American Idol-Shout to the Lord

I have not been paying much attention to news this week so I missed the singing of “Shout to the Lord” on American Idol. For those of you who do no know, on Wednesday, as the closing song for the Idol Gives Back fundraiser the final eight contestants sang the popular praise song “Shout to the Lord”. They did make one change to the song. They changed the lyrics from My Jesus, My Savior to My Shepherd, Me Savior.

Let’s think this through from a Christian perspective. Is there anything inherently wrong with non-Christians singing a song of praise? In and of itself, is it wrong for people who do not love and even hate the Lord to sing a worship song? No, it happens every week in churches all over the world. Unsaved visitors and false Christians sing hymns and worship songs every Sunday. It is not wrong for nonbelievers to sing to God. It can be a powerful witness and opportunity to share the gospel.

Now let’s look at the broader context. Is there anything wrong with American Idol singing “Shout to the Lord”? Again, I have to answer no. There is no difference between American Idol singing “Shout to the Lord” and an apostate church singing it. As a matter of fact it is worse for the apostate church because they are presenting a false and damning gospel.

American Idol did not sing “Shout to the Lord” in order to glorify God; they did it to bring in money–and it worked. This is the problem. They presented this song as a marketing technique and it was successful. That tells us something about the song and/or genre. The lyrics of the song are not bad. They do not display depths of doctrine like some songs, but they do magnify the greatness of God.

The problem is that the world can take a Christian song and incorporate it into a fundraiser with no problem. American Idol is as secular as you get. Everyone knows about American Idol. If something controversial or a unique personality appears on American Idol you will hear about it. American Idol is not as raunchy or “bad” as some programs, but it is not Christ glorifying. It is the opposite. It epitomizes America’s idol–entertainment. When the epitome of entertainment can easily incorporate a “Christian” song into a fundraiser with the potential “American Idol”, there is a problem with “Christian” music.

Christians are to be separate from the world. The world should not find it convenient to use a Christian song as the finale for a charitable fundraiser. Our music should separate us from world. We should not use music that is associated with rebellion. The type of rock and jazz music is heavily associated with rebellion should not be embraced by Christians.

Of the few parts of “School of Rock” I have seen, the one I remember is where the main character asks the class what rock and roll is all about. The class comes up with various answers including “getting wasted” and “scoring babes”, but the correct answer is “sticking to the man”. Even today, rock and roll is characterized by “getting wasted”, “scoring babes”, and “sticking it to the man”.

Jerry Lee Lewis, a famous rock and roll singer, was expelled from Southwestern Bible Institute for playing rock and roll, and when he was later asked if he was still “playing the devil’s music he said, “Yes, I am. But you know it’s strange, the same music that they kicked me out of school for is the same kind of music they play in their churches today. The difference is, I know I am playing for the devil and they don’t.”

Rock and roll is steeped in rebellion; you cannot avoid that. This incident on American Idol is troubling because it shows how like the world we have become.