Next Generation Rocking at Lancaster Baptist Church

Lancaster Baptist Church of Lancaster, California, has been playing with Contemporary Christian Music for a long time, and the fruit is evident. (We document 23 examples of Lancaster's use of contemporary worship songs in the report Analying Adapted CCM Songs.) We have warned that nothing can change the transformational power of this sensual, "one-world church" music, and nothing can keep it from transforming every ministry that does not heed the warning to separate from it. In a recent article I said, "The transformation will be most evident in Paul Chappell's children's generation, but by the time the transformation becomes evident enough for the average independent Baptist preacher to recognize it, it will be far too late to do anything about it" ("Preacher Says the Brethren Are Galled at Brother Cloud," FBIS, Oct. 28, 2014). Travis Chappell and Mark Rasmussen, Jr. are evidence that my warning is on target. Travis is the son of Paul Chappell, senior pastor of Lancaster Baptist Church and president of West Coast Baptist College, and Mark is the son of Mark Rasmussen, Sr., vice president of West Coast and the most conservative face at the institution. The young men are publishing soft rock renditions of popular contemporary charismatic praise songs on YouTube under the names of Mark Rasmussen, 5FriendsFilms, and OneCauseProductions. An acoustic cover of Hillsong United's "Oceans" is sung by Rasmussen and three other young people that I assume to be associated with Lancaster in the video above. Though it is played in a soft rock style, Mark's rendition would be accepted enthusiastically in any charismatic environment. "Oceans (Where My Feet May Fail)" is a popular contemporary song that features endless repetition in the original. The words say, "Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders." This is standard charismatic mysticism. It is the philosophy of "take me out of the box; take me beyond the words of Scripture; take me to any strange experience; I won't judge; I won't test." It is the philosophy behind such things as spirit slaying, holy laughter, holy shaking, continuing prophecy, gibberish tongues, female pastors, love for the pope, and uncertainty about the sin of homosexuality. The "real" Hillsong United rendition can be found at this link. If you go to about 5:50 minutes into the nearly 10 minutes of this contemporary worship song, you will see what "real" contemporary worship looks like. It's all about a powerful sensual experience. It's about "feeling God." I suggest that Travis and Mark stop playing around and go whole hog with what they obviously love. Stop pretending that you merely like the "light" editions of these charismatic worship songs, and come out publicly with full-blown rock & roll worship. Dance, hold your hands in the air, get some drums and a bass guitar. Show the independent Baptists how it is done. Let the music take you where it wants to take you. Or are you afraid that the time is not yet right and there are still too many independent Baptist pastors who support West Coast who would be offended at the real stuff? Oh well, bide your time if you must. The "old fogies" will soon be gone, and you can do what you want, and that music will most definitely take you to a different place. You can see Mark and Travis's rocking a cappella version of "Well on My Way" in the video below.

​(Friday Church News Notes, October 31, 2014, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143)