For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! Psalm 47:7

Music is a powerful thing. Many of us can recall songs from our childhood, and the words once filed deep within our minds emerge easily from our lips. Many of us have put things to music when studying for exams and trying to memorize various facts because it makes learning easier and retainable. Music is an important part of our praise and worship unto the Lord, and the words we sing to Him reflect our theology. I am a firm believer that doxology reflects our theology, and it matters what we are singing to God. If we have a poor or confused understanding of who God is in our lives and how He is to be exalted, then praise and worship music may become more self-focused with God at the periphery. It is important that we understand the importance of singing songs that are doctrinally sound and truly glorifying God.

I have mentioned concerns regarding Bethel church in the past, and worship is another aspect of concern when hearing some of their teaching involving worship and praise music. Bill Johnson has been on record in saying, “Music bypasses all of the intellectual barriers, and when the anointing of God is on a song, people will begin to believe things they wouldn’t believe through teaching.”

You will notice this post came from the social media of WorshipU, which is a group created by Bethel Church where they “believe in equipping worship teams to lead people into a profound experience with God that transforms lives.” I am familiar with this group as I was formerly part of a worship team that paid monthly to be part of WorshipU’s online courses and teachings. One of the teachings that is found on this site centers around the importance of the God vibration.

There are several videos available from an instructor named Dan McCollam, and he teaches the students about frequency, vibrations, and entrainment. In a few of the videos, he emphasizes the importance of everything having a vibration and that when a sound wave is encoded with an intention, it becomes a carrier wave accomplishing the purposes of God. He has taught these students that if their words are resonating on God’s frequency and His words are resonating in them, then the universe will respond to their words as if it is God speaking. He attempts to use various Scriptures to support this teaching, such as John 15:7, Matthew 18:19, and Isaiah 42:9-10. He even told them that this teaching is why Psalm 47:7 says, “Worship the Lord with understanding”, implying that understanding about vibrations and entrainment is necessary for effective worship unto the Lord.

This type of teaching is very concerning for several reasons, but what we need to recognize is the strong foundation of New Age practices within McCollam’s teaching. This is also found within the book, The Physics of Heaven, published by Destiny Image and written by various Bethel contributors, including Bill Johnson, Kris Vallotton, and Dan McCollam. This book has now been pulled from their online bookstore, but it was available for years. It has spawned tremendous concern as it contains heavy elements of New Age beliefs and practices throughout each chapter.

Do we really need to understand vibrations in order for our praise and worship to be more effective? No, we do not. When listening to these teachings, it is sad to observe that the focus is more on perceived personal greatness than on the majesty and splendor of God. Worshiping the Lord with understanding is focused more on His sovereignty and power over all the earth. It has nothing to do with a sound wave having an intention and becoming a carrier wave so that God can fulfill His purposes. This seems to create a god that needs our assistance, otherwise, he cannot do anything. But the God of Scripture does not match this understanding. In fact, this is gross misunderstanding and error. He is in need of nothing, and we are most certainly in need of Him. What a beautiful privilege He allows us to have in lifting up His holy name in song and to fulfill the purpose of worshiping Him with our lives and glorifying Him.

I do not say this lightly, and I say it as someone who for years subscribed to Bethel’s teachings and sang their songs privately and led worship to many of them. Run from Bethel. A theology with New Age trappings is a dangerous one because it leads away from the exaltation of Jesus Christ and down the path of self-exaltation. It leads to another Christ. Doxology reflects theology. If these types of teachings are engrained into the worship of Bethel, it is sobering to think what else may be passed off as divine revelation that is bypassing those intellectual barriers and being identified as the anointing. We are to include our mind in worshiping God, whether in song or in every area of our lives. The Bible commands it, and that is enough.

Listen to this episode discussing this teaching found within Bethel Church: The Lovesick Scribe Podcast: Bethel’s No Good, Very Bad Vibrations on Apple Podcasts