Roman Catholic and Bill Gaither Creating the Sound Track for the One-World Church

Matt Maher

Matt Maher, a Roman Catholic contemporary worship musician, describes himself as a “musical missionary.” His goal is to bridge Protestantism and Catholicism. Christianity Today, which has never seen an ecumenical bridge it didn't appreciate, says “Maher is bringing his music--and a dream of unity into the Protestant church” (“Common Bonds,” CT, Oct. 27, 2009). Maher says that touring with people like Michael W. Smith is producing ecumenical unity because people come to the concerts and find themselves standing beside a priest or nun, and they learn that “we’re all in this family together.” Now Maher is widening his ecumenical circle to include the gullible world of Southern Gospel. A few months ago he explained on YouTube the story behind his 2014 song “Because He Lives.” He says that he wanted to write a new edition of Bill Gaither’s 1974 song by that title and collaborated with his friend Chris Tomlin, a popular contemporary worship musician. Deciding that they wanted to use some lines from Gaither’s song, they contacted him. Maher says, “We went to Mr. Gaither and asked him if it would be OK if we incorporated elements from his song and he agreed. So what we have is this song which is a collective result of a lot of people’s effort. And I think that’s always been a big part of my ministry, which is trying to unify the church and to bring all of these different voices from different streams together, so this song just continues that mission. I hope it blesses your congregation” (“Behind the Song ‘Because He Lives,’ Matt Maher, YouTube, Nov. 4, 2014). In 1990, the Gaithers performed at the Indianapolis ’90 ecumenical conference where half of the attendees were Roman Catholics, and a Roman Catholic mass was held every morning. Those who are adapting contemporary worship music are building bridges to the one-world church, and nothing could be more spiritually dangerous. (For more about Matt Maher, Bill Gaither, and Chris Tomlin see The Directory of Contemporary Worship Musicians, available in print and a free eBook edition, www.wayoflife.org.)

(Friday Church News Notes, April 17, 2015, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143)

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