NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) — It’s just after 8:30 on a Sunday morning in Nashville, and the worship band at Woodmont Christian Church is getting warmed up. After tuning her Taylor guitar, worship pastor Andra Moran jumps into a familiar song.
“How great is our God / Sing with me / How great is our God.”
The song has long been one of her favorites. It is easy to sing, gives people a bit of transcendence and lets them know they are not alone.
“Inviting people in — that’s something important to me as a song leader,” said Moran.
If you’ve been to church in the U.S. over the past two decades, chances are you’ve heard “How Great Is Our God.” First recorded by Chris Tomlin in 2004, the song is a favorite at big-box megachurches and tiny congregations alike. In mid May, it was #10 on the list of top songs sung in churches, compiled by the CCLI, which licenses songs for congregational use.
But in recent years, “How Great Is Our God” and other worship songs have been sung at conservative political events too: the Jericho March before the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the Capitol; MAGA events and anti-vax revivals during COVID-19; pro-Israel protests during the Gaza war; and Charlie Kirk’s memorial.
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After a Christian nationalist pastor, Doug Wilson, preached at the Pentagon, worshippers sang “How Great Is Our God.” And Tomlin closed his set at the recent “Rededicate 250″ prayer rally on the National Mall with the same song.
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