OlderAmerican Idol Performs “Shout to the Lord”
The American Idol “Final 8″ performed “Shout To the Lord” as its closing song Wednesday night during Idol Gives Back, a music celebration raising awareness and funds to benefit various U.S. and international charities. Here are some sample lyrics:
My Shepherd, My Savior
Lord there is none like You
All of my days, I want to praise
The wonders of Your mighty love
“Shout to the Lord” is a popular worship anthem, written by singer/songwriter Darlene Zschech in 1993. However, the original lyrics start the song off with “My Jesus” but was replaced with “My Shepherd” for American Idol.
Pictured left to right: Brooke White, David Archuleta, Kristy Lee Cook, David Cook, Carly Smithson, Jason Castro, Syesha Mercado and Michael Johns.
American Idol Performs “Shout to the Lord”
10+ pictures inside of the American Idol 7 “Top 8″ shouting to the Lord…
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I was very disappointed that the word “Jesus” was “PC’ed” into “Shepherd” in the video. I wonder if Darlene Zschech gave her approval.
Love that they sung the song. But personally, I think it was a well thought out, purposely planned choice of song by the Fox execs.
Statisically Christians give more money to charities (check the public tax records), why not appeal to them? American Idol will get more money…
I don’t know what this site is talking about. There was nothing watered down about the lyrics. I have it recorded on my DVR…the Idols sing the song word for word from the original. I recorded it on the High Definition channel not sure if that made a difference but the did say Jesus. I even replayed it for my wife who was out of the room at the time. I can’t believe what I’m hearing on you tube. Sheppard sticks out like a soar thumb when you’ve sung this sung a billion times in church.
Let me respond to your questions and comments…
“I am continually amazed at the number of people whose beliefs are driven by an ancient book of fables.”
Our own Smithsonian Institution calls the bible the most historically accurate book ever written.
“What if they sang about some other god or belief?”
Well, they don’t sing about other gods or beliefs because there is only one true God. That’s the God the song was written about.
“I grew up listening to that worship song, never did i think it’d have its moment in mainstream media. strange!”
If God is the ultimate authority for the entire world, and He is, we should be singing songs about Him in the mainstream of music. The vast majority of the world has turned its back on the principles of God’s Word… following man-made guidelines for their lives… which is exactly what God’s Word said would happen.
I didn’t see the show last night, but my next comment is in regard to the Idol Gives Back broadcast. In that episode, they didn’t use the name Jesus. They swapped out the name “Jesus” with the word shepherd. The song actually goes like this…. “My Jesus, My Savior”
They sang “My shepherd, my savior.” That takes the perspective off Jesus. The song took on a very New Age feel for me. No doubt the networks didn’t want to get hammered by the non-believing viewers.
Did they sing Jesus’ name in the show after the Idol Gives Back episode?
Tom Garber
THANK YOU FOR THE REAL REASON WE GIVE BACK. JESUS = SHEPHARD. THIS WAS ONE OF THE BEST MOMENTS EVER ON TV.
THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO HAD THE GUTS TO DO THIS. IT IS ABOUT TIME THAT THIS NATION PRAISES THE ONE AND TRUE GOD.
one of my favorite worship songs by the talented Darlene Zschech (Hillsong, Australia).
I think they change the word for the universal audiences.
For “CJ”, “an ‘intelligent’ person”, and “Losers” - Jesus was crucified and died -even for you. His resurrection gives us hope for everlasting life if we belong to Him and His Word is not an “ancient book of fables” as CJ states, it’s the Creator’s love letter to us. I challenge you to read it. See what He wants to say to you, right here, right now. Here are just a couple words of His to you:
“For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
“But God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shall be saved.” Acts 16:31
Jesus said, “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my father in heaven.” Matthew 10:32-33
Again, I challenge you to read it and see what happens.
The song is about Jesus. Why on earth they thought changing Jesus’ name to Shepherd would actually change the meaning of the song is beyond me. The song is about Jesus. When did that become a bad name?
The song is about Jesus. If you’re going to sing the song, say His name!
Jesus. Period. That. Simple.
I thought leaving out “My Jesus” in the song was offensive to Christians. I find it hard to believe that the original artist would have permitted this to be done on television. Yes, it is a beautiful song, but it is about Jesus.
READ THE BIBLE FOR YOURSELF, I DARE YOU NOT TO BE CHANGED BY IT, THERE ISN’T ANOTHER BOOK LIKE IT!
CJ, There is a new movie with Ben Stein coming out next week called “Expelled - No Intelligence Allowed.” Please go see it. Reality is the way things are…belief is the way you THINK things are…and truth is when you’re right. I am sure you would like to be right–that your belief that there is no God and that the Bible is a book of fables is actually true–that it corresponds to reality. However, for your belief to be true you must believe some pretty irrational things. You must believe that something (i.e. the universe) came from nothing…that order comes from chaos…that life comes from non-life…that consciousness arises from unconsciousness. To the comments of Team Lara Craft (Comment #46), the people who killed in the name of Jesus were not following Jesus at all. They were violating the very principles he taught and they will stand before Him as Judge. The God of all creation who visited this planet 2000 years ago (Jesus) should not be blamed for the actions of people who were disobedient or deceived. He gave all of us the gift of a free will–freedom being one of the ultimate expressions of love. Jesus lives and reigns in the hearts of the millions of those who have submitted to Him as the Lord and Savior that He is. Someday you will meet Him face to face. Please look into these matters with an open mind before outright rejecting the one who loves you most and died for you so that you could have eternal life. The choice is yours. He will not violoate your free will to reject Him. If you choose to reject Him and go your own way, He has given you that freedom. But He has a kingdom waiting and He beacons you to come to Him rather then spend an eternity away from the goodness He provides. After your death here on earth you can either stand before Him as your Judge or as your Savior. He gives you the choice during your life here but once you die there’s no going back. Our only hope after the death of our bodies is our Creator–Jesus. Don’t believe me…look into it yourself. As a former atheist with an advanced degree in Biomedical Sciences, I never gave myself “permission” to actually read the Bible for myself. When I did, and investigated things thoroughly, that changed everything. If the God of the universe exists then it only makes sense that he would communicate with His creation. Well, He said that He did and He also promised that His Word would stand forever. Look up at the sky on a clear night…watch the birth of a child…fall in love…learn about the vast comlexities of DNA. If He can accomplish all this, then keeping the Word He promised to us would be easy. If the Bible is indeed the Word of Almighty God, wouldn’t you want to find out what it says rather than just listen to what others say about it? If you pride yourself as a thinking person I also recommend going to http://www.str.org (Stand to Reason) and ordering a short cd called “You Bet Your Life - A Simple Case Against Atheism” — that is, if you dare to let your current beliefs be challenged (CJ - you too).
the fool says in his heart, there is no God.
and…
he who answers to a fool is a fool himself
READ THE PROVERBS PEOPLE!!
I mean only right wingers watch bad television anyways, right?
To “thetruth” (comment #63): Do you realize that by your own rationale that you have called yourself a fool?
I noticed that the words were different the second time they sang Shout to the Lord - I just figured it was Brooke making a mistake. If I’m not mistaken, they didn’t change the words the first time they sang it at the beginning of the show. I’ll have to look back on the tape to be sure… I was somewhat eerie hearing this song on secular tv. I didn’t know how to take it actually.
Did anyone catch the scripture being quoted during Mariah’s song. There was narration just before she started singing that said… Weeping lasts for a night but Joy comes in the morning. (found in Ps 30:5) and in the middle of the song the voice said… I will never leave you or forsake you… Interesting…
Well, I can see why some people would be offended by there being a worship song in American Idol. But, at the same time, if all of the singers didn’t mind singing it, I don’t see why it’s a big deal.
The connection between helping the world and praising Jesus go hand in hand. Not to sound like a “Jesus freak” or anything (but I am a youth pastor), but you simply can’t love God without loving your neighbor. So, a worship song to the Christian God (even if they left out his name on Wednesday night…but, incidentally, they did say “Jesus” on Thursday night) should almost be like a rallying cry for Christians to do something about all the injustice in the world.
What surprised me are two things…
1. Why sing such an overtly Christian praise song in that context? I would think that a song like “Heal the World” would resonate to people of all religious backgrounds. It just seems odd that that song was chosen in that context. I liked it, but I can definitely see how it would have made some people uncomfortable.
2. Why take the name “Jesus” out in the first place? I don’t think anyone pulled a fast one on the American public. Isn’t it interesting that the name of Jesus (a man who didn’t judge, forgave, offered life, believed in second chances, and inclusiveness) is more offensive (and needing censorship) than “Lord” (a name meaning “Master”) and “King” (meaning, well, “Master”).
My observation is this.
If Christians did more loving in the name of Jesus than judging in the name of Jesus, His name would be much sweeter to the world.
Anyway, I try my best to do this. And I hope that others will be inspired by that song to honor Jesus with their lives and not just with songs.
If you want to discover who this Jesus is, then come check out my blog where I am going through the Bible trying to read it without any preconceived ideas, reading it for what it is. I’m open for discussion too. So, please, if you are wondering WHY people make such a big deal about God, I’d encourage you to check it out.
http://supermannino.wordpress.com
How would anyone except a Christian know that was a song about JESUS? They took His name out of it. You can call anyone or anyboy “sheppard” and “lord”. As for the other religions, well just plug in your god and the song is for you. I think hat was the idea. Don’t you get it? Raise money to make the world a better place and remove the ONLY NAME whereby people can be saved from Hell. Made me want to BARF!
I was shocked to hear that song , and when I heard it I was so pumped but the next day I heard that they took the word JESUS out of the song and I just had to pray because to take the name Jesus out of the song defeits the purpose of even playing a christian song but Its was still good and its still had powerfull words and praise to God my Lord and Savior forever.
Newsflash GOD lives!
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080408/D8VTTKIO0.html
‘God Particle’ Expected to Be Found Soon
Apr 8, 4:46 PM (ET)
By ALEXANDER G. HIGGINS
(GENEVA (AP) - The father of a theoretical subatomic particle dubbed “the God particle” says he’s almost sure it will be confirmed in the next year in a race between powerful research equipment in the United States and Europe.
British physicist Peter Higgs, who more than 40 years ago postulated the existence of the particle in the makeup of the atom, said is visit to a new accelerator in Geneva last weekend encouraged him that the Higgs boson will soon be seen.
The $2 billion Large Hadron Collider, under construction since 2003, is expected to start operating by June at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (known as CERN).
It likely will take several months before the hundreds of scientists from around the world are ready to start smashing together protons to study their composition.
Higgs said Monday the particle may already have been created at the rival Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory outside Chicago, where the Tevatron is currently the world’s most powerful particle accelerator.
“The Tevatron has plenty of energy to do it,” Higgs said. “It’s just the difficulty of analyzing the data which prevents you from knowing quickly what’s hiding in the data.”
The massive new CERN collider, which has been installed in a 17-mile circular tunnel under the Swiss-French border, will be more powerful still and will be better able to show what particles are created in the collisions of beams of protons traveling at the speed of light.
The new Geneva collider will re-create the rapidly changing conditions in the universe a split second after the Big Bang. It will be the closest that scientists have come to the event that they theorize was the beginning of the universe. They hope the new equipment will enable them to study particles and forces yet unobserved.
But Fermilab still has time to be first if it can show that it has discovered the Higgs boson, Higgs said.
Nobel laureate Leon Lederman has dubbed the theoretical boson “the God particle” because its discovery could unify understanding of particle physics and help humans “know the mind of God.”
Higgs told reporters he is hoping to receive confirmation of his theory by the time he turns 80 in May 2009.
If not, he added, “I’ll just have to ask my GP to keep me alive a bit longer,” referring to his general practitioner, not the God particle, a term he does not embrace because he fears it might offend some people.
Higgs predicted the existence of the boson while working at the University of Edinburgh to explain how atoms - and the objects they make up - have weight.
Without the particle, the basic physics theory - the “standard model” - lacks a crucial element, because it fails to explain how other subatomic particles - such as quarks and electrons - have mass.
The Higgs theory is that the bosons create a field through which the other particles pass.
The particles that encounter difficulty going through the field as though they are passing through molasses pick up more inertia, and mass. Those that pass through more easily are lighter.
Higgs said he would be “very, very puzzled” if the particle is never found because he cannot image what else could explain how particles get mass.
Higgs said initial reaction to his ideas in the early 1960s was skeptical.
“My colleagues thought I was a bit of an idiot,” he said, noting that his initial paper explaining how his theory worked was rejected by an editor at CERN.
He said a colleague spent the summer at CERN right after he did his work on the theory.
“He came back and said, ‘At CERN they didn’t see that what you were talking about had much to do with particle physics.’
“I then added on some additional paragraphs and sent it off across the Atlantic to Physical Review Letters, who accepted it. The mention of what became known as the Higgs boson was part of the extra which was added on.”
I think it would be very hard to represent America as idol worshippers.
“Giving back” was such a wonderful thing….so Jesus to give out and give back to the poor and needy.
Then the organizers of this show did an even greater thing…..they “gave back” to God….or allowed the “idols” to do so.
This was soooooooooo worthy. Thank you Lord and the powers that be over the programming.
The choir was great too!
I think it would be very hard to represent America as idol worshippers.
“Giving back” was such a wonderful thing….so “Jesus” to give out and give back to the poor and needy.
Then the organizers of this show did an even greater thing…..they “gave back” to God….or allowed the “idols” to do so.
This was soooooooooo worthy. Thank you Lord and the powers that be over the programming.
The choir was great too!
Yes, yes thumbs UP!!! WTG!! Beautiful song!! I do wish they had said ‘My Jesus, My Savior’ but it worked out beautifully!!! :) PTL!
Yes, this song IS all about Jesus! Jesus IS the name above ALL names! They shouldn’t have taken it out because it was meant to be there. There IS power in the name of Jesus!!
They used “Jesus” in the reprise. I don’t think the reprise was as good because the parts weren’t as balanced…but that’s from a musical standpoint. I was glad they sang the song as written for the reprise. The message is clear: There is none like JESUS! A fantastic witness…makes my day. :)
i am a Christian and i wish they sang more Christian songs on American Idle like more song from 98.5 station from the radio!!I I love that station!
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