Giving us what we love.

The Country duo Florida Georgia Line has a new worship song* out that raced to number 1 on the Billboard Country chart.  The song is titled H.O.L.Y. and is dedicated to praising their savior:

You’re holy, holy, holy, holy
I’m high on loving you, high on loving you
You’re holy, holy, holy, holy
I’m high on loving you, high on loving you

You made the brightest days from the darkest nights
You’re the river bank where I was baptized
Cleansed from the demons
That were killing my freedom

However, the savior they are worshiping in the song is not God but their wives.

That such a song would have instant success should come as no surprise.  It feeds ancient temptations in both women and men, temptations which our present age has magnified by declaring them virtues.  Going all the way back to the fall, women have been tempted to be like God, and men have been tempted to follow woman instead of God.

Secular reviewers note that the song seems inappropriate in the way that it replaces God with a woman.  The Rolling Stone writes:

…Tyler Hubbard kicked off the prayer about a woman so perfect she turns dark into light and reminds him of a baptism they’re together. The mix of Christian imagery and hooking up is most likely a little over-the-line for devoutly religious fans (“Let me lay you down, give it to ya / Get you singing babe, hallelujah”)

Saving Country Music writes:

…but don’t let anybody tell you this song is religious. If anything, it might be sacrilege.

However, I wasn’t able to find any Christian sources calling out the song.  Perhaps I wasn’t using the right search terms, or perhaps the song hasn’t yet caught the attention of Christian leaders.

While I wouldn’t be surprised if Christian leaders eventually do denounce the song, it is worth noting that the song is drawing on themes deeply rooted in modern Christian teaching and culture.  Worshiping wives is especially common in conservative Christian culture, and a wife’s sexual attraction and feelings of romantic love (or lack thereof) towards her husband are considered a direct signal from God regarding a man’s righteousness.  Ultimately this kind of theology, both in pop culture and from Christian teachers, is provided to us because it is what we love.

*H/T Robert