10 Ways Gospel Music Influenced The World

We all need inspiration and encouragement, no matter the season we're living in.

Gospel music has always been influential. It is a symphony of struggle, heartache, triumph, and unity, all in the lungs of artists that would make you believe their voices are from a Higher Power. If you are in need of some encouragement and inspiration, here are ten ways gospel music has been influencing the world.

  1. Giving Back/Tithing

People in the Christian community are familiar with the concept of tithing, where you give back 10 percent of your income to the church on whatever day service is held. Offerings are when you give a little more in addition. The most common way of this is by money, in which there may be collection plates in the form of baskets or what’s ever on hand. People can also give back with food, clothes, time served in the church. This help not only goes to church repairs or programs, but it helps people when in need. There are numerous events that the church holds to help people. In the form of bake sales to send people to college, giving scholarships, or mentoring youth, tithing has proven to be very helpful.


2.   Government Assistance 
During the rise of the pandemic in 2020, former President Donald Trump declared March 15, a day of prayer to help people band together via an online church service. Trump stated in the article via Twitter, “No matter where you may be, I encourage you to turn towards prayer in an act of faith. Together, we will easily PREVAIL!”


3.   Mental Health
When people come to church or any type of place of worship, the key is to feel at peace, that everyone is the same in that they need help and guidance. There are times when I myself had to seek help in the form of therapy. There was someone that I needed to talk to, feeling alone, trapped, and overall helpless. A therapist was able to talk to me and give me some tools to make my life easier, and one of the suggestions to feeling more at peace was by listening to gospel music. By all means, it does not mean that I go without my fair share of issues, but having a non-judgemental person to go to makes it better in the long run.


4.   Musical Inspiration 
Music will always draw inspiration from somewhere. Countless artists from just about any genre one can think of, From Elvis Presley to Aretha Franklin, and The Temptations have been implementing gospel music and putting it into their sounds for all to hear for ages. Whether it’s come from a religious background from childhood, or simply sampling melodies or beats, the inspiration is there. A few examples of the earliest uses of gospel in other genres of music include rock and r&b. There are even different kinds of gospel, from Contemporary, Traditional or Black gospel, Spiritual, by means of past West African slaves, and Evangelistic, which is categorized as a mix between the way of living of African and European people.

5.    Giving Back To The Community

There are many churches and organizations that give back to their communities, and even go the extra mile to give to other places outside of their hometowns. Transformation Church, located in Tulsa Oklahoma, has been able to give away vehicles to people in need, as well as starting funds for homes. People have also helped in the form of donations and by offering in addition to tithing. There have been social media concerts instead of artists taking the grand stage in lieu of the pandemic. This has been a way for people to come together to praise and worship in the comforts of their own homes.


6.   Social Media Influence
There are apps galore that highlight music genres and lately gospel has been no exception. The popular app TikTok has people from all around the world getting into the latest craze, dancing to a popular song called Walking by gospel group Mary Mary. Another way that gospel has influenced the social media world is with podcasts. There are numerous ones around wherever podcasts are broadcast but one, in particular, that is gaining attention. Gospel artist Kirk Franklin has launched a podcast entitled “Good Words With Kirk Franklin ”, that aims to talk to celebrities about God, the bible and spread overall cheer.


7.   History Lessons 
In a way, gospel is more than just a genre of music. It tells a story, it recounts history. Slaves that were located primarily in the south would sing in code. Many of them embraced death as the ultimate freedom. As gospel advanced and slavery ended, the holy spirit and different types of praise were implemented in songs. A man named Thomas A. Dorsey, commonly known as the "Father of Gospel" in the midst of tragedy, wrote the lyrics that would go down in history as the most captivating and emotional music ever heard. Although he is credited as the Father of Gospel, the captivating sound primarily came about in the 19th century. It advanced through exploration and innovation between the white and black communities. In the early stages of gospel music, it got started with the mass revival movement, leading with  Dwight L. Moody and Ira D. Sankey, as well as the Holiness-Pentecostal movement. In the white communities, gospel music was mostly sung in traditional church format, singing in hymms. At the same time in the black community, gospel music was becoming popular and people started to mix gospel with the widely successful genres, like jazz, country, and blues. Most of these songs were sung about overcoming slavery. Slaves that were located primarily in the south would sing in code. Many of them embraced death as the ultimate freedom. As gospel advanced and slavery ended, the holy spirit and different types of praise were implemented in songs.


8.   Talent Searches 
With gospel being such a diverse and yet amazing genre, Gospel has some amazing voices. There are local churches that allow people to join choirs. With more people staying at home, there are sure to be talent shows for people to showcase. The popular singing t.v called The Voice had a segment in which Pharrell Williams was on the hunt to build a gospel choir.


9.   Good News
 The Gospel in reference to the Bible is defined as "good news". So, spreading the gospel is something that Christians do to encourage people and to encourage others to do the same and spread cheer concerning the prophecies proclaimed throughout the book.

10.   Brain Development 
In addition to those benefits, according to an academic article, studies have shown that listening to gospel improved brain health by lowering anxieties associated with death and increasing self-esteem, and an increase in self-control. This data was found in older adults. 


In conclusion, Gospel music has been an influential part of the world for a long time. It is encouraging enough for people to see the bigger picture, develop self-esteem issues, inspire people to showcase their talents, and many more incredible feats. By listening to gospel music, there is a chance to learn about the people who had to go through hardships in order to create such a melody. There are opportunities for people to see how gospel music has transcended over time and see that it has been influential and will be for a long time.

I am an aspiring author. That means that my words have the power to appeal to the changes I want to see in this world.

No Saves yet. Share it with your friends.

Write Your Diary

Get Free Access To Our Publishing Resources

Independent creators, thought-leaders, experts and individuals with unique perspectives use our free publishing tools to express themselves and create new ideas.

Start Writing