Tag: praise and worship

American Idol 2026: Bellwether of America’s Course Correction

Monday night, American Idol fans placed Hannah Harper on the coveted roll of annual winners of the nation’s top singing competition. Probably lost on most viewers was the anomaly that the three finalists out of 127 competitors were outspoken Jesus followers with Christian music backgrounds. I believe this is yet another indication of America’s cultural trend back toward faith, religion, and dependence on God.

Since the show’s debut in 2002 rocketing winner Kelly Clarkson into years of celebrity status, the fan-based voting has launched singing careers of the likes of Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, and Adam Lambert among many others. Winners and top contenders over the 24 American Idol seasons have reflected the broad societal trends of our nation. American values in general and the Christian faith in particular have been on a roller coaster ride for that quarter century. American Idol has been a snapshot of what different parts of the country admired, related to, or aspired to in different moments of the period. In the early 2000s, rural America voted heavily for country-oriented artists like Carrie Underwood, Scotty McCreery, and Lauren Alaina.

Later, winners and finalists increasingly reflected America’s racial, ethnic, and stylistic diversity as they chose contestants like Fantasia Barrino, Jordin Sparks, and Ruben Studdard. This showed broader national support for black performers across multiple genres. With the expansion of social media, appitite for the offbeat, and rejection of societal norms, fans migrated away from tradition. This major cultural shift could not have been displayed more blatantly than in 2009 when the top two finalists were Kris Allen, a clean-cut Christian worship leader, and Adam Lambert, a gay, highly tatooed, hard rock singer. Allen narrowly eclipsed Lambert, but it was Lambert who went on to fame and fortune with numerous successful albums over the next several years. Winners and finalists varied broadly over the succeeding years with genres from rock to country. There were very few contestants with Christian music backgrounds, and those that did compete were usually gone by the top twelve cut.

Not only was it the contestants that were relections of our society, but the judges who cycled through the show’s seasons were indicators of the fans’ values. After the first eight seasons with semi-traditional Simon Cowel, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson, the producers replaced Abdul with controversial lesbian, Ellen DeGeneres. Season 10 executives replaced Cowell with Aerosmith rocker, Steven Tyler, an extreme, often-vulgar, non-comformist judge. Season 12 brought on Nicki Minaj, the skimpy-clad, unpredictable rapper.

After nine years of moral bankruptcy at the judges desk, ABC promoted what they called a revival era with a completely new slate of judges, Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan. The viewer base responded with a sigh of relief from many fans like me, although Katy Perry still gave many of us cause to often shake our heads. Then, two years ago, Season 22 began with Carrie Underwood replacing Katy Perry. The producers must have licked their fingers and raised them in the air to test the cultural atmosphere and found faith and family values to be the priorities of the majority of their television audience. That meant millions of voters were preferring singers with less provocative characteristics in everything from dress to song choices to family background. American Idol had always been a mirror of the American soul and spirit. Thankfully, the show is now seeming to align with the gradual shift of the nation toward traditional faith and family values.

It was not by chance that this year’s three finalists were Hannah Harper, Jordan McCullough, and Keyla Richardson, all publicly professing Christ during the entire season of competition. One entire episode was totally praise and worship songs. Underwood took to the stage with her iconic, “How Great Thou Art,” that night. Monday’s last two standing finalists, Hannah and Jordan, continued the spiritual theme in their selections for their last competing songs. Hannah sang an original song, “String Cheese,” about a depressed mother who found value in just helping her child open a string cheese wrapper. Jordan sang, “The Goodness of God,” remembering how faithful God had been throughout his life.

American Idol has changed a lot in 24 years…I believe for the better. I am so grateful to God that it appears to be a reflectiion of our American cultural change during that time…I believe for the better. Even though countless aspects of our society have descended into dark places recently, I am encouraged that there are many signs of spiritual revival. Flowers are blooming among the weeds. Let’s watch for more of those signs and pray for God to show Himself even more pervasively in the months and years ahead.

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Worship Wars

worshipteam

America’s church environment and culture have changed radically in the last three decades. Some are distraught while others are elated about the changes. Probably the most controversial of church refashioning is the evolution of worship substance and style. Some have dubbed the discord “worship wars.” Although more contemporary praise and worship have become accepted in many churches, others are holding a tight grip on the traditional hymns.  Let’s look at what is really at stake here.

I’m a septuagenarian. No, that is not a church denomination. It means I have been blessed to have matured to seventy-something years of age. In my youth and early adult years, worship in church by singing was exclusively in four part harmony from a hymn book. Most of the hymns were written by centuries-old lyricists, and set to old secular melodies. Usually, the song leader would announce that we would be singing the first, second, and last verses from the hymnals stowed in the seat backs. Often, there would be a choir on the platform consisting of people who could actually sing harmony. Most Sundays, the choir or soloist would sing a “special” from the hymnal or other source.

Contrast that with today’s worship services typically consisting of four to six singers on the platform usually backed up by musicians on guitars, electric keyboards, and drums. This “praise team” leads the congregation in praise and worship songs with lyrics on a big screen rather than in a hymn book. The messages of the songs are more simple than in the past. The music is at a higher volume and at a more modern beat and style than that of days gone by.

Churches across America are presently experiencing a wide range of transition from traditional to contemporary worship. Some are hanging on in defiant deference to the old worship styles and hymnals. Others have completely welcomed the popular praise team concept. Yet many are trying to keep one foot in traditional music and one foot in contemporary by mixing hymns and praise songs sung with both a choir and a praise team. One thing is common with almost all churches moving through this generational passage: some level of internal worship wars.

Those who defend traditional worship often bemoan the loudness and what they consider a “rock and roll” style. Some disfavor the “performance-like” presentation with showy lighting and big screens. Others decry the lyrics as being too generic and simple and not doctrinally edifying. My comfort level with contemporary worship is sometimes challenged by the first two concerns. I believe churches can get a little over-the-top with amplification and showmanship that may be too man-centered and may not honor and glorify God. However, I have to challenge the idea that the lyrics and style of the old hymns were better suited for worship.

Yes, my old-school worship foundation made it somewhat difficult for me to initially warm up to singing repeated lines of lyrics that sometimes don’t even rhyme. But the more I compared the traditional with the contemporary, the more God helped me realize that the contemporary lyrics were much closer to how God instructed us to worship. For the most part, hymns are sung “about” the Lord and are mostly instructive. Contemporary songs are primarily sung “to” the Lord and are expressing our love and devotion to Him. Church congregations have many other outlets for doctrine and instruction in sermons and Bible studies. Worship is a connection to God and a musical conversation with Him. With a few exceptions, the songs in the Psalms are praises and odes to God. The Psalms were sung with various musical instruments. Note Psalm 92:

It is good to praise the Lord and make music to Your name, O Most High, to proclaim Your love in the morning and Your faithfulness at night, to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp. For You make me glad by Your deeds, O Lord; I sing for joy at the works of Your hands. How great are Your works, O Lord, how profound Your thoughts!

One final thought. I have lived through the entire worship evolution from hymns and choirs to praise and worship with praise teams. I must say I sometimes have a nostalgic yearning for the former type of worship. However, when I observe the younger generations enthusiastically worshiping with higher energy, higher volume, and higher levels of connectivity with their Creator, I am happy to support them and join them in their preferred and biblical style.

 

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