Other worship music writers, like Brooke Ligertwood (formerly Fraser), with Hillsong, also represent this broadening of themes in worship music, often by returning to more classic language of worship, in songs like “Beneath the Waters.” In it, somewhat uncharacteristically of Evangelical lyrics, the song celebrates themes related to Christian baptism as alluded to in passages like Romans 6:3-4:
Now here my absolution
Forgiveness for my sin
And I sink beneath the waters
That Christ was buried in.
These are merely two examples of a tendency among some contemporary worship artists to expand what has been, up to this point, the limited themes of contemporary worship music. For many years, for example, “How Great Is Our God” was the only contemporary worship song that made direct mention of the doctrine of the Trinity (The Father, Spirit, Son; the Godhead Three in One).
In other words, contemporary music is getting old. Old thoughts, ancient lyrics, portions of liturgy and biblical phrases are increasingly making their way into recently released contemporary songs. A few years ago, if asked to incorporate contemporary songs that focus on repentance or resurrection or the Eucharist or baptism, most worship leaders would have to look for quite a while for examples. Increasingly, however, contemporary praise music gives every sign of moving into a more mature and theologically rich voicing of the language the church has long used in worship.
In a conversation I had with Rich Mullins several years ago (and how he is missed), he talked about how much exposure to liturgy altered and enriched his own worship and the worship music he was writing in those last years of his life. Having been raised in the typically gospel style worship of Christian Churches (Stone-Campbell Movement) and then moving into contemporary praise style worship, Rich found in the language the church hammered out over many centuries a great deal of wisdom and biblically grounded reflection.
It is an interesting journey to pick up a CD from a popular worship band from 10 or 15 years ago and compare the music and lyrics to one produced in the past year. There are noticeable changes in overall style. But it is in the lyrics and subject matter of the songs you can often most clearly see contemporary worship music moving beyond the giddy days of childhood into music worthy of preservation and reflection for generations to come.
