What would you think if you went to church and during praise and worship, a certain name was never mentioned? The lyrics clearly referenced eternal life, sacrifice, love, coming out of the tomb, even the Son of God...but the name "Jesus" wasn't mentioned in the songs.
This happened to me this past Sunday and left me scratching my head. Now, to be fair, this is not a common occurrence. Usually, "Jesus" gets thrown around a lot during P&W. But this one Sunday...
All of the songs sung this weekend could be played in multiple denominations and even a few other religions. This gives me pause.
"...there is no other name..." "whatever you ask in my name..." "...everyone who calls on the name..."
The name. I think Scripture is pretty clear. There is power in the name of Jesus.
So why avoid it? Just an accident? A calculated choice to give the songs a more broad appeal? (That's my suspicion.)
For me, when I write, while I may not always have a character actively evangelize someone, I will always throw the name of Jesus in somewhere. I'll make sure you know about which deity I am talking.
What do you think? Am I too sensitive? Are some simple songs that obviously point right to Jesus good enough without saying the actual name? I could be paranoid, seeing conspiracies where none exist. I am trying to be open-minded.
I'd love to hear your thoughts.