Brandon Lake’s bad moment
Christian musician goes weak on worship
This is one of the many photos during Brandon Lake’s Tear the Roof Off Tour in 2024. He is pictured here in Lubbock, TX in October 2024. Megan Gorey via brandonlake.com
Brandon Lake is at the top of Christian music.
He swept four categories of the recent K-LOVE Fan Awards: Artist of the Year; Male Artist of the Year; Song of the Year; and Worship Song of the Year.
However, while being a podcast guest in April, Lake gave a feeble response about church worship.
Lake’s interview with 21-year-old evangelist Bryce Crawford of the Bryce Crawford Podcast emerged after the K-LOVE Fan Awards by the discernment blog Protestia.
I think- last thing I’ll say is like, I’d love to see more worship sets, more churches, kind of keep Bubba in mind. Like we call him Bubba, the guy who’s like in the back of the room and he’s like, he got dragged there by his wife. And I just don’t know if, like, when your opening song or the most of your songs have so much Christianese language, I think he has a hard time going like, ‘can I sing that? Like I’m not there yet.’
I think he hears a (Hard Fought Hallelujah) and I’m not, I’m not saying Hard Fought is the answer, but like, I love like, like when your first song is like, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty.’ I think he’s going like, ‘What does ‘holy’ mean? Like holy crap? what? I don’t know. Obviously that’s where we want to get to in a worship set is where it’s just every eye is fixated on him. Right. And it’s just like everyone- it’s like vertical. But like give Bubba some language. He can be like ‘alright, I find myself in that song. I feel like that’ you know? And and hopefully that’s what some of my music can continue to do.
Lake is a brother in Jesus Christ. He deserves love from Christ followers worldwide for pointing people to Jesus Christ. However, Lake’s large platform also commands responsibility. That requires speaking with biblical clarity on worship, wherever that opportunity arises. The comments that follow don’t question Lake’s faith or motivations.
A megachurch is defined as congregations of 2,000 or more. The modern megachurch movement started in the 1970s and 1980s. However, data reveals that in November 2018 there were 90 American churches with between 10,000 and 44,000 congregants. Seacoast Church, where Lake is a worship leader, has 14,000 people on 13 campuses in the Carolinas, mainly South Carolina.
With worship, megachurches offer all the trappings of entertainment. It comes with lights, fog machines, multiple vocalists, guitars, keyboard, drums, you name it. Yet, this entertainment gets to be called worship. You even get songs that may use pronouns for God or Jesus Christ, without their names or titles. People can “feel” spiritual without God or Jesus. That isn’t the case with all Christian worship music. Sadly, it’s the case with too much of it.
The local church exists to worship God. The local church teaches and disciples the saints. The local church equips Christ followers to serve in the church. The local church brings the lost to repent and believe.
There are countless moments when churches gather to worship. In the context of music, worship helps Christ followers encounter the Creator, the One with all dominion and authority in Heaven and earth. Worship through music delivers awe, reverence, adortion, and exaltation to the Great I AM. Worship through music gives Christ followers an encounter with Yahweh, the pre-existent God of eternity who is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.
This kind of worship has a heart motivation directed toward God, not people on stage. This worship is Heavenly, not earthly.
Yet, the Bible teaches worship can occur in people’s attitudes and actions, anything that is done by a believer where glory and honor is given back to God. That can happen in any human activity.
This is a screenshot of Brandon Lake on the Bryce Crawford Podcast in April. Bryce Crawford Podcast/Youtube
If Bubba was dragged to church, he undoubtedly needs to meet the God who created the world and him. Worship doesn’t need to be dumbed down by eliminating Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty. Bubba already has a low view of God, and perhaps no view of God. Bubba needs to be elevated to get a glimpse of the greatness and majesty of a kingdom not of this world. Bubba needs to be brought to a point where he understands he must be reconciled to God. Until he does that, he doesn’t belong, and many things will sound like Christianese. Hearing saints on a Sunday morning singing words that point him to Jesus Christ is a good thing.
If Bubba comes to repent and believe, he will desire theological depth because he will grow in his knowledge, love, and fear of God.
If Bubba isn’t lazy and keeps going to church, he’s going to start learning the deep things of God and realize theology trumps his feelings every time. He also will find men who will challenge him so he understands Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty. He will learn that divine attribute has nothing to do with “holy crap,” and it has everything to do with giving God the glory, honor, and power that He deserves.
This comment by Lake came during the podcast when Lake and the host talked about mental health and how Lake’s song “Hard Fought Hallelujah” has spoken to a generation of people going through hard times. That led to Lake’s comments about Bubba and worship.
That song has hours of airplay on Christian radio. The song was written by Lake, Steven Furtick, Benjamin Hastings, Rodrick Simmons, Jelly Roll, and Chris Brown. Lake is unequally yoked with Furtick, pastor of Elevation Church and a known heretic. There are numerous videos, columns, and blog posts that address Furtick’s heresies.
Most Christian music fans don’t care about that. However, being aligned with Furtick gets to Lake’s discernment about brothers and sisters in Christ. It gets to applying theology to that life area that generates prestige, status, fame, and money.
Lake will continue to sell out arenas to adoring fans. Lake would serve them well by pointing them to the King of kings, Lord of lords, and God of gods, helping them to gain a high view of God, not a dumbed-down one.
Bubba needs that and he will thank Lake later for making it happen.
