicalism.Wokeism has become a kind of plaything for evangelicals who crave the world's admiration and approval—and who don't mind dabbling in syncretism.Plus, Woke religion has a very insular creed. Soul liberty is antithetical to their fundamental convictions. They have a deep and abiding hatred for every worldview, idea, or person that challenges any point of their authorized credo. Indeed, to challenge Wokeism on any point or at any level whatsoever is deemed damnable heresy. Wokeism ironically fosters this extreme illiberality in the name of "tolerance and diversity."Wokeism is as narrow-minded as any brand of fundamentalism—and getting more narrow every day. Every article of faith must be formally affirmed and faithfully adhered to. A catalogue of insider jargon signals other adherents that you too are Woke. But there are forbidden words that must be carefully avoided on pain of excommunication. And the list of taboo expressions is constantly being revised and expanded, so you must stay conversant with the approved vocabulary or risk being publicly shamed and shunned.In addition to the strict cardinal dogmas, Wokeism has its own sacraments and rituals, high priests, saints, and martyrs—even a kind of hymnology. The flavor of Woke rhetoric is homiletical rather than scholarly; it's a sermonic appeal to deep emotions, utilizing personal testimony and a carefully-crafted narrative (the Woke mythology) rather than statistics.It's an odd religion—teaching people to nurse grudges, cast blame, cultivate ill will against whole people groups, and deepen that personal sense of resentment. But it is nonetheless fully religious in character, for all the reasons noted.The push to spread Woke doctrines therefore has all the characteristics of a religious campaign—a crusade to win converts by any means possible. Conversion conveys a moral standing that non-converts (the uncooperative, unwashed, unWoke) don't have. It's a limited veneer of virtue that offers a provisional reprieve—nothing like full forgiveness. (More on that later.) But it entitles the penitent to join the Woke in heaping full-throated condemnation on the unWoke.To a devotee of Wokeness, being unWoke is tantamount to being a rank heathen or an evil infidel. They see Wokeness not merely as a matter of politics; it is the only righteous worldview, and it must be embraced with pure religious fervor. Indeed, Woke anti-racism has quite literally become a point of religious doctrine so important that even in the minds of the kinda-Woke evangelicals it has upstaged and eclipsed abortion as the number one moral crisis in America.Wokeism is a nasty religious cult. Its votaries routinely declare people guilty for the sins of others, elicit rote confessions, and then refuse to offer absolution. They define sin mainly (if not entirely) as a horizontal offense—but not necessarily even a personal offense. You are guilty mainly for what your ancestors may have done. And even if your ancestors were themselves poor subsistence farmers who never oppressed anyone, if other members of your ethnic group did, you are made to bear the guilt for that. Guilt is therefore a corporate responsibility, apportioned differently to different ethnicities.If you don't have the right kind of victim status or skin color, it would be utterly foolish for you even to think of asking for forgiveness. Still, you must confess the guilt you bear by kneeling and reciting the prescribed confession. And if you don't do this, your refusal to genuflect on command will mark you as a fascist. The fact that you dissent from the received opinion intensifies the criminality you inherited when you were born into the wrong ethnic group. Preachers of the Woke doctrines will do everything they can to make sure you are shunned by polite society. Apologize publicly and you will merely be mocked (and subjected to endless re-indoctrination). But if you remain stubbornly unWoke, those who are Woke will scold and harass you publicly, relentlessly, trying to get you fired from your job.Or worse.On the other hand, if you are a cop, a civic leader, or a Christian, kneeling and accepting the Woke credo will do nothing to make you any less worthy of public contempt and censure.After all, this is a religion that has no doctrine of atonement, no concept of forgiveness, and no possibility of real redemption. The recent demonstrations and riots made clear that no matter how frequently they use the word, reconciliation is not the real goal of Wokeism.In short, the Woke worldview is impossible to blend with gospel truth—and its inevitable drift will take today's wanna-be-Woke evangelicals exactly where the social gospel of Walter Rauschenbusch took the mainline denominations in the twentieth century: into rank theological liberalism and unbelief.The notion that the gospel can be improved by blending it with Wokeism is sheer folly anyway. The Woke worldview is rooted in secularism—and arguably, Marxism. Its central claims and distinctive jargon are taken not from Scripture but from secular political discourse. It is a canon of doctrine deliberately designed to provoke conflict, prolong resentment, and foster bitterness between different ethnicities. It encourages people to be offended by things that never actually happened to them—while blaming others for sins they did not actually commit. It doles out guilt and shame rather than grace and redemption. Though it is promoted by people who say they oppose ethnic strife, it is a blatantly racist worldview, condemning entire ethnic groups for sins that were committed generations ago by people long dead.All of that hits at the heart of the gospel message of forgiveness, grace, oneness in Christ, and unity in the church. It is as anti-Christian as every other cult or false religion, and faithful followers of Christ should recognize that.