Emotional Setup Behind Many Contemporary Christian Music (CCM)
Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) reshaped worship in the 1990s, led by Hillsong, with spotlights, rising vocals, dazzling lights, and literal darkness. Tearful crowds and emotional highs became the norm, but do most of these modern songs reflect the Biblical act of worship?
3 PROBLEMS WITH THERAPEUTIC WORSHIP.
1. An Appeal to the Senses, Not the Spirit
Much of today’s Christian music appeals to the senses, not the Spirit. Driven by emotional, performance-style worship modeled after pop concerts, megachurch culture prizes atmosphere over repentance, dimming lights and amplifying emotion instead of conviction.
Woke-leaning musicians from Hillsong, Bethel, and Elevation music, such as Lauren Daigle, Kari Jobe, or Amy Grant, exemplify this shift—emphasizing emotional experience or inclusivity while sidestepping biblical clarity on sin, repentance, and issues such as LGBTQ lifestyles.
Their music moves the heart but rarely calls the soul to holiness. The heart is deceitful above all things, and uplifting melodies easily stir emotion while leaving the soul malnourished.
Growing up in the faith, I noticed how many worship events followed this “emotional setup,” unintended or not. Christians lifting their hands, shouting “Jesus,” and crying. Yet, for many of them I know, it was just emotions. They professed Christ, but aren’t kind people, and some live in sin.
QUALIFICATIONS OF A CHURCH MUSIC MEMBER.
2. Performance to Pack the Church
The Song That Moved Millions
In 2008, Michael Guglielmucci (Planetshakers, Hillsong) performed “Healer,” claiming God cured his cancer. With an oxygen tube in hand, he moved crowds and gained national attention. Later, he confessed it was all a lie—he never had cancer. It was a cover for a long-term porn addiction.
What seemed Spirit-filled was more about emotional manipulation than worship, a performance to pack the church and earn a living from it.
Music to Masks Moral Failure
Much of today’s Christian music now appeals to emotion rather than the Spirit—marked by concert-style worship and messages that avoid repentance. The rise of woke-leaning artists and leaders reflects a shift from conviction to compromise.
- Michael English (Dove Award winner) hid an extramarital affair despite his Christian platform.
- Michael Tait (DC Talk, Newsboys) admitted to years of drug abuse, abusive behavior, and same-sex advances.
- Amy Grant, the first CCM artist to cross into mainstream pop, now openly supports LGBTQ causes.
- Jennifer Knapp (Grammy-nominated) came out as a lesbian in 2010, affirming her identity despite biblical teaching.
- Vicky Beeching (worship leader and theologian) came out as gay in 2014 and advocates same-sex marriage.
- Ray Boltz (“Thank You” singer) admitted in 2008 that he was gay and continues to live openly while performing in LGBT-affirming circles.
- Lauren Daigle has equivocated on whether homosexuality is a sin, saying she “can’t say one way or the other.”
- Carlton Pearson (pastor/singer) was declared heretical after adopting universalist theology and LGBTQ inclusion.
CHURCHES TURN WORSHIP INTO A CONCERT.
CHRISTIAN SONGS YOU SHOULD AVOID.
3. Emotional Highs Don’t Equal True Worship
Demonic Manifestation in “High Worship”
As a youth worship leader, I attended many retreats and “worship nights.” During one “high worship” moment at a music ministry retreat, I felt deeply disturbed—sensing demonic activity, which seemed strange in that setting. A fellow worshipper later confirmed she had visions of snakes crawling on the floor. We were all devoted to music ministry, yet evil still manifested—perhaps because some hearts were worshiping in emotion, not in spirit and truth.
It’s the same today. Music can stir emotions and move the spirit, but that doesn’t mean the heart is worshiping God. After all, people also cry at a Taylor Swift concert. Emotional highs don’t equal true worship.
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