What comes to mind when you hear Hill Song, Elevation, Passion, Bethel?

You may think megachurch.

You may think controversy or scandal.

But you also may think of music.

And chances are, if you were in church last Sunday, you sang a song produced or associated in some way with one of these four worship powerhouses.

Welcome to the Roy's Report, a podcast dedicated to reporting the truth and restoring the church.

I'm Julie Roy's. And joining me today are two collaborators on a new study exploring the songs we sing in church and the affiliations that produce them.

Stunningly, almost 100% of the top 25 worship songs of the past decade were written or in some

way connected to just four megachurches.

And those megachurches don't necessarily have the best reputations.

Hill Song, for example, has been embroiled in one scandal after another for the past two years.

These involve allegations of sexual misconduct, fraud, spiritual abuse, and toxic leadership.

Bethel has attracted controversy for promoting bizarre practices like grave-soaking.

Elevation, Bethel and Hill-Song have been accused

of promoting the prosperity gospel. Passion is perhaps the least controversial among the four,

though Hillsong whistleblower documents show that Passion Pastor Louis Giglio was a frequent speaker

at Hill-Song, and he participated in what some have dubbed Hillsong's Celebrity Preachers Scam.

So what does it mean that these organizations have essentially had a monopoly on worship in

American churches? Historically, how did we get here? And what's the takeaway for worship pastors

and congregants? I'm super excited to explore these important questions with my guests today.

But first, I'd like to thank our sponsors, Judson University and Mark Orta Barrington.

Judson University is a top-ranked Christian university providing a caring community and an

...