Will Smith has collaborated with Maverick City worship - is this a good thing?

On 30th June, Will Smith performed the release of his new song You Can Make It at the 2024 BET Awards. A track with a seemingly uplifting message, it featured Chandler Moore from the contemporary Christian music collective Maverick City and the Sunday Service Choir.

However, the performance sparked some controversial comments from Christians online, with some claiming it to be satanic. This narrative is not new. The topic of whether Christians and non-Christians should collaborate has long been a debate filled with mixed opinions.

It is interesting to note, though, that Smith isn’t the only one collaborating with Christian artists. A few weeks after his performance, Ciara released a song remix with Christian artist Huvley (Billboards’ #2 Top New Christian Artist) on his popular song “Altar.” The comments on this announcement were also mixed. Some claimed it was an attempt to chase fame, whilst others celebrated the collaboration as a way to spread the gospel.

Some claimed it was an attempt to chase fame, whilst others celebrated the collaboration as a way to spread the gospel.

My views on this topic have changed over time. If you were to have asked me a few years ago, I would have responded with the opinion that Christian artists singing with secular performers is good. I saw it as a way to spread the gospel message further. However, after learning of the many demonic activities in the entertainment industry and reading God’s word further, I now land with a more nuanced perspective.

Whilst it’s true that God can use anything and anyone he wants - and he often uses the least likely to do this by way of redemption - there are also examples in scripture where God withholds his blessing because of the behaviour or way of life someone lives.

We need to use the Bible to guide us in how we live. Christian artists should also do the same when considering who to collaborate with

We need to use the Bible to guide us in how we live. Christian artists should also do the same when considering who to collaborate with; 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, ‘Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”’

In my opinion, Christian musicians deciding to collaborate with secular artists should make decisions on a case-by-case basis. Asking God first what he says about the collaboration as opposed to automatically assuming it’s a yes or no. An automatic ‘no’ to collaborations shows a lack of openness to God doing something through the artists working together. He has also called us to be a light in dark places. On the other hand, an automatic ‘yes’ doesn’t consider that God is also righteous and that he does consider a person’s heart in blessing certain things too.

But to help discern the motive of the secular artist, I think Christian artists collaborating should have a clear discussion with the secular musician about their faith stance and clarify what God they are glorifying on the collaboration track. This will help prevent confusion for both listeners and everyone working together.

We should be aware that only God knows what is in a person’s heart and their journey to being reconciled to him.

We don’t know if Ciara or Will Smith have had a personal encounter with God. Perhaps their collaborations are part of their journey towards him. Equally, we (as listeners) don’t know if it is just a performance.

Unfortunately, in this day and age, many people will say ‘God’ but won’t clarify what God they are referring to. So Christian and secular collaborations should clarify that they are referring to the God of the Bible.

Let’s pray for Will and Ciara, that the Christian artists they have worked with would have planted a seed in their hearts, and that they would come to know the God they are singing about.