The Christian singer and songwriter Andy Flannagan talked about worship on GOD TV Together show. He said that what people sing becomes their theology.
Andy Flannagan
Andy Flannagan joined Fergus Scarfe and Emma Abbott on the GOD TV Together show. He shared a profound revelation about worship. He loved to write songs that would inspire people to use new vocabulary outside their narrow constraints. “I often see God as almost like a beautiful diamond and all these different facets… But sadly, often we restrict what we sing to Him to just a few of the facets of His character,” he remarked.
Furthermore, he talked about his friend Sam Hargreaves, who did his thesis at the London School of Theology. According to him, Sam studied the top 50 songs of the last decade that people were singing in church by looking through the statistics, and what he discovered saddened him. “He ended up calling his thesis, ‘Jesus is my girlfriend.’ Because when you looked at all the songs… well it’s number one; it’s mostly me-centered. But number two, most of the metaphorical language is all about romance,” he highlighted.
GODTV (Screenshot). (2023). GODTV, GOD TV Together. Retrieved December 1, 2023 from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2kDL2LSYhA
Singing Worship Songs
Meanwhile, he added that it’s not a bad thing since believers have this deep intimate relationship with God which they should celebrate, and using romantic language was understandable. But if people predominantly used that language, they would miss out on singing to the God of justice, purity, and holiness. “What we sing about has a huge influence. You know, basically, what we sing becomes our theology. Far more than what we learn. Because when we’re singing, it’s bouncing around our heads. We believe what we sing,” he explained.
Moreover, he also mentioned what John Bell from the Iona Community said, “If we don’t sing about God in the kitchen, it’s unlikely that we’ll be looking for His action in the kitchen.” He elaborated on what John said by stating that it’s better to expand people’s metaphorical language that creates resonance in their normal day-to-day lives, just like how David described God as a shepherd during his time.
“It’s wonderful to have the biblical language, and we’ll keep using it. But if that’s all we’re using, then we’re missing out on introducing Jesus into the breath of people’s real lives,” he recounted.
Watch the full video here.
Reference | GOD TV
Header Image: GODTV (Screenshot). (2023). GODTV, GOD TV Together. Retrieved December 1, 2023 from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2kDL2LSYhA
