“Country singer and songwriter Brett James, known for the hit “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” died with two others in a small plane in North Carolina’s mountains.”

Spectrum News 1

“Jesus, take the wheel,

Take it from my hands,

‘Cause I can’t do this on my own.”

Brett James

I don’t particularly care for country music, especially when it’s infused with Christian lyrics. It’s miserable to have a brain worm, but it’s torture to have an earworm. If I hear a snippet of “Jesus Take the Wheel”, it’s ensconced in my mind until I scream out: “Jesus Take the Fucken Wheel and crash into the nearest power pole.”

“Jesus Take the Wheel” is one of the most lyrically insipid and theologically ignorant songs in the annals of country music. It implies an unhealthy level of passivity, and an unwise dependence on an invisible deity. I know Christians who pray for “traveling mercies” and then proceed to text and sing along to Lauren Daigle bangers while they drive merrily on down the road.

I live according to the teachings of Jesus, but I don’t beg Jesus to take the wheel, or control of my life. I’m not going to abdicate my own decision-making process to any televangelist or theologian who claim to speak for God.

Jesus didn’t take over the flight controls of the single-engine Cirrus SR22T plane and Brett James died in the crash.

I pray that a hack songwriter won’t be inspired to write, “Jesus Take Over the Flight Controls.”