Singer Seyi Shay stated that she stopped attending her former church because of its strict stance on worship music, which permitted only hymns and scripture-based songs while dismissing modern gospel music.
In a recent post on Instagram, the artist expressed her criticism of the church leaders’ insistence, identifying it as a significant factor contributing to her decision to resign.
She firmly asserted that many traditional hymns were composed by slave owners who compelled enslaved people to sing them while enduring torture.
The individual expressed the following: “A leader at my previous church remarked, ‘We need to cease singing contemporary gospel songs during praise and worship and return to hymns and songs that are directly derived from Scripture.’ In light of this statement, I made the decision to discontinue my attendance at that church. I find it difficult to comprehend how one could derive a sense of blessing or happiness from singing songs that were composed by slave owners—songs that were imposed upon our ancestors amidst circumstances of violence and suffering. This perspective is illogical to me. One should conduct thorough research on this topic. Ignorance is not aligned with Godly principles.”
In clarifying her position, she stated, “It is important to note that not all hymns were composed by slave owners; however, a significant number of them were. In certain instances, it may be more beneficial to create original praise and worship songs or hymns, particularly those that are grounded in scripture, should one choose to do so.”
Seyi Shay proposed that we create original praise and worship songs based on scripture as a better alternative.
