Ben Thompson, minister of music arts and morning worship leader at the Hilltop Church, a megachurch outside Rochester New York, has a streak of sixty-five consecutive Sunday worship services of selecting songs that have no doctrinal statements whatsoever. Instead he picks songs that emphasize the sovereignty of God, His all powerful nature, and His uniqueness among world religions.
"I like songs like 'God You Are My God', 'Strong God', "My Soul Finds Rest', 'Great Are You Lord', and a whole bunch of others that tell of the greatness of God," said Mr. Thompson while sipping on a skinny cinnamon dolce latte outside the church's coffee shop, The Divine Grind. "I wouldn't want to spook visitors with songs about the blood of Jesus, or someone hanging on a tree, I mean, gross! We try to present God in a non-threatening way that is accessible to everyone. People need to hear about how God is greater than anyone and anything else, because it's a concept that just isn't emphasized enough. There's a real illiteracy about this issue."
Mr. Thompson said he's gone weeks without having a song mention the name of Jesus, or Christ, and is especially proud of his technique of transitioning into prayer without any preamble, thus catching the congregation unawares, and ending without saying "Amen", just starting into another song. "The congregation doesn't know when to bow their heads and close their eyes, it kind of keeps them on their toes and I feel it keeps them engaged in the service", he said.
"I like songs like 'God You Are My God', 'Strong God', "My Soul Finds Rest', 'Great Are You Lord', and a whole bunch of others that tell of the greatness of God," said Mr. Thompson while sipping on a skinny cinnamon dolce latte outside the church's coffee shop, The Divine Grind. "I wouldn't want to spook visitors with songs about the blood of Jesus, or someone hanging on a tree, I mean, gross! We try to present God in a non-threatening way that is accessible to everyone. People need to hear about how God is greater than anyone and anything else, because it's a concept that just isn't emphasized enough. There's a real illiteracy about this issue."
Mr. Thompson said he's gone weeks without having a song mention the name of Jesus, or Christ, and is especially proud of his technique of transitioning into prayer without any preamble, thus catching the congregation unawares, and ending without saying "Amen", just starting into another song. "The congregation doesn't know when to bow their heads and close their eyes, it kind of keeps them on their toes and I feel it keeps them engaged in the service", he said.
