Christian band We the Kingdom believes in miracles of God despite experience with church abuse
We the Kingdom has quickly become a popular name in contemporary Christian music, and now they want the world to know God's miracle-working power.
We the Kingdom is comprised of Ed Cash, his children Franni and Martin, along with his brother Scott Cash and their friend Andrew Bergthold.
Bergthold tried to start a band called We the Kingdom in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri, several years ago, but to no avail. He then moved to Nashville, Tennessee, for work, where he met the Cash family.
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After a few years of friendship and working behind the scenes in children's ministry, they penned a song called "Dancing on the Waves" to sing at a Young Life camp event. The song was about a difficult season they had all just come out of dealing with church abuse, and it was the first time they performed together.
"We had no idea the trajectory of what that song would do,” Bergthold shared with The Christian Post in a recent interview. “That song started the journey of We the Kingdom. A couple of months later, we started writing more songs shortly after that. I was like, 'Well, I have a name and website and social media, and everything else set up if we want to use it.'"
"Everybody loved it and jumped on board. As I was driving home from that, I just started crying because I heard the Lord telling me, 'This is the reason I gave you these dreams, and just because it wasn't right at that time doesn't mean I'm not faithful, and it won't come through.'”
The group's newest single, “Miracle Power,” is the lead song off of their upcoming album. Bergthold said the single is fitting because he sees the miraculous hand of God in how We the Kingdom came together.
"It's crazy just to see the faithfulness and the miracles that God does in your life, and We the Kingdom looks different than I would have ever imagined,” he continued. “But it's way better. Because it's God's plan, it's God's time.”
“Miracle Power” follows their previous single, “Dancing on the Waves.” After spending the spring opening for Casting Crowns on the road, We the Kingdom announced last month that they would headline a 22-date tour in the fall.
The following is an edited transcript of CP's interview with the band, where they open up about doing ministry as a family, their belief in the miracle-working power of God and how they got through a difficult season of experiencing church hurt.
CP: In speaking of the miracle power of God as your new single highlights, what are your thoughts on how some Christians do not believe in the miracles of God?
Franni: It's interesting when you see that even in believers, they don't know what they think about it. I think the root of that is to be disappointed whenever you doubt that, because Scripture says it's true. It's still happening in the New Testament. On this side of Heaven, I think that, from God's perspective, the earth on this side of Heaven and Heaven are more connected than we see them.
One time I was really discouraged because one of my friends wasn't ... recovering from a sickness. It was really hard for me to process that like, "God, why?" and I felt like the Lord showed me then the ultimate healing is in Heaven.
Even now, I'm healthy and well, but I still need that new body, I still need my emotions and my sin to be healed, and that will happen on the day when we get to be with Jesus. So I think that, yes, God still is moving in every aspect of life, the small things, and the big things. But I think there is an element to the 'already but not yet,' that we really wrestle through as believers. But my encouragement would be to not let disappointment get in the way of believing what God says is true. And if not now, then I know that He will make all things right.
On this side of Heaven, I really do believe that God works miracles. I think that we tend to see them, interestingly enough, in countries where people don't have access to everything that they need to numb their pain, whether it's emotional or physical. In the United States, we really struggle with that because we don't really wait on God here; we have a hard time really waiting on Him, on His timing, which looks so different than ours. A thousand days is one day to the Lord; Scripture says that, so it can be really hard here.
I love that second verse [in the song] that says: "Sometimes it's so hard being human/ All the struggle and all the pain." I love when the Bible says, "We don't have a high priest whose unable to sympathize with us in our weakness." He gets it; we just got to wait on Him and trust Him. And then, if not now in the next [place], I know that He will do miracles, but I hope that that doesn't discourage our hearts from believing Him to do whatever we need now.
CP: You have said that what brought you together as a band, initially, was going through a season of spiritual church hurt. There are people who walk away from the Church because they have experienced some kind of church hurt. You all have survived, you're thriving, and you are spirit-filled. Can you talk to anyone who might have gone through something similar?
Ed: I just feel this so strongly. I think one of the greatest dangers is to put on the face of God the pastor that hurt us or the parent that hurt us or the friend or the enemy or whoever. We see versions of Jesus in these Christians who are just broken people and then we end up thinking that that's what God looks like. God looks nothing like any man that has ever lived, and it's not even close. His ways are higher than our ways, and it's not fair to God to put onto Him the wounded people that live in this world. He's holy; He's perfect. And I think for our minds, for my mind, that is so hard to understand some days.
Even talking about our song "Miracle Power," I think the irony is that in the church that we were in that you referenced, one of the big things there was the miraculous healing power of God. A lot of times, they would bring people up, and there was this healing that would happen. If you had enough faith to believe, and if you didn't, then something was wrong with your faith. That really messed with me and actually caused me to really question well, "Maybe God isn't miraculous after all."
I think where I get really challenged by that is to suggest that God doesn't do miracles anymore is, arguably, to suggest that He can't do miracles anymore. And I'll say that God is sovereign, His ways are higher than our ways, and He could do a miracle anytime He wants. He didn't stop the ability to do miracles. So what's the deal? Is it a lack of faith? Is it just His sovereignty that He doesn't see fit to do it right now? I lean toward that. I think that our faith does play an element in there, but I don't think it's the shaming kind of thing where you better get it right, and if you don't muster up enough faith, then something's wrong with you, God's not going to come through. I don't think God works like that.
These are deep theological discussions. I think, ultimately, it's just important to remember that He's a loving father. He loves His kids. There's no mystery that there are modern-day medical miracles that happen. I've seen them documented where people can't explain this stuff. Ultimately, Heaven is the ultimate culmination of all healing, but I don't think that means that He's not going to move here. There's a tension with it, and I'd just say, I think it's OK for us to be wrestling with it, and working through it, and to give ourselves a lot of grace as we heal. I would say that I feel like it's a miracle that I've been healed from the church wound that I had. My gosh, I never thought I would get over that, and I really do feel like I'm finally at a place where the Lord has healed that. I still walk with a limp, and I still have the scar, but it doesn't plague me like it did.
CP: Tell us about the new album that you are recording. Your initial release was so well received. What can we expect for the next round?
Martin: I think as an artist, a lot of the times you struggle with how often do you replicate what you know is connecting, but also reinvent yourself to offer not only new art to people but the Gospel in a different light that could speak to someone maybe outside the Church, who would never in a million years sitting in a pew but for some reason they're open to the Gospel? And you write a song that has language that is attractive. The Gospel is attractive; Jesus is attractive. So I think what we've tried to do on the album is play off of old school We the Kingdom – sonically, lyrically, but also introduce a new sound that hopefully inspires people to love God in a deeper way to love music in a deeper way.
It's been cool to see what happens when you put four decades sitting right here. So what happens when you put all these different influences together? You have kind of pop-modern stuff combined with old Southern rock electric guitar riffs or whatever. It's been cool to see the outcome. I'm surprised that, at least, to us, it feels right because you would think those clash.
CP: How do you all keep that passion and fire for God burning?
Scott: I feel like I want to make sure I can say this honestly. It is extremely rare that we get on stage and have to turn on the performance part of it. Extremely rare! Can I say that that never happens? No, it does happen sometimes.
We've had a really stressful season, last couple of months trying to make a record and tour at the same time. [Our manager] said, "I hope for you guys that the 45 minutes on stage can be just like a rest. Just let everything go, all the stress go and just enjoy playing music."
I feel like God has continually kept that time on stage as a sacred time for us. We've had our battles during it, for sure, but it feels really special, and I do feel like God continues to give us energy for it. There are times when we slept three hours on a bumpy bus, but we get on stage, and at least for that 45 to 70 minutes, whatever it is, we can lock in and play and encounter the Lord and encounter people there. So it's been a real gift. I don't understand; it's a mystery. This whole thing is so wild, it's such a wild mystery. It's really hard, but it's really beautiful.
Jeannie Ortega Law is a reporter for The Christian Post. Reach her at: jeannie.law@christianpost.com She's also the author of the book, What Is Happening to Me? How to Defeat Your Unseen Enemy Follow her on Twitter: @jlawcp Facebook: JeannieOMusic
