How Hillsong’s Imperialism is Stifling Our Churches: The Homogenisation of CCM and Worship Music
Music is one of the key identifiers of a culture. Its influence on the church cannot be understated with the lines between religious and musical practices frequently becoming blurred. Music is part of almost all religious expressions and reflects theological and sociological convictions. It has the power to create unity when expressed in diverse and unique ways that reflect a particular cultural context. However, the relationship between contemporary Christian music and culture has contributed to the influence, spread, and homogeneity of imperialistic models of church. In Aotearoa, this manifests in issues of power, whiteness, and empire that impact contemporary Christian music in the local church. Instead, I think that with particular attention to Aotearoa’s bicultural foundation contemporary Christian music might contribute to the redemption and perfection of creation.
Contemporary Christian Music and Culture
CCM (Christian Contemporary Music) has borrowed, imitated, and adapted music from mainstream culture more than any other Christian movement in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Almost all ‘popular religious practices’ involve music and in recent years, the rise of Christian music in the secular sphere has been noticeable. There is very little difference in appearance or sound between secular and religious music with the lyrics being sung often the only distinguishing component. Worship spaces are executed with perfection and the appearance of a pop music concert.
The growing influence of CCM on the church cannot be removed from the impact of Hillsong on the development of the Pentecostal movement. Whilst not originally known for its music, its own musical voice quickly became something that has defined its message and brand. Hillsong has grown out of a desire to remain relevant to the secular postmodern world. The church uses the strategy of intentionally working within contemporary society rather than fighting the materialistic. Hillsong deliberately engages and produces content that is shaped by its market and business strategy. As a result of this strategy, they quickly realised the value of engaging with CCM, producing music that the masses wanted to engage with.
From the outset Hillsong had an expansionistic outlook, and the church actively seeks to influence the world in every aspect of life. The product of this mindset can be seen in the emulation of the Hillsong model in churches across Australia and beyond. Members of the church are sent across the globe to launch new churches or revive dying ones. These churches are supposed to be independent, but in reality are not autonomous and are connected to the Australian founding church. This can be understood as the exertion of power and dominance through the way a pattern is followed and applied in many different contexts and cultures. Many other Pentecostal churches worldwide also follow the pattern set by Hillsong, leading some to speculate of the “Hillsongization of Christianity.”
“Whilst the church has historically been described as the ‘people of the book,’ it might also be described as the ‘people of the hymnbook.’ The songs sung in church are significant in defining a collective cultural identity and express theological convictions and beliefs.”
The “top 50” songs in New Zealand in the Worship and Gospel genre on iTunes are evidence of the influence of the Hillsong movement beyond the Australian borders. Fifteen out of the fifty songs listed are written by Hillsong, with only a few of the fifty written by New Zealanders. Whilst Hillsong only makes up 30 percent of these songs, and other large global churches make up a similar percent when combined, it is evidence of the spread and influence of the Hillsong movement in the context of New Zealand. Also telling is the languages represented on the list of top 50 songs with only two of these containing te reo Mãori (albeit followed by English translations), one of which is the New Zealand national anthem. The indigenous voice of Aotearoa is being ignored in our worship to create false and disproportionate representations of the ethnic make-up of Aotearoa. Cindy Ruakere suggests that Aotearoa needs to discover its own sound, and that the current default of dominant culture (white Pentecostal worship) is diminishing the space for indigenous peoples to express their sound.
Whilst the church has historically been described as the ‘people of the book,’ it might also be described as the ‘people of the hymnbook.’ The songs sung in church are significant in defining a collective cultural identity and express theological convictions and beliefs. Words that are paired with melody are memorable and shape the theology and worship culture of those who participate in singing them. James K. A. Smith suggests that we absorb songs and they become part of defining our cultural identity as we engage in singing together. Music can become itself a “sacred text,” and has the capacity to create problematic relationships with God where the self and our own desires are worshipped more than God himself.
Worship in the church in Aotearoa privileges the dominant Pãkehã voice. The voice of Mãori is almost absent from CCM in New Zealand and has been described as “dangerous and, at worst, demonic” by those holding power who have not sought to listen and understand. There is a need for Pãkehã to listen to and allow Mãori expressions of worship to form the culture of the church in Aotearoa, rather than to be directed by the homogenising influence of an empire like that of Hillsong.
Connection, Unity and Diversity
Music has the capacity to connect a community together, both physiologically and spiritually. As members of a congregation sing in unison together, they are united physiologically as they attempt to use muscles, lungs and vocal chords to produce the same sound. Theology that is sung becomes part of our bodies and is therefore of critical importance in expressing faithful worship together. In the same way when there is collective agreement about the culture of worship there can be unity and collective identity formation. The opposite is also possible where there is disunity: any sense of cohesion is disrupted.
The musical voice of tangata whenua is seldom heard in churches, and is certainly not integrated fully as a part of the culture of the New Zealand church as a whole. Integrating the music of Mãori is something that is necessary but also must be done with caution so that it is not tokenistic, and therefore more destructive. This requires engaging with tangata whenua on their own terms rather than dominant culture demanding the inclusion of haka or waiata to satisfy a felt need. The inclusion of minority expressions of music is one that should challenge the normativity of the CCM genre, and can be understood as a challenge to whiteness that the majority must accept.
If we are truly to be united, this requires expressions of ourselves as faithful witnesses to Christ, which means welcoming and encouraging diversity in our gathered worship. Instead of choosing to imitate and replicate models of mainstream Christian music that have silenced the minority, it requires worship in song to create space for many musical expressions that are representative of all racial and ethnic communities. Only when “every nation and tongue” (Rev 7) is represented in our local churches will we fully experience the Kingdom here on earth.
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Josiah Carr is a pastoral leadership student at Carey Baptist College - Te Kareti Iriiri o Carey.