Ryanne Molinari

Welcome to the final article in my Bethel-Hillsong series! To organize this content, I’ll link each article in order below:

1. Sick of Unfruitful Arguing? It’s Time To Reevaluate the Bethel-Hillsong Debate According to the Fruit of the Spirit
2. Is it Loving to Sing Music by Bethel and Hillsong in Our Worship?
3. Rejoicing with the Truth: Does Using Music by Bethel and Hillsong Generate Genuine Joy in Our Churches?
4. Is Singing Music by Bethel and Hillsong Promoting Peace in the Body of Christ? The Answer is More Nuanced Than You Think
5. Should we be Concerned that Using Music by Bethel and Hillsong is Contributing to our Culture of Immediate Gratification? On Patience and Using CCM Music in Worship
6. Stop and Check Yourself. Are You Being Kind to People with Different Worship Tastes? Reestablishing the Terms of the Bethel-Hillsong Debate
7. The Good, The Bad, or the Simply Not Good: Can we Pronounce the Music of Bethel and Hillsong as “Very Good”?
8. Beware False Fig Trees: Listening and Singing Faithfully in the Flashy Industry of Bethel, Hillsong, and Contemporary Christian Music
9. Coming Back to the Heart of Worship: 5 Facts About Gentleness that Shape How We Discuss and Do Worship Music
10. Surprised by Self-Control: Bethel, Hillsong, and the Overlooked Purpose of Congregational Song

As we wrap up this lengthy series, here are nine fruitful questions to consider before you program music by any artist—including Bethel and Hillsong—for worship:

1. Love: Does this song align with the definition of love given in 1 Corinthians 13?
2. Joy: Does this song promote joy as a response to biblical truth, not just musical expression?
3. Peace: Does this song foster unity with and in Christ?
4. Patience: Does this song prioritize sanctification or stimulation?
5. Kindness: Is this song genuinely useful (encouraging and convicting) to my congregation?
6. Goodness: Is this song pleasing to God, worshiping Him on His terms?
7. Faithfulness: Are the lyrics of this song consistent with our lives and beliefs?
8. Gentleness: Is this song contributing to a culture of human humility and God’s glory?
9. Self-Control: Is this song strengthening worshipers in obedience?

I hope this series helped you think about this issue from a fresh perspective. Again, please subscribe to my website if you haven’t already. The first 50 subscribers from this series will be entered in a drawing for a custom worship-themed gift.