Ephesians 4:14 “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;” 

Notice the telling quote from former Word Records A&R Director and songwriter Brent Bourgeois, “Who knows what people are thinking when they write a song? Is someone’s song less Christian because it doesn’t have the buzz points? I’ve written many Christian lyrics to order because I knew that’s what was wanted, but a lot of those songs were less [inspired] than some of the songs without the buzz words that I wrote from my heart.” (CCM Update, “GMA Loosens Reins on Dove Awards Lyric Criteria”, November 15, 1999) 

What are buzz words? They are a word or phrase that catches the eye and grabs the interest of a certain people to whom that word or phrase is fashionable. For a customer, for instance, “free” or “sale” or “clearance” can be buzz words that get your attention. Although the products should be “free” or “on sale” or “on clearance” if they say so, they are not always. But the words fulfill their purpose, most people are drawn to them. Through sleight and craftiness, sinful man finds ways to list “buzz words” without actually giving you what you really want. Many families are drawn to certain words like “family-friendly” or “kid-friendly”. Hollywood is aware of this, and many families innocently watch shows and films filled with sin simply because of certain “buzz words”. 

The CCM director and songwriter quoted at the beginning of this article revealed a couple of interesting things: that truth was nothing more to many of these musicians than “buzz words” and that the words of truth (the “buzz words”), to them, are not really important in Christian music. In other words, to these musicians music that “comes from the heart” is all that is important. The “buzz words” are simply a crafty method used to draw in the listener. No, dear reader, the Gospel is not merely “buzz words”, and that which “comes from the heart” is not good (Jer. 17:9; Pro. 28:26 – Read “Follow Your Heart”). 

It is shocking how so many believers will watch filth and listen to the musical filth produced by the world and the misnamed Gospel Music Association all because of certain “buzz words”. To these backslidden or unsaved performers, the names of God or Jesus are simply “buzz words” to drawn in unsuspecting Christians and to sell their music. The names of Jesus are used as “buzz words” a lot more in contemporary Southern Gospel music than CCM for a specific, calculated reason. Contemporary Christian Music is trying to appeal to a worldly crowd (whether saved or unsaved). Contemporary Southern Gospel is trying to attract the nominally religious still living on the milk of God’s Word. The secular companies behind a lot of the so-called “Christian” movies and music of today, though, much prefer to use names of God instead of Jesus’ name as buzz words. The reason for this being that “God” could refer to most religions’ deities throughout the globe. Love is a huge “buzz word”. In Southern Gospel, the words blood and/or grace are often used as buzz words. Some form of mercy or forgiveness are some more “buzz words”. In most CCM/Southern Gospel music today, many songs spend most of the time focusing on man’s/our failures and mistakes (you’ll notice the word “sin” is not normally used). Then, for a brief moment we will focus on how great God is because of His forgiving or having mercy on how terrible we are. Now, are those words or concepts in and of themselves bad? No, although focusing mostly on ourselves and just a touch on God is bad. The problem is that most CCM and Southern Gospel songs are surrounded with wrong music, concepts, doctrines, etc… and have just the right amount of “religious” buzz words to continue pulling Christians into an otherwise filthy movement. Most of the singers’ and performers’ lifestyles, practices, attire, desires, philosophies, and views are not Christian. The music structure, as we have dealt with throughout these articles, is also not Christian; following God’s pattern for music. And most of the words in these songs don’t really say much of anything to feed the “new man” or the words out and out contradict God’s Word. But everything is accepted with just the right amount of “buzz words”. The result: dead and weak Christians constantly living on and for the flesh. 

Dear believers, you need to be aware of crafty “buzz words”.