A Biblical Look at Ally Yarid's Controversial Maverick City Post

I really debated writing about this hot topic, but I felt led to share with you all what I have learned about worship over this past year.

*Disclaimer: I encourage everyone to go and read Ally's full post before reading this blog (The link is at the bottom).*

Working in the music industry, I have the amazing opportunity to see some of the greatest artists ever perform under the bright lights. Many nights, it blows my mind how huge crowds of hundreds and sometimes thousands of people gather together in front of a stage to scream, shout, dance, and sing along with their favorite artists. The most extreme fans know every word of every song. It's crazy.

However, one night in particular, really put everything into perspective for me. In April of last year, I had the opportunity to shoot a concert for Chris Renzema in Dallas. I had shot for other "Christian artists" before—Skillet and Gable Price and Friends among them—but something was different about Chris' set. People's hands weren't lifted to their favorite artist, they were lifted in praise, and that was truly a sight to behold. As I continued photographing the concert, I began shooting less and less of Chris and more and more of the crowd. It was so evident that God was moving in people's hearts amidst the crowd, that I forgot all about the concert that was happening on stage. It just seemed less relevant. I began watching—in wonder—so many people worshiping and I hope I did a good job of capturing that for Chris' team.

That being said, there is a drastic difference between worship and performance. But, this is true in every area of life not just singing on stage. Tozer writes that in "the total life, the whole man and woman, must worship God. Faith, love, obedience, loyalty, conduct, and life—all of these are to worship God." (The Purpose of Man, 2009). When a person becomes a Christian, all areas of their life—excluding habitual sinful ones of course—become outlets for the worship of their newfound Savior. Each Christian exists with the primary function of worshiping God. There is no higher calling than for the Christian to bring glory to God through his or her worship. This is what David means as he yearns after God in his Psalm.

"O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands."

-Psalm 63:1-4

This is the purpose of man. This is what fills the void that has existed in every man's heart since the Garden. The pursuit of God in every area of a person's life—a complete surrender in the form of unending worship. As a person thirsts for water in a desert, so also do we long to bring glory in the form of worship to our Savior.

Because of this, before we condemn the worship of anyone, let us first check every area of our own lives and meditate on how we may better worship and seek the God who deserves every part of us. We would be foolish to waste our time judging another's worship if we do not worship as we ought to.

Now, onto Ally's post. Her first slide reads:

"I'd rather worship God through theologically thoughtful praise for His glory than lyrically repetitive emptiness for my enjoyment." -Ally Yarid

I'd like to pick apart this statement piece by piece starting with "I'd rather worship God." To that, I say Amen! Someone put that on a t-shirt and I'll wear it! Literally, anything could come before that sentence and I would agree. "I'd rather worship God." Let that be how I live my life for the rest of my days here on earth.

"Through theologically thoughtful praise for His glory." Once again, Amen sister. May my worship be done in a manner that brings God glory and in a reverence that reflects everything he is in a theological sense. May my worship be thoughtful and intentional to show the whole world who the God that I worship is.

And the last part, "[rather] than lyrically repetitive emptiness for my enjoyment." I believe she had good intentions writing these words, however, I am going to nitpick because I do not think that I agree wholeheartedly. As a whole statement yes—worship is not done for my enjoyment—it is done to bring glory to my God. But I love doing it! Worship brings me so much joy! Worship is literally me fulfilling my purpose! It brings me more joy than perhaps anything else! So, while it is not done for my enjoyment, my enjoyment is a direct reflection of how much I love my God!

The part that troubles me the most, however, is the phrase "lyrically repetitive emptiness" as if my repetition means less. This could not be further from the truth. Does Isaiah not tell us exactly how the seraphim worship God in heaven?

"Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is filled with his glory." -Isaiah 6: 2-3

Holy, holy, holy.

Again, holy, holy, holy.

Over and over and over again. That is who my God is and that is what I will proclaim. May we be quick to repeat over and over again everything that is true about our God and may we proclaim it with confidence. Let our repetition not be empty but let it be an act of meditation as we yearn to know the character of God more and more.

In her next slide, she condemns Maverick City Music specifically, by using their own Instagram bio.

"Maverick City is a group of unorthodox, free spirit, rule breakers, that break away from the herd. Everything they claim to be contradicts what a Christian is called to be. A Christian is indwelled by the Spirit, obedient to God's laws, and part of the flock of the Good Shepherd." -Ally Yarid

Here is where a major part of Ally's argument is flawed. She assumes that Maverick City's band members are unorthodox, free-spirited, rule breakers, who break away from the herd—of Christianity. This is simply not the case. They are seeking to do those things in the same way Jesus did. Was Jesus not the most unorthodox, free-spirited, rule breaker, to ever break away from the herd?

Yes, my Bible says that I am indwelled by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16). Yes, it commands my obedience to God's laws (Romans 3: 28-31), and calls me to my community in the flock of the Good Shepherd (1 Peter 2:25).

But, my Bible also tells of an unorthodox Jesus. One who fulfilled the old law and gave us the new law (Matthew 5:17). It tells of a free-spirited Jesus who traveled from city to city under the Father's direction ministering to everyone he could without caring for social norms (John 4:3-26). It tells of a "rule-breaker" Jesus who healed on the Sabbath (Mark 3:1-6). And, it tells of a Jesus who broke so far away from the herd that the herd called for his crucifixion (Luke 23: 18-25).

There is, therefore, no contradiction by either party. There only appears to be a contradiction because Ally straw-mans everything that Maverick City Music claims to be by interpreting their words for herself and not through the lens of Scripture.

The last part of her post that I will address is her call to action.

"If you take the worship of God seriously, I pray you will seriously consider looking into Maverick City Music, Bethel, Elevation, and Hillsong deeper than just listening to their songs. Do some research. Pray over it. Is their worship God-focused or self focused? Are their ministries preaching prosperity gospels, heresies, and all kinds of corruption? You will find the answer to be yes. I encourage you, I do not condemn you. Let us worship God together in Spirit and Truth." 

-Ally Yarid

We should all take the worship of God seriously. As I said earlier, the worship of God is our greatest purpose. I encourage all of you to look into all of the songs that you listen to—not just worship. Do they glorify God? I am certainly guilty of listening to songs that I probably don't need in my life. I will not, however, tell you the results that you will find. Make an informed and educated decision for yourself. Remember that the people writing these songs are broken people like you.

And finally, remember the most important part of worship is your own heart toward the Lord. Each person will worship him differently depending on the gifts that the Lord has given them. Worship is not just the words in a song. Worship is not just singing in a group or alone in your car. It is how the believer lives their life as an offering to the Lord so that they might show the world who their Savior is. 

-Luke

Ally's Instagram Post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CoV6hsrrjmU/?hl=en