The Bubba Effect: Why your “Holy” lyrics might be missing the point

Posted on: November 22nd, 2025

Let’s rip the band-aid off: Brandon Lake was right, and frankly, the Bible backs him up. If you missed the internet meltdown, the worship leader recently suggested that maybe—just maybe—we should stop filling every single song with high-concept theological jargon that only seminary students understand. He introduced us to "Bubba," a hypothetical guy in the back row who got dragged to church by his wife and doesn't know a hymnal from a hymen. The internet grabbed its pitchforks, accusing him of watering down the faith. But Paul himself said in 1 Corinthians 9:22, "I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some." If we care more about our fancy vocabulary than reaching Bubba, we aren't just missing the point; we are ignoring Scripture.

Who is "Bubba," Anyway?

First off, let's humanize this guy. "Bubba" isn't some enemy of the faith; he’s your neighbor. He’s the guy struggling to pay his mortgage, wondering why he feels so empty. He doesn't have a degree in ancient Greek. When he walks into a church, he isn't looking for a theology lecture; he is looking for hope. Romans 10:14 asks the ultimate question: "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" If our "preaching" (or singing) is in a language Bubba can't decode, we aren't answering that biblical call—we are just making noise.

The Wall of "Christianese"

We have a bad habit in the Christian bubble of speaking in code. We use words like "Zion," "Ebenezer," and "propitiation" casually. To us, they are rich; to an outsider, they are alienating. The Bible actually addresses this specific issue of clarity. In 1 Corinthians 14:9, Paul warns, "So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air." If we are singing songs that require a dictionary to understand, we are essentially speaking into the air, putting up a velvet rope that says, "You have to be this religious to ride."

Jesus Was the King of Relatability

Here is the kicker: Jesus didn't talk like a Pharisee. He was the master of the "Bubba" approach. Mark 4:33 tells us, "With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand." Notice that? As much as they could understand. He didn't give lectures on "supralapsarianism"; He talked about seeds, sheep, coins, and fishing nets. He met people exactly where they were, using the language of their daily grind to reveal eternal truths. If the Son of God was comfortable using agricultural slang to reach farmers, why are we so afraid to use modern, accessible language to reach modern people?

Accessibility is Not Compromise

Critics scream that making music accessible means we are compromising the truth, but that is a false dichotomy. You can tell the absolute truth without being confusing. Colossians 4:5-6 instructs us: "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." "Seasoned with salt" means palatable, tasty, and preserving. It doesn't mean "overwhelmingly salty to the point of being inedible." Crafting music Bubba can digest isn't watering down the Gospel; it’s serving it with wisdom.

The "Gateway" Theory

Think of music as a handshake, not the entire sermon. A song might be the first time someone encounters God. 1 Corinthians 3:2 is the perfect model here: "I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it." You don't feed a newborn a steak, and you don't feed a spiritual newborn complex eschatology. Songs like Brandon Lake’s "Hard Fought Hallelujah" work because they offer spiritual "milk"—pure, simple, nourishing truth about struggle and God's presence. They build a bridge rather than shouting from the other side of the river.

Finding Your Audience (It’s Not the Choir)

As artists, we have to ask: who are we writing for? The choir already knows the words. But Jesus was pretty clear about his priority audience. In Matthew 9:12, He said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." The vast majority of our potential audience is out there, starving for meaning. They are the "sick" who need a Physician, but they won't come to the hospital if they can't read the sign on the door. We need to craft our art to disrupt their algorithm with something they can actually feel and understand.

Hope is Universal

The one thing Bubba understands just as well as the Bishop is pain. Pain is universal. Psalm 34:18 promises, "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." When we write songs that are honest about suffering and simple about the hope found in Jesus, we bypass intellectual defenses. We are doing exactly what the Psalmist did—offering a lifeline to the crushed. When you sing about a "God who stays," you aren't using jargon; you are addressing a primal human need validated by Scripture.

The "Holy" Debate

One specific criticism against Lake was his hesitation to open with "Holy, Holy, Holy" because Bubba might misunderstand it. Critics say, "Teach him!" And yes, we should—eventually. Hebrews 5:13 reminds us that "Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness." There is a learning curve. You don't teach calculus to a kindergartner. If Bubba thinks "Holy" means "Holy Crap," leading with that creates a misunderstanding. Wisdom dictates we start with concepts he can grasp before moving to the "solid food" of complex holiness.

Being "In the World"

This approach allows us to actually practice the prayer of Jesus in John 17:15-18: "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one... As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world." Being "sent into the world" implies we are going into their territory, speaking their dialect, and relating to their struggles. When we craft lyrics that are raw and conversational, we are living out that commission—being in the world to transform it, not retreating from it to critique it.

The Fear of "Selling Out"

Let’s kill the fear that popularity equals heresy. Philippians 1:18 should be our anthem here: "But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice." Even if a song crosses over to secular charts or gets played in a bar, if it points to Jesus, that is a win. The Holy Spirit can work through a catchy hook just as easily as a hymn. If Christ is being preached to the masses through a pop song, we should be rejoicing, not nitpicking.

The Bottom Line

So, here is the challenge: Be brave enough to be simple. Habakkuk 2:2 says, "Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it." Make it plain. That is the biblical mandate. Don't water down the Truth, but water down the jargon so Bubba can drink it. Let’s make the vision so plain that even the guy in the back row can read it and run toward Jesus. Brandon Lake isn't ruining worship; he’s expanding the guest list to the wedding feast—and that is exactly what the Master told us to do.