Keith Getty of the modern hymn duo Keith & Kristen Getty recently warned that contemporary worship music lacks a "deep sense of understanding of God" and can lead to Christians making a "God of our own image."
In an interview with Faithwire, Getty addressed various topics, including his music, the state of today's worship music and the 20th anniversary of the prolific hymn "In Christ Alone."
"At the primary level, authentic worship of God begins with an authentic picture of God," Getty told the outlet. "It doesn't begin with whether my heart was moved, it doesn't begin with what I am, it begins with who God is," he explained. "The concerning thing with modern worship – it does not have a deep sense of understanding of God that we see as we study the Bible … as we see how God works in human history."
"If how God is revealed in the Bible is not within some of their songs, we're making a God of our own image," he contended.
Getty also argued that much of modern worship music is more "about the person at the front" than about God. Regarding congregational worship, the singer suggested that it should be done daily in Christian homes and at least every week in church.
"It is a representation of eternity in every tribe, tongue, nation, and language gathered," he said.
Getty and his wife, Kristen, recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of the hymn "In Christ Alone," which is reportedly sung by an estimated 100 million people each year. He told Faithwire that the hymn was created from his desire to write theologically oriented music and his want "to try and write something that was different."
He added that the song's melody was actually written on the back of an electric bill.
The Gettys recently released their live album Sing! In Christ Alone, which was recorded at the 2021 Sing Conference at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Getty hopes the album will strengthen listeners' faith by providing them with new worship music.
"There is this desire that people will find songs that they can sing to themselves, with their family, and in their church," he said. "Songs that are a little more rich and deep in meaning."
Photo courtesy ©Getty Images/Sakorn Sukkasemsakorn
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
