Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

What do you think about the idea of singing songs by 'secular' bands or artists in church as worship songs? I'm not talking about non-Christian songs or songs like "Highway to Hell" or "Cop Killa" or anything like that. I'm talking about songs like "Everything" by Lifehouse and "40" by U2.

What think ye?

(Lord, please don't let these folks think I'm crazy or that I'm some sort of wack job. And help Diz still be my friend. Amen.) :)

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

I just saw Bldg. 429 do a U2 song in concert. Stellar Cart does Living on a Prayer....Bon Jovi.

I think it would be weird but in concert it was OK.

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

It's not cause you like U2 or anything is it?:ursofunny


Seriously, I have seen someone use "I Still Haven't Found What I am Looking For" in an worship service.

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

I don't really consider LifeHouse a non-Christian band. However I don't really care for these kinds of songs as worship songs...using them as part of a play is fine, but not as our worship songs

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

How about Led Zepplins Stair Way To Heaven?

How about "Knockin on Heavens Door"? lol

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

Seriously, I think there are some pretty good reasons for doing this.

How about "How Far is Heaven" by Los Lonely Boys? It's a powerful song about heaven, our blessed hope.

Why wouldn't you want to sing them in church if the music is good and the lyrics are direct toward God and/or about God? Isn't that a worship song? These are honest questions, I'm not trying to be argumentative.


Jeanie: Yeah, I'm partial to U2. I've had some pretty spiritual experiences listening to their music. Have had to pull over more than once and cry into my steering wheel and speaking in tongues. I know that to some people that sounds really weird and that I just made to the top of some people's prayer lists, but it's true. You're right, I still haven't found what I'm looking for. :) On their "Rattle and Hum" album they did a really cool re-mix of that with a black gospel choir from Harlem

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

I love hearing "How Far is Heaven" before service during fellowship time. And yes I think it's great to redeem music and use it for God's glory. There are alot of secular songs that have great lyrics that we can sing in church.

I remember once when Phil Goldsberry did a special service at our Jackson church, we ended by singing part of "Let's Give 'Em Something to Talk About". That was great!

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

"Salvador" beat you to it, they covered it and had a hit.

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

Ah, but isn't that my point? They covered it. And that's a good thing, imo.

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

Chaotic Reslove and I went to an opening of a new church once and they sang Us songs and a Lenny Kravitz song. They sang "Still Haven't Found what I Been Looking For" -by U2 and "Are You Gonna Go My Way"- by Lenny Kravitz. The worship band rocked the house down! It was interesting. They also sang "Miracle Drug" if I am not mistaken.

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

As someone said earlier, it redeems the art for Christ. I love that! God is working in the world and many of these artists are believers or seekers and their faith comes out in their songs. To me, that's a piece of God in culture that I want to seize and celebrate. When we do this we re-interprete the art in the minds of the hearers and the next time they hear it on the radio it has the potential to produce a God moment for them. At least it does for me.

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

James Cleveland=Gladys Knight "Your The Best Thing" (not sure who wrote it)
Take Six=Doobie Bros "Takin' It To The Streets"
Kirk Franklin=Kenny Loggins "This Is It"

Nothing new bruh...

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

Singing them in church as worship songs is nothing new?

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

IMO, these tunes work great for recordings, concerts, jammin in your ride...but church? Naw, too many people would be turned off. Sure it would be great if we could get folks past stereotypes, but we can't...so...sing church songs.

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

I meant covering secular tunes.

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

If it is a good Holy Ghost service where people are slain in the spirit one could play/sing "Wipe out."

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

Oh, I gotcha. I disagree that you can't sing them in church. We sing them in concerts, so why can't we sing them in church? We did this at a church I helped start last year. Our favorite worship song was "Everything" by Lighthouse. We also did some stuff by U2 and Coldplay. It went over very well. Funny thing is that some old school church people didn't recognize them as secular songs, they kept saying "Man, that song was good! Is that a new song?" haha. I'm not saying that in some churches it wouldn't work. That's true enough. I agree w/you on that.

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

Or when the dude at a certain church wiped out the pulpit with his dance!!! he he

funny post JT

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

That's cool but rare and you know it man. It ain't gonna work most places. I came up here and jammed Kirk Franklin every sunday...in New Brunswick...I had to get over myself and change...a "little" hehehe! You can't always change people.


I doubt the Levites in 2 Chronicles were singing Nefertiitti & The Pharoah's great hit, "Walk Like An Egyptian" when the cloud came down and smoked everyone out bro...I gots me a feeling they were jammin some familiar Israelite Praise & Worship....but thats just me knowwhatImsayin'?????

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

:ursofunny:ursofunny:ursofunny:ursofunny

Yeah, I know. I'm just sayin'....

I like the idea too because it tears down the walls between church culture and secular culture and builds a bridge between the two. I realize that we are to be separate from the world (even as a lib I believe and live THAT. haha) but I wonder if we've built too high of a wall and it makes it difficult for people to connect and relate. JMO.

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

:lol How about "Let The Bodies Hit The Floor"?

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

Worldliness gone wild.

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

Our youth band uses U2 - "Beautiful Day", LifeHouse - "Everything", Stevie Wonder - "Saved, Healed, Delivered..." (signed, sealed, delivered) Bob Dylan "Serve Somebody", etc... I love watching some new kids' eyes light up when he hears a Lifehouse song. The lyric begins to click. "They're singing about God!". Some kid brought me a disc with, "Crank that Holy Ghost" ala Soulja Boy. It was awesome.
The night we did "Serve Somebody", a 50ish saint was at youth service and finally "got it".
just my 2 cents.

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

NOTHING wrong with using secular music or lyrics in church..... As long as your not doing it for shock value. :) (And for some of us in the know, it CAN be shocking. LOL)

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

What about MM singing "Long and Winding Road"?

I sang Elvis' "Love Me Tender" recently at church.

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

LOL!!!!! Oh my goodness, that totally made me laugh out loud. I now have everyone at work looking at me. I needed a laugh, but I didn't want to cause a scene:ursofunny

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

Oh yeah, like you could get rid of me that easy... :ursofunny

BTW, I have been at several youth events lately where they used "Everything" in a really cool skit. I think MM posted one that his youth had done as well.

I just grabbed one as an example off of Youtube.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=yEUVSbD9NF8&feature=related

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

Well, I have seen the visitor get smoked with "I Need You Jesus To Come To My Rescue" so as for me I will stick on this side of the fence...BUT...I understand what you are saying! I really do.


BTW, here is our kids...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcyevueJZBg

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

Cool video and good idea on the drama thing.

On the other thing. I know it's not for everybody and wouldn't work in alot of churches. But I've seen it work and I want to do it in my next church. I'm hoping to plant one in the next few months (secret negotiations. shhhh) It depends though if your band and front man are any good. if they suck it'll just look stupid. but if they're any good it'd be cool, and effective I think. if the band and front guy are ccm people then it won't work i don't think. you have to sell it in order for people to buy it. if you're not comfortable in your skin up there it'll just flop and feel dumb. we'll see. I'm optimistic.

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

Bad case scenerio...I sing U2 on Sunday night...my liberated church goes wild for Jesus, we run the aisles and swing on chandeliers...the MANY visitors say "Wooooow, what a cool hip church!!!!!!" So they go and buy the U2 cd that "Beautiful Day" came from...they hear this song about being hung over:
"In A Little While"
In a little while
Surely you'll be back
In a little while I'll be there

In a little while
This hurt will hurt no more
I'll be home, love

When the night takes a deep breath
And the daylight has no end
If I crawl, if I come crawling home
WiIl you be there

In a little while
I will blow by every breeze
Friday night running
To Sunday on my knees

That girl, that girl
She's mine
And I've know her since

Since you were a little girl
With Spanish eyes
Oh, when I saw her
In a pram they pushed her by

My, how you've grown
Well it's been
It's been a little while

Slow down my bleeding heart
Man dreams one day to fly
A man takes a rocketship into the skys
He lives on starlets dying in the night
And follows in the trail
The scatter of light

Turn it on
Turn it on
You turn me on

Slow down my bleeding heart
Slowly, slowly love
Slow down my bleeding heart
Slowly, slowly love
Slow down my beating heart
Slowly, slowly love

Then they listen to "Sweet Honey"---I won't post the lyrics!!!

And then they say, "haaaaaayyyyy, wait a minute.....that was church music? That is what I am leaaaving this lifestyle for???" Why don't they stay where they are?

Naw, I'd rather sing, "I Need You Jesus To Come To My Rescue"...butthasssjustmeeee!

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

Lol, your post reminds me of a youtube guy who goes around setting up crazy scenerios all over NYC with a lot of people. He took a bunch of dudes on top of an apartment building and played a live concert pretending to be U2 and folks went NUTS all over..it was soooo funny, expecially when the cops got him, he he

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

Ya, I saw that. It was funny! Everybody was like "OMG it's BONO! OMG! Look!! AAAAHHHH!!!" :ursofunny

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

He does another one where about a million people...okay thats a stretch, hand in their backpacks at the public library and then they all ring their cell phones according to brands all at once...heeeeeeee

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

:ursofunny:ursofunny

What's his name? I'll have to look it up.

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

ImprovEverywhere

I love the one where they show up at a small NYC club to see a band from the northeast with NO following whatsoever, doing their first NY gig. ImprovEverywhere got a cd, learned all the songs so they could sing along, printed T-shirts and rounded up a whole groupie fan base to cheer like this band had never seen....fuuu-uuu-ny!

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

I'll chk it out.

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

I do think that there are some songs out there that can be used as worship songs.

Sing them unto the Lord, and not to man, that's all.

I won't divulge because I want to surprise y'all when I do two or three on my CD! :ursofunny

It can happen!

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

I like to hear Splish Splash! at baptisms...

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Here is a compromise. This actually happened in Canada. A UPC church sings Amazing Grace to the tune of THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT.

Re: Sing songs by secular bands in church?
 

Great, now I can't get, "awhembaway awhembaway, ooooooh ooooooooooh oo oo ooo oooooooooh" outta my head!!!!!!!!!!!!:tantrum