Keith Getty on Modern Worship Music

Keith Getty on Modern Worship Music

Legendary hymn writer Keith Getty has serious reservations about contemporary worship music, warning some of it lacks “a deep sense of understanding of God” and sometimes results in people making a “God of our own image.”

Getty, alongside wife Kristyn, is out with a recent album, “Sing! In Christ Alone.” He recently spoke with CBN’s Faithwire about his music, the 20th anniversary of the famed contemporary hymn, “In Christ Alone,” and the state of modern worship songs.

“At the primary level, authentic worship of God begins with an authentic picture of God. It doesn’t begin with whether my heart was moved, it doesn’t begin with what I am, it begins with who God is,” Getty said. “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.”

The writer and performer added, “If how God is revealed in the Bible is not within some of their songs, we’re making a God of our own image.”

Too much worship music today, Getty argued, is “about the person at the front” rather than about the eternal subject matter intended to be at its center.

Getty also spoke about the importance of congregational worship, expressing his belief that it should be done daily in Christians’ homes and at least weekly in church.

“It is a representation of eternity in every tribe, tongue, nation, and language gathered,” he said.

These comments come with quite a bit of weight and experience, as Keith and Kristyn Getty are some of the most well-known and prolific Christian hymn writers.

Their songs are performed at churches worldwide, with “In Christ Alone” reportedly being sung by an estimated 100 million people each year — a remarkable accomplishment more than two decades after the song’s initial release.

Getty also shared some fascinating facts about the hymn, explaining it was birthed from his quest to write theologically deep music and his “wanting to try and write something that was different.”

He originally penned the melody for “In Christ Alone” on the back of an electric bill — a humble beginning for such a beloved song.

Today, the Gettys continue their mission of spreading the Gospel through powerful, transformational, biblically rooted music.

“We live every day for eternity in mind,” he said.

Getty hopes “Sing! In Christ Alone” will help affirm people’s faith while providing fresh and beloved music Christians can sing in worship.

“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.”