I heard last time this song called "Iam friend of God...iam a friend of God, he calls me friend....."

Any thoughts thoughts concerning the lyrics or is it a me centred song ?

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* Ralph Wilms (7-10-1974)
* Church : Christengemeente Roermond (The Netherlands)
* Credobaptist who hold towards Covenant Theology
* Husband of Reena & father of Naomie and Gideon
* 1729 Goat Yard Declaration of Faith
* 1646 & 1689 Baptist Confession of faith
* 1595 The Lambeth Articles
* 1618-1619 The Canons of Dordt

I think you answered your own question by the way you describe the song. 1st person singular personal pronoun appears 3 times - does your description characterize the entire song?

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~Jay~
Husband of ENS, father of J II. | Indian Trail, NC
Currently disabled due to health issues
Communicant Member, Precentor | Presbyterian Reformed Church of Charlotte, NC | Presbyterian Reformed Church

Can't stand it. Besides it is sung by Phillips, Craig, and Dean. I always wonder which manifestation of God they are talking about at that point.

On another note, that song has been the subject of lyrical faux pas recently. I heard that two kids were sitting in the minivan listening to the song and the one sang, "I am a friend of God, he calls me Frank." The other one yelled at the first and said, "No, it's 'He calls me Fred'."

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The lyrics go like this:

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Excuse me while I vomit.

Thank you.

That was horrible. You ruined my day. Now let me get back to the true worship of the church of Bawb.

JH

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Jonathan Hunt

Preaching Elder
Cheltenham Evangelical Free Church (Confessionally Based)
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom

Logic is a systematic method of coming to the wrong conclusion with confidence.
-- Thomas Elsworth

My first thought was: how man-centered can you get.
However, after reading the entire lyrics, it does show amazement that God is our friend, (Christ did call his disciples friends), not so much a tone that somehow we deserve to have that relationship with God.
I still don't like it because the idea of saying 'God is my friend' I think belittled God - let Him call me friend, not visa versa.
But I dislike the song a little less having read the entire lyrics, but....I'd never sing it!!!

I took part in an Apologetic Conference a few months back; organized and run by Calvinists. The worship music at the start was lead by a singer songwriter who was one of the friends of one of the organizers....singer was arminian.....

One song of his was this chorus:

You can go to heaven, but you don't have to
You can choose
You can choose
You can choose

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I did get sick.

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http://r9ministries.blogspot.com

Boy, with powerful lyrics like that, who needs old stale hymns like "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" and "Rock of Ages?"

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I much prefer something like "Jesus what a Friend for sinners"

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J Baldwin
Keowee Presbyterian Church, PCA
Pickens, SC
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27

Check Out My Blog: http://reflectjoy.blogspot.com/

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~James Helbert~, Wytheville, VA
Providence Reformed Presbyterian Church, RPCUS
TheBibleAlone.com / The Edinburgh Inn
"Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” - Zechariah 3:2

Psalm 8:3-5

3When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

4What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

5For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

Revelation 15:3
And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and amazing are your deeds,O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways,O King of the nations!

John 15:15
No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

.............

In proper context, it's not a bad song...

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-JD
1Thess5:21
Ordained Deacon, PCA
Serving in the SBC
MS

My links: ChristianSkepticism.org | personal | facebook | Prescriptive Psalmody

this is a beautiful song, in the superficial sense. I used to play it back when I was in a mainstream Evangelical Church.
This song is Biblically based, but because of the superficiality of contemporary music, it does not get heavily in to doctrine as the Psalms do.

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~Keon Garraway~ Brooklyn, NY Member of Franklin Square OPC

Love for God demonstrated by the love for our children in giving them a God centered education is the only hope for our country. by David Morrow
Pslam 71:20 [Thou], which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

There is no question that within mainstream contemporary Christian music, this song is well-liked. It annoys me with it repetition and general lack of depth, but I'm slowly becoming an old fuddy-duddy.

But what really bugs me is who popularized it. It was recorded by Phillips, Craig, and Dean. They are all Oneness Pentecostal pastors. By definition, they do not believe in the Trinity and are, therefore, heretics. That the Christian community would swallow this just because they have good harmonies is sad.

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P,C & D recorded it, but Israel Houghton and Michael Gungor actually wrote it, right? Guilt by association?

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-JD
1Thess5:21
Ordained Deacon, PCA
Serving in the SBC
MS

My links: ChristianSkepticism.org | personal | facebook | Prescriptive Psalmody

hmmm - make of this what you will:

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-JD
1Thess5:21
Ordained Deacon, PCA
Serving in the SBC
MS

My links: ChristianSkepticism.org | personal | facebook | Prescriptive Psalmody

I like - Have Thine Own Way, Lord - with more modern chords.

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-JD
1Thess5:21
Ordained Deacon, PCA
Serving in the SBC
MS

My links: ChristianSkepticism.org | personal | facebook | Prescriptive Psalmody

Would it offend anyone for me to say that songs like that are nothing more than bastardized love songs?

I have noticed that is I put my wife as the object of the song, most contemporary "Christian" songs would fit nicely.

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Dale Cosby
Kirklin, Indiana
Member of Faith and Family Baptist Church
Independent and Reforming Baptist.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever

Hmmmmmm....... now there's a thought. This bears some meditation. I shall cogitate upon this for a while.

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~James Helbert~, Wytheville, VA
Providence Reformed Presbyterian Church, RPCUS
TheBibleAlone.com / The Edinburgh Inn
"Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” - Zechariah 3:2

Hang on a sec - what is wrong with singing a song of love to Christ? We are the Bride, right?

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-JD
1Thess5:21
Ordained Deacon, PCA
Serving in the SBC
MS

My links: ChristianSkepticism.org | personal | facebook | Prescriptive Psalmody

Christian songs, albeit worship songs should follow the template of the Psalms in terms of intellectual, emotional spiritual and doctrinal content.

While this song is good in a contemporary sense, it is done very superficially when one compares it to the Psalms and the great hymns of history. But then again we should not blame contemporary culture. If mainstream evangelicalism is shallow it follows that the music will be reflective of the depth of the church or lack of it.

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~Keon Garraway~ Brooklyn, NY Member of Franklin Square OPC

Love for God demonstrated by the love for our children in giving them a God centered education is the only hope for our country. by David Morrow
Pslam 71:20 [Thou], which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

Do you know maybe the somgs and lyrics they personally wrote, because iam very interessed if there are songs (written by them) being sing in the churches.
I saw on one cd. that they have foreaxmple have on their records: Here iam to worship, come now it's the time to worship, but as far as i know, they are not written by them.
So i only need famous songs written by them!

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* Ralph Wilms (7-10-1974)
* Church : Christengemeente Roermond (The Netherlands)
* Credobaptist who hold towards Covenant Theology
* Husband of Reena & father of Naomie and Gideon
* 1729 Goat Yard Declaration of Faith
* 1646 & 1689 Baptist Confession of faith
* 1595 The Lambeth Articles
* 1618-1619 The Canons of Dordt

We should be careful not to compare song lyrics with the Psalms...the Psalms after all are the very inspired Word of God; that is a high standard to hold a modern day lyricist to....but, point taken, however.

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http://r9ministries.blogspot.com