Theologian Warns Churches Against Using Worship Songs From ‘Theologically Aberrant’ Movements

A prominent theologian wants churches not to sing music from "theologically aberrant" movements and use "tested" and "true" songs instead.

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Albert Mohler is urging churches to abandon "theologically aberrant" songs of praise and instead go for those that have long been "tested" and are "true." The 62 year old theologian spoke about the topic on his podcast, "The Briefing," in which he answered a question from a listener who wondered if it is "wise to sing songs in worship" that come from "theologically aberrant movements - or churches or movements that teach false doctrine."

Mohler explained that when Christians sing hymns, "we are thinking of the words of the hymn" and "not particularly the hymn writer," the Christian Headlines reported. As for "theologically aberrant" movements and songs coming from such, the church leader said, "I would avoid that music."

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Explains Which Songs Christians Should Sing

Mohler shared that he personally likes to sing "historic Christian hymns" and therefore prefers worship to be "organized around historic Christian hymns that have stood the test of time." But he does acknowledge new hymnody that are being written that is also well-loved by Christians.

"Hymns such as 'In Christ Alone' - they are just as theologically vibrant and rich. And frankly, they have already passed the test of theological orthodoxy and the love of the church," Mohler explained. But the theologian warned that other songs "don't meet the test" and some even "come from very problematic sources."

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Church Leader Explains Why Some Songs of Praise are Problematic

According to Mohler, it may be difficult to distinguish the song from the songwriter when it comes to modern music. The theologian explained that when people know the source of the music and believe it to be "theologically problematic" it then becomes difficult for a person to sing the song "without thinking of the theological associations." Given this argument, Mohler said that he would not use such songs in worship and instead find a song that he describes as "tested, true, and truly testifies of the greatness in the glory of God."

Earlier this month, the Religious News Service reported on popular or modern praise songs, including "Build My Life" from Bethel Music, the megachurch-based worship music hit producer based in Northern California. According to a study called "Worship at the Speed of Sound" conducted by Southern Wesleyan University professor Mike Tapper and his colleagues, the lifespan of a hit worship song has actually decreased in recent years.

Contrastingly, in the mid-1990s, songs sich as "Refiner's Fire" or "In the Secret" had a lifespan about 12 years, rising for four to five years before seeing a decline. The drive for praise songs to decline in popularity rapidly is caused by technology, which allows for music to be distributed quickly and widely, unlike in the previous decades. But some songs "buck the trend," the report said. This includes Mohler's recommendation, "In Christ Alone," which turns 20 years old this year or "10,000 Reasons," which is still popular a decade later.