Is the “Worship Industry” Good for the Church?
A Video Review of
Weapons of Worship: How the Songs of Evangelicalism Form the Soundtrack of Extremism
Rick Pidcock
Paperback: Broadleaf Books, 2026
Buy Now: [ BookShop ] [ Amazon ]
Joel Wentz is the producer of our podcast, and he also runs his own YouTube channel where he posts video reviews of books and other book-related commentary. We are excited to begin sharing Joel’s videos here on our site, and encourage you to subscribe to his YouTube channel, and if you are able, also to support his work on Patreon.
Video description:
Evangelical worship music has become a massive, money-making industry. How does the profit-driven, industrialization of worship song-writing affect the lives of Christians today? How might we be more critical of language of power and domination in our songs? What is the history of religious music related to race, gender and empire in America? And ultimately, are we shaped by the songs we sing together? 00:00 – Introduction
01:25 – What This Book is Doing
03:34 – What This Book Does Well
06:54 – What This Book Could Do Better
08:39 – Final Thoughts & Recommendation
We encourage you to subscribe to Joel’s YouTube channel, and if you are able, also to support his work on Patreon.
[ LISTEN to a podcast conversation with Joel Wentz, Rick Pidcock & Daniel Silliman ]
Joel Wentz
Joel Wentz is currently the Executive Pastor at Missio Dei Church in Portland, Maine. He previously served in college campus ministry with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. In addition to reading and writing, his passions include tabletop gaming, music, and coffee. His favorite book genres are epic fantasy and epic theology. He lives in Portland, Maine with his wife and son, and his personal writing and podcast are at: joelwentz.com
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