Popular Christian singer-songwriter Cory Asbury is well-acquainted with theological controversy. After his song Reckless Love was released in 2017, the lyrics of the song garnered so much attention that Asbury had to explain himself, “When I use the phrase, ‘the reckless love of God’, I’m not saying that God Himself is reckless. I am, however, saying that the way He loves, is in many regards, quite so. What I mean is this: He is utterly unconcerned with the consequences of His actions with regards to His own safety, comfort, and well-being.”
While that controversy was centered around lyrics that could be interpreted in different ways, one of his newest songs from this year, “Good For Nothing,” has a particular lyric that is just plain wrong, and it should sound off alarm bells for Christians. The chorus kicks off with these words: “Good for nothing; Like Nazareth, where the Son of Man was born.”
There are other problematic lines, but this one is the most head-scratching, not just because it is patently false—Jesus was born in Bethlehem—but it raises questions about the Christian leaders that can get even the most basic facts about scripture wrong. “Good For Nothing” is a reminder that while we have more opportunities to express our religious freedoms, there is a growing need for prioritizing biblical literacy so that those expressing their religious faith know just what it is they believe.
Growing Protection of Faith Amid Declining Interest
We live in a unique moment. In recent years, there has been tremendous reaffirmation of our First Amendment right for religious expression. First Liberty Institute has the pleasure of representing people of many faiths and backgrounds, and our work gives us a view of the tide turning toward more robust First Amendment rights and religious liberty protection in the United States.
Take Groff v. DeJoy, a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court in 2023. It featured Gerald Groff, a postal worker who had a religious objection to working on Sundays—that’s why he chose to work for the U.S. Postal Service. But when USPS contracted with Amazon, they started mandating that employees run routes on Sundays, prompting Gerald to take his protests to court. Since 1977, companies only had to show a minimal burden to justify burdening the religious practices of their employees. But the Supreme Court explained that this rule was wrong and returned the law to where it was supposed to be all along, stating that employers now must show an undue burden, which is a far loftier requirement. Gerald was entitled to his Sabbath day of rest.
The trend toward greater religious liberty doesn’t just exist in courthouses. This year the federal administration has made a conscious effort to protect First Amendment liberties, including the creation of the White House Faith Office. God is moving in America, and Christians should be encouraged. They should feel confident to live out their faith boldly everywhere—at work, at school, and at home.
But the intense defense of religious liberty in the past few years has coincided with the slow, steady decline of active spiritual lives and interest in religious matters. In fact, it seems that the very reason we have had to defend religious liberty is because Western culture is slowly becoming less religious in the traditional sense.
Biblical literacy, too, has taken a hit. In 2024, the American Bible Society (ABS) released its annual State of the Bible report. In it, a shocking statistic: 57 percent, or roughly 151 million American adults are considered “Bible Disengaged.” But ABS’ 2025 report showed that engagement with the Bible is starting to trend upward again, led by a growing interest among younger generations, especially Millennials.
Getting Back to Basics
This represents an important opportunity. Everything is downstream of one’s sincerely held religious beliefs, because our views about God shape everything about our lives. It is not a question of if our beliefs shape our vision of life—it is a question of what sincerely held religious beliefs are already shaping our lives. For Christians, our views of God are shaped in no small part by our study of the Bible.
And this brings us back to Asbury’s “Good For Nothing.” The song is a good example of the desperate need for biblical literacy. We all know the influence that music can have on our minds. Without a teacher or regular engagement with scripture, Christians may not know that there is a distinct difference between Jesus being born in Nazareth rather than being from Nazareth. Yes, Jesus was called a Nazarene (Matt. 2:19–23) and even referred to as Jesus of Nazareth (Acts 26:9) because Nazareth was where Joseph and Mary eventually settled and raised Jesus. But Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which fills an important prophecy about the coming of Christ (Matt. 2:1; Mic. 5:2).
Or take another recent controversy connected to a mistake about Jesus’ life, this time connected to his death. In reporting on a scholar’s research into the method of how, exactly, Jesus was secured to a cross—nails or rope—a senior editor at Christianity Today originally failed to note passages in the Bible that specifically mention nails, such as John 20:25, where Thomas mentions wanting to “put my fingers where the nails were” to prove that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead. The article was later updated and the author issued a separate apology, but the incident highlights how even those whose very work is steeped in Christianity and the Bible can still get things wrong if they don’t go back to the source.
These are some of the most basic teachings about the person and work of Christ, but surely the kinds of things that Christian leaders need to know and communicate to the next generation. Lyrics like “Good For Nothing” are the reminder that while we have new opportunities to exercise our faith, we need faithful leaders who know the teachings of scripture to pass them on so that believers can know just who and what they believe.
Editor’s Note: Erin Smith, Associate Counsel at First Liberty Institute, contributed to this article.
