For musician David Crowder, worship shouldn’t stop when the song is over.
“Worship and justice go hand in hand,” he told Relevant Magazine. “If what you’re singing doesn’t change what you do, what’s the point of singing?”
Crowder described music as “a subversive thing,” saying that his job as a Christian artist is “intentionally putting words together that change the way people think about God and think about each other.”
He emphasized the point that worship songs shouldn’t just move you during a service, but should influence and impact you.
“The way we sing should change the way we think,” Crowder explained. “When you help people sing about Jesus and model their lives after Jesus, it’s going to change the way they interact with their neighbors.”
He continued, “I’ve never felt myself as one who just wanted to make art for art’s sake. I always felt more utilitarian about the whole thing: I have a place and a time where I’ve been put, and my functionality is really measured by the community that I’m among.”
“The reason I love doing church music is because church music has action behind it and a physical effect on people,” Crowder concluded. “It changes the way you live. So to me, it’s the perfect marriage.”
It’s a topic the artist has frequently spoken about; in a 2015 interview with Guideposts, Crowder shared, “I grew up in the church, in a very traditional scene, and when I got to school, my mind was blown by all the ideas and things I’d been sheltered from. It’s like, ‘I need to weed through this and decide what of this faith is mine and what have I just inherited from my parents,’ and then throw my arms around it. For me, Christ is a very compelling figure and something I wasn’t willing to set aside, but what of it is just institutional baggage and how can I help other people find freedom?”
“When I say things and write things to put in the mouths of people, it’s shaping the way they think about God and each other,” he explained in a 2013 interview with Atlanta Magazine. “Even though they could just passively sing along, it’s informing theology and doctrine. You’re basically indoctrinating people, which makes you nervous.”
Crowder’s comments about the relationship between music and actions is a reminder that the words we sing during church services should inform our actions.
Read Next: You Won’t Believe the Impact You’ve Had on David Crowder
Questions or comments? Please write to us here.
