Brandon Lake Sparks Conversation on “Christianese” in Worship: Calls for Greater Accessibility in Music

Grammy and Dove Award-winning worship leader Brandon Lake has ignited a spirited conversation across the Christian music and worship community after sharing his thoughts on the potential pitfalls of using overly "Christianese" language in worship songs.

During a recent appearance on The Bryce Crawford Podcast, Lake expressed concern that highly scriptural-but culturally unfamiliar-language in worship can alienate non-believers attending church for the first time. Citing lyrics such as "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty" from Revelation 4:8, Lake noted that for someone unfamiliar with church, the word holy may carry no meaningful context. "To the guy in the back-we'll call him Bubba-that word might only mean 'holy crap' to him right now," Lake said. "He has no idea what we're singing about."

Instead, Lake advocated for songs that still carry deep spiritual meaning but are written in more accessible, everyday language. He pointed to his 2024 single "Hard-Fought Hallelujah" as an example of a song that bridges the gap between theological depth and broad relatability. The track, which has been climbing the Christian music charts, emphasizes raw honesty and personal testimony while remaining rooted in biblical truth.

The comments, initially aired in April, went viral this week after being reposted by the online discernment outlet Protestia. The clip sparked a wave of both support and criticism online, with headlines such as "Brandon Lake suggests overtly biblical worship songs risk alienating non-Christians" surfacing across major Christian outlets.

Critics argue that Lake's stance could lead to a dilution of Scripture in worship music, while others applaud his heart for evangelism and his focus on reaching those outside the church. "If the words of Scripture alienate people, the problem isn't the words," wrote one commentator. Conversely, many worship leaders have praised Lake for raising a long-standing issue: the need for churches to balance theological richness with cultural clarity.

Lake, who serves as worship pastor at Seacoast Church in Charleston, SC, has long emphasized a missional approach to worship, often reminding teams to write and lead with "the one"-a single lost or searching person-in mind.

As churches prepare their summer worship sets and songwriters craft the next wave of anthems, Lake's remarks offer a timely reminder: worship is not only an expression of devotion, but also an invitation. The challenge for the modern church is to ensure that no one-not even Bubba in the back row-feels left out.

 

 

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