By now, most of you know about the rising controversy over the song “Healer,” and the subsequent revelation that the composer was lying about his struggle with cancer. I know some of my readers don’t keep up the latest news in the church/worship scene, so here are some links for you to check out the story for yourself.
Other than a couple of comments via Twitter, I pretty much kept myself out of the conversation yesterday on the blogosphere. There are some great discussions that have gone on, and I think it would be well worth your time to go check out what has been said. Here’s a nice little list for you to check things out: Carlos, Alex, Rich, Chris, Joel, Fred, Scott, Jordan, Gary.
I didn’t get into the debate for a couple of reasons. First, yesterday was my anniversary (if you hadn’t heard), and I really didn’t feel like getting involved in the conversation. Second, as with one of the few tweets I did contribute to the mess, I’ve never really been all that enamored by the song “Healer.” I’ve heard the song numerous times, watched the video, watched the now known to be fake testimony, and was never really drawn in all that much. Sure, I thought it was a cool story, but it never really resonated with me, and I never really thought the song was anything special. Probably because of my cynical nature, I thought there was more hype behind the song than actual moving of the Spirit.
I’m also fully willing to admit that I could be wrong on that score.
Either way, for whatever reason, I couldn’t keep the whole story and song out of my head all day as a result of the brewing controversy. So, I’m posting a day later to at least get some things off my mind. During Bible study last night, we read and discussed 2 Peter 2, and it really resonated with me in the light of the news of the day.
2 Peter 2 (NASB)
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties, whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a reviling judgment against them before the Lord.
But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he received a rebuke for his own transgression, for a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet.
These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.
For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”
All emphasis mine. Here are my thoughts on the matter.
Should we be angry? Absolutely. Scripture is very clear that we are to be angry at sin. The Name and cause of Christ have been smeared by this situation. There are potentially many people around the world who were on the verge of making a decision to give their life to Christ, and now this might keep them from doing so. People going to Hell should make us angry.
This doesn’t mean we are to stand as judge, jury and executioner, yet we are instructed to be discerning. “What about not judging?” you say. Read Scripture clearly and you will find the provision that says “judge not, and you will not be judged” is not really teaching against judgment, but is a call for us to realize that we will be judged by the same measure with which we judge.
When Scripture—and the nature and character of God as revealed by Scripture—are our measure for judgment, then we are standing up solid ground. We are not being judgmental when we agree with God when He has already passed judgment. I would hope that, if I were to fall in a like manner that is damaging to the Gospel and to the Church, I would be judged in a similar way by Christ-followers—and that said followers would be angry for the damage to the cause of Christ.
Can God still use this song? Again, I say absolutely. Just as in the passage above, when a believer like Balaam tried to turn speak against the people of God for his own personal profit, God was able to speak through Balaam and make him pronounce a blessing when he thought to produce a curse. It is in this way that I liken this situation to a false prophet. A false prophet does not have to be someone who is an unbelieving charlatan, they can also be a believer who’s allowed themselves to be led astray, and become trapped in their own devices. I think this is largely what has happened in this “Healer” situation.
A call for accountability and repentance. This whole situation is yet another reminder for all of us who name the Name of Christ to check ourselves and see if we too are entangled in sin. Our sins WILL be found out, and those things we have done in secret will be shouted from the rooftops. It’s time to clean up the household of the heart if it is in need. Not only does sin break fellowship with the Father, it causes damage to His mission on this earth.
A call for discernment. I don’t know how things in this “Healer” situation got as far as they did without anybody checking the story out. I wasn’t there, so I don’t know how the ball got dropped on this, but it did. It’s akin to all those silly emails that Christians pass around to each other that are meant to incite fear or otherwise make us look bad. We really should check sources out before we hit send. Did those who thought the story true trust that the Hillsongs folks had checked their facts? I’m sure that’s the case. Whoever is closest to the “story” needs to do a better job of establishing truth. We all have that responsibility.
A call for forgiveness and restoration. Quite obviously, despite the damage done, we all need to move on toward forgiveness. Did Mike mess up? Yes, he did. Just like we couldn’t read his heart when he taped the bogus cancer story, we won’t be able to read his heart when he says he has repented and asked for forgiveness. Our only responsibility here is to forgive him and move on in continuing our work.
Can Mike still be used in the future by the Lord? I believe so. If he truly repents, I think God can use him. Look at the rogues gallery in Scripture and see what I mean. Abraham got caught in lies; Moses murdered somebody and tried to cover it up; David devised a murder to cover up his adultery; Solomon (based on Ecclesiastes) seems to have been an adulterer, a drunk, a drug abuser, a worshiper of false gods, the list goes on; Peter denied he even knew who Christ was; Paul rounded up Christ-followers and saw them put to death. Need I go on?
Mike will have to rebuild trust, and will likely never have the influence he once had, or could have had if this had not happened. However, I believe in a God of forgiveness, grace, and mercy, who will use all vessels made available to him, even broken and dirty ones. It is in this way that the lyrics of “Healer” find their full measure of application.
A reminder of where our faith resides. As with everything in our lives, this is another reminder that our faith is in Jesus Christ and not in any of his followers. If we are putting our trust in any man other than the Son of Man, our faith is in vain. If worship happens apart from worship of the only One worthy of worship, then our worship is in vain.
