The Gospel Can Still Break Though a Fading and Failing Grammy Awards

Like many similar shows, the Grammy Awards have spiraled in viewership in recent years, declining to near record lows — including Sunday night’s edition from Los Angeles.

Often called “music’s biggest night,” the traditional gathering was originally put together by industry executives in the 1950s. The name “Grammy” stems from the “gramophone” — the antique device that once played records. 

The reasons behind the precipitous drop in interest are many, and President Trump weighed in as the event wound down on Sunday night.

“The Grammys are the WORST, virtually unwatchable!” the president wrote on Truth Social. 

Most of the material was, to put it charitably, forgettable, but Christian music artist Brandon Lake and country star Jelly Roll are being praised for their willingness to use the platform to witness.

After being awarded the “Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song of the year, which he collaborated with Jelly Roll on for “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” Lake declared:

“Thank you. Oh man. Wow. Thank you, Jesus, I want to thank my wife, who’s holding down the fort back home with all my babies, crazy babies.”

He then added:

“I’ve gotten countless messages of how this song has literally saved people’s lives and pointed them to Jesus. If it wasn’t for Jesus, I don’t know where I would be, y’all. Most important thing I could say is this world is Cray Cray right now, but I was reminded of the scripture this morning, John 16:33: ‘I have told you these things so that in me, you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world.’ He’s overcome, so that means we can too through Christ. Love you. Thank you so much.”

Jelly Roll, a.k.a. Jason DeFord, received an award for “Best Contemporary Country Album” for “Beautifully Broken.” He credited his wife with making his success even possible.

“I would never have changed my life without you,” he said to Alisa, a.k.a. ‘Bunnie XO.’ “I’d have ended up dead or in jail. I would have killed myself if it wasn’t for you and Jesus.”

He then explained what was behind the album itself:

“There were days that I thought the darkest things. I was a horrible human. There was a moment in my life that all I had was a Bible this big, and a radio the same size, and a six-by-eight-foot cell. And I believe that those two things could change my life. I believe that music had the power to change my life, and God had the power to change my life,” the country artist shared.

“Jesus is Jesus, and anybody can have a relationship with Him. I love you, Lord.”

It’s a good thing when an otherwise uneven, even vacuous, worldly event can be redeemed and leveraged to introduce or affirm the Gospel of Jesus Christ to audiences unlikely to attend church or encounter eternal truth.