Koryn Hawthorne is an up-and-coming star in the contemporary worship artist scene and is popular for one of her hit songs, How Great Thou Art.
Background
Koryn Hawthorne currently serves as a worship leader at Crossroads Church, an Assemblies of God Pentecostal congregation in LaFayette, LA.
Hawthorne launched her singing career after appearing on NBC’s The Voice and receiving support from her home church at the time, Lighthouse for Jesus Ministries in Abbeville, SC.
Lighthouse is a Oneness Pentecostal church that holds to the aberrant Oneness doctrine of God. Oneness Pentecostalism is a branch of the Pentecostal movement that denies the Trinity. It is a heretical movement that teaches that God reveals, or manifests, himself in three ways at different times, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but rejects the belief in three separate and distinct concurrent persons of the Godhead. The oneness Pentecostal theology of the Trinity is strikingly similar to that of the historic heresy known as Sabellianism—or modalism.
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Note the following from Lighthouse’s Facebook page explaining the church’s devotion to Oneness.
The church also holds to the unbiblical idea that there are modern-day prophets and apostles. This idea is most closely associated with the heretical movement known as the New Apostolic Reformation and while this belief is common among most Pentecostal denominations, it is highly exacerbated in Oneness movements. The following is a description of Lighthouse which can also be found on their Facebook page.
While Hawthorne has currently been picked up by Crossroads—for an undisclosed amount of money—to lead the congregation’s singing, Hawthorne’s ties to the Oneness congregation have not been severed. Hawthorne, who also attended a small private school operated by Lighthouse, has received full support from the church and the school in her now-famous music career.
According to an article at The Advertiser, while Hawthorne attended the school, the principal of the school, who is a first cousin to Hawthorne’s father, recalled a “prophecy” from the church’s “overseer” that predicted Hawthorne’s music career:
“The overseer of our church had spoken a word to her and said her talent was something that was going to be seen by the world,” said Spraggins, a first cousin to Hawthorne’s father, Corey. “We’ve always looked for this in Koryn. We believed it because God spoke that into her life. We knew that it was something that was given to her.
“I can’t say that I’m surprised, but I’m overwhelmed to see it come to pass, just exactly what we knew what was going to happen.”
The Oneness congregation continues to support Hawthorne and her career.
Associations
United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI, Oneness),
Assemblies of God (AOG)
Positions and Beliefs
It is unknown what Hawthorne’s personal beliefs on the Trinity are, as she has not publicly spoken about them, however, it is likely safe to conclude that she does not view Oneness theology as heresy as she maintains her ties with Lighthouse for Jesus Ministries, a Oneness organization. Further, her association with the Pentecostal movement in general, and with the UPCI in particular, places her within the New Apostolic Reformation which is a movement wholly rejected by orthodox biblical Christianity.
Conclusion
Hawthorne’s doctrine in her music is watered-down, ecumenical, and shallow and she presents herself as an advocate of carnality and worldliness within her music and her self-presentation. Biblical churches should steer clear of her music as it may lead people into false movements while giving tacit approval to these aberrant theologies.
