Praise Songs: Above All

Above All Powers

Above all powers,
Above all kings,
Above all nature and all created things,
Above all wisdom and all the ways of man,
You were here before the world began.



Above all kingdoms,
Above all thrones,
Above all wonders the world has ever known.
Above all wealth and treasures of the earth,
There's no way to measure what You're worth.

Crucified
Laid behind the stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone
Like a Rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all

   

...Let's Run It through the Praise Song Cruncher 

1.Jesus -"Is Jesus mentioned?"

       Yes    No     If yes, is it in name or concept?

2.Clarity - Is the song clear? Does it use sentences (with subject, verb, and object) or sentence fragments?

       10   9  8   7  6   5  4  3  2  1

        Very clear             Obscure

3.Mysticism (Subjectivity vs Objectivity) - Is the song about the things that God has done (objective), or about my own emotions and experiences (subjective)? Does the song repeat the same phrases over and over in a hypnotic mantra?

     10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1

      Objective           Subjective

4.Law and Gospel - Does the song proclaim the law in its sternness and the Gospel in its sweetness? (The Gospel is the promise of the forgiveness of all sins won for us through Jesus' death on the cross.) Are law and Gospel rightly divided (and not mixed up)? Is the law presented as something that we can do, or does it show us our sins? Is the Gospel conditional (based on my actions, decisions, and acceptance)?

      Yes     No     I can't tell

5.
Is there any explicit false teaching?

6.Scripture - Is the song purely scriptural (like a Psalm, or another passage), contain Biblical phrases or is scripture absent from the song?

Scripture     Mostly Scripture     Some Scripture     No Scripture

7.Context - If there is Scripture, is the Scripture being used in its proper context, or are the phrases used to simply string together subjective ideas.

8.Non-Christians - If a non-Christian came heard this song, would they understand the meaning? Or is it heavily laden with "Christianese" to a point that either it is meaningless to the "uninitiated" or does it give the unbeliever a false understanding or assurance of security?

9.Teaching - It is said that more doctrine is taught through songs than through sermons. Assuming that this is true, did I learn anything new from the song or was confronted by my sin for failing to live up to the teachings found in the song? Simply put, is it worth my time to sing it?

10.Manipulation - Does the writer have God or people in mind when this song was written? Do I get the feeling that I am being manipulated into having an emotional experience or a physical display of emotion (clapping to a good beat) or is the song creating true heart-felt emotions?

11.Where - Where is this song best suited? Is the song best used for private worship times (like a quiet time), in corporate worship (church) or at a concert?