Singer Tauren Wells is defending his new song Crazy about You against charges it contains bad theology, saying in a recent Instagram video that he wants to learn from his critics but believes the lyrics are an accurate portrayal of God’s love.
“I'm okay being wrong. I'm not sure I'm wrong about this,” Wells said in the Instagram video.
“I try to turn their criticisms inside out and see if there's anything of value that I can learn. And so it forced me to go a little bit deeper on some of the lyrics. … I just want to make sure I'm not in error.”
The song is part of his album Joy in the Morning and includes two lines that some Christians have found problematic, he said. Those lyrics are: “He’s never been mad at you, He’s only been madly in love,” and, “He's never held your past against you, He's only held you close.”
“Even radio programmers won't play it,” he said. “... [It] has been denied by at least 13 radio stations. They won't play it.”
Wells discussed the song in the Instagram video, which spanned about 30 minutes and included him reacting to feedback from fans. Although some radio stations won’t place it, the song nevertheless is No. 24 on Billboard’s Christian Airplay chart.
“When I'm writing a song like Crazy About You, I'm really thinking about what Jesus did, what Jesus did on the cross, what Jesus thinks about us, how Jesus responds to us, how Jesus responds to our sin, how Jesus responds to sinners,” Wells said.
During the video, Wells read Scripture and also from the book Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers by Dane Ortlund.
Wells read several verses, including Jesus’ words, in Matthew 11:28-30.
“He says, ‘I am gentle and lowly in heart.’”
Wells asked, “If you could describe Jesus in one word, what word would it be?”
He added he wants to “look at Jesus through His own lens.”
“Does God hate sin? Yes. That's why He created a solution to save people from sin,” Wells said. “He hates sin. He loves people. He had to create a solution to rescue people from their sins. Why? Because although He hates sin, He loves people. That's why it's crazy. And that's why I used the word ‘crazy’ -- to us, it is illogical, it does not make sense the way that Jesus operates. But beneath the anger and the wrath of God is the provision and the love of God which drives Him, compels Him to sacrifice His one and only Son, for the redemption of humanity, you and I.”
“... I just would rather be guilty of talking about how ridiculously in love Jesus is with people and letting the kindness of God draw people to repentance.”
Wells quoted Jesus’ words on the cross: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”
“That is just extraordinary kindness to me. … Was Jesus hanging up there mad at the thieves? Was He mad at the people crucifying Him? … I think I would rather be guilty, though, of exaggerating the goodness of God, which you can't do. And that's kind of my whole point.”
Photo Courtesy: ©Getty Images/Joshua Blanchard/Stringer
Video Courtesy: Tauren Wells via YouTube
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.