'Wrong Worship' Video Goes Viral on Facebook, Prompts Reflection on Shallow Worship
A song and video produced by First Baptist Church of Orlando highlighting routine and shallow worship practices among some believers has gone viral on Facebook, prompting some users on the social networking website to do a bit of self-reflection.
The song, originally a part of a First Baptist Orlando sermon about "wrong worship," was recently published on the Internet and was been made available as a stand-alone segment for download on the Orlando church's website.
First Baptist Orlando says, in a description on YouTube, that the video is meant to show that "sometimes when we worship, we don't really mean it. This is what it would look like if we were to sing what we really meant."
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The video was also published on YouTube before making the rounds on Facebook, where it has been shared numerous times by various users.
The latest Facebook user to share the video is "Jesus Loves You," a page with nearly 1,400,000 fans that is dedicated to reminding users that they are surrounded by signs of Jesus' love by publishing inspiration messages throughout the day.
The link posted by "Jesus Loves You" re-directed to the group's website and had attracted well over 1,400 "likes" and dozens of comments.
Jennifer Bratton, among those who commented, wrote, "This is funny but very true at times. Lord please help me to keep you a constant force in my life."
"I didn't laugh. This is sad because of how true it is," wrote Destiny Nicole Panos.
Steve Frey agreed, writing, "Funny song, but hits so close to home for many and that's what's so sad."
Jeff Davis shared that he not only saw First Baptist Orlando's "Wrong Way to Worship" song as commentary on personal worship, but on corporate worship as well.
"True true," Davis wrote. "I've been guilty of this for sure. But local churches need to really take a good look at themselves and ask if this song rightly describes them."
Some folks who watched the video, however, did not think the message First Baptist Orlando's worship team was trying to convey warranted lampooning otherwise genuine worship songs.
"Seriously that ain't even funny it just ruins all these beautiful songs," said Becca Grace Leddy. "Its not even a little funny! Sure its good for lesson teaching but it ain't funny at all! Even though most people [are] honestly this inside."
Sheryl L. Johnson replied to Leddy's concern: "Sometimes we must meet people where they are...and sometimes that is through humor. Some people don't respond to the heavy hitting Fire and Brimstone sermons. But if humor can be used to reach someone to rededicate their life, to focus their life, then why not use it? If it is going to reach them? Jesus came to where the people who needed HIM were. This song goes to where people live."
The singers in the video are George Livings, Doug Pierce and Melissa Vasquez, members of First Baptist's worship ministry.
