Bill Gaither Is Hopeful about the Future, Says ‘This World Is Not Our Home’
Hope and optimism may be declining in public opinion polls, but legendary singer Bill Gaither is not following the trend. He says he remains more hopeful than ever about the future. Gaither is a six-time Grammy winner whose music co-written with wife Gloria graces hymnals and fills radio airwaves. And at age 88, he’s still busy. This month, he’s promoting his new TBN series, The Gaither Gospel Hour, which launches Feb. 1 and combines stories and interviews with music.
“Am I optimistic? I'm very optimistic,” Gaither told Crosswalk Headlines.
His optimism about the world’s future, he added, stems from his unwavering worldview.
“I believe in the Kingdom theology. This world is not our home. We're just passing through. I believe we belong to another Kingdom,” Gaither said. “I believe our allegiance is to another Kingdom. And I think when Jesus said, ‘Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all of these other things will be added’ -- I think we get messed up when we put our faith in politics, I don't care which side, [or] when we put our faith in any other kind of philosophy. Because we belong to a beautiful family called the family of God and its kingdom.”
Gaither, always ready to share a song, broke into one of his classics: I Just Feel Like Something Good Is About to Happen. The Bible, he said, is “the only place that we can put our hope and our trust and our optimism.”
“And I'm not saying that Christian people don't get depressed because of earthly situations, but I think there comes a time when we need to turn that TV off, turn the computer off, drown out all the other sources, and go out,” he said. “We’ve got a cabin out in the woods just 15 minutes from here, and when we walk in that cabin, we say, ‘Nothing else matters.’”
TBN’s The Gaither Gospel Hour will include classics along with new episodes recorded last year. Although the series has become a cornerstone of Christian music, Gaither reveals it almost never came to be. It features music from the legendary singer and his Gaither Vocal Band, as well as performances from dozens of other artists and their “Homecoming” friends.
The very first episode of what became The Gaither Gospel Hour, he said, was recorded in the early years of the Gaither Vocal Band, when the group was struggling to build a fanbase.
“The vocal band sang for about three or four years, and we were having a hard time hooking on to anything that people could like. We weren't really Southern gospel, and we weren't contemporary. We knew what we weren't, but we couldn't find what we were. We had done about four or five projects, and we said, ‘Oh, it's not working. So, let's do one more project and hang it up. But in this project, let's salute and honor some of the people who have contributed to our lives musically.’”
Gaither gathered legends of southern gospel, such as Vestal and Howard Goodman, for an unforgettable singing session. Fans loved it, telling him, “That's what I grew up in.”
“So we did a second one, and we did a third one,” he said. “We've been all over the world.”
The Gaither Gospel Hour airs every Saturday on TBN at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. Eastern.
Photo Credit: ©TBN
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
Originally published January 28, 2025.
