Gable Price and Friends – Heretic

Gable Price and Friends was, of course, started by American singer and songwriter Gable Price.  Starting in 2018, they released one EP and two albums, including:

• The Redding EP (2018)
• Fractioned Heart (2020)
• The Consequence of Being Alive (2022)

They won a Dove award for Best Rock song (Brother Jack, 2023).

Lyrics can be found at https://genius.com/Gable-price-and-friends-heretic-lyrics.

Note to new users: This is a different kind of review site!  Read About the Berean Test and Evaluation Criteria prior to reading this review.

1. What message does the song communicate?

Jesus, Ruler of the universe, and prophecied to be the Savior of the world, is also offensive.  Not because He aims to be mean-spirited or nasty, but because His ways are higher and better than ours.  We do not like correction.  We sometimes find it offensive.  Is He a mere human who spews out heresies or is He God as a man?  Gable Price and Friends embraces Christ as God and Lord, prostrating themselves under His discipline.  He is both merciful and just. Despite their inner-dialogue about their motives and insignificance, He died for Gable Price and Friends and restored them from their previous state of error.  He prophecies and is the High Priest, according to the order of Melchizedek.  He is mighty, glorious, and Gable Price and Friends’s foundation.

This song has two core problems.  First, it says that “You are the relapse of quiet streams and greener paths”.  According to Merriam-Webster, relapse means “the act or an instance of backsliding, worsening, or subsiding”.  Thus, Gable Price and Friends is saying that there is a state that they were in that is better than God.  This is heresy.

Second, it also says “[You are] the footnotes of ancient words our language lacks”.  Merriam-Webster defines “footnotes” as “a note of reference, explanation, or comment usually placed below the text on a printed page”, or “one that is a relatively subordinate or minor part (as of an event, work, or field)”.  In other words, Gable Price and Friends is saying that God is subordinate to a much better and grander text.  This is also heresy.

Score: 7/10

2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?

Most if it lines up with Scripture, except for the opening lines of Verse 2.

[Verse 1]

Line 1: “You” is revealed later to be Jesus.  He is the One who rules all other kingdoms (1 Timothy 6:13-16, Revelation 17:14, and Revelation 19:11-16).  His is THE empire.

Line 2: That is, Jesus is the promised Messiah (Matthew 16:16, Mark 8:29, Luke 2:26-32, Luke 4:41, Luke 9:20, John 1:41-42, and John 11:47).

Lines 3-6: Jesus’ thoughts, attitudes, and actions do not conform with our limited thinking (Isaiah 55:8-9).  In some instances, they offend people.  For instance, when Jesus told His followers to eat his body and drink His blood (John 6:53), which offended them (John 6:60-66).

Lines 7 and 8: Borrows from C.S. Lewis’ “Liar, lunatic, or Lord” argument from his book Mere Christianity.  Jesus is known as the Son of God (Matthew 11:27, Matthew 14:33, Matthew 16:15-17, Matthew 27:43, Matthew 27:54, Mark 1:11, Mark 3:11, Mark 9:7, Mark 15:39, Luke 1:35, Luke 4:41, Luke 22:29, John 1:14-18, John 1:34, John 3:16-18, John 11:27, John 19:7, John 20:31, and Acts 9:20).

[Verse 2]

Lines 1 and 2: “Relapse” is not the best word here.  Their intent is to use a synonym for “retreat”; However, relapse is about deterioration, worsening, and backsliding after improvement.  God within greener pastures is not the result of backsliding, but repentance and faith (Matthew 3:2, Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:15, Luke 24:47, Acts 2:36-38, Acts 3:19-21, Acts 20:21, and 2 Timothy 2:25-26).  Thus, Gable Price and Friends’ claim here is the opposite of Scripture.

Lines 3 and 4: The footnotes?  Really? Footnotes are used to explain in more detail a passage of text.  They are subordinate to the main idea.  In modern Scripture, various translations have footnotes that help explain a passage of Scripture, but itself is not inspired text.  Helpful, but not the main thing.  He is the Word made flesh (John 1:1 and John 1:14), not a mere footnote.

Lines 5 and 6: References the followers of Jesus who wrote the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Lines 7 and 8: Similar to Verse 1, lines 7 and 8, except that this applies to these friends mentioned in lines  5 and 6.

[Chorus]

Lines 1 and 2: Along the lines of Verse 1, lines 3-6, Gable Price and Friends gives permission for God to discipline them so that they can yield the perfect fruits of righteousness (Hebrews 12:4-11), with minds conformed to His image (Romans 12:2).

Lines 3 and 4: Essentially repeats line 1.

[Verse 3]

Lines 1 and 2: God is both merciful and just; these are the foundations of His throne (Psalm 89:14).

Line 3: God never changes (Numbers 23:19, Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8, and James 1:17).

Lines 4 and 5: Unlike the Greeks’ theology, we believe that there is but one God (Deuteronomy 4:35-39, Deuteronomy 6:4, Deuteronomy32:39, 2 Samuel 7:22, 1 Kings 8:60, 2 Kings 5:15, 2 Kings 19:15, 1 Chronicles 17:20, Nehemiah 9:6, Psalm 18:31, Psalm 86:10, Isaiah 37:16,20, Isaiah 43:10-11, Isaiah 44:6-8, Isaiah 45:21, Isaiah 46:9, Hosea 13:4, Joel 2:27, Zechariah 14:9, Mark 12:29-34, John 17:3, Romans 3:30, 1 Corinthians 8:4-6, Galatians 3:20, Ephesians 4:6, 1 Timothy 1:17, 1 Timothy 2:5, and James 2:19).

Lines 6 and 7: That is, He who shed His blood for Gable Price and Friends (Isaiah 53:1-12, Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45, John 1:29, John 3:16, John 19:30, Acts 4:12, Acts 20:28, Romans 5:6-10, Romans 6:23, 1 Corinthians 1:30, 1 Corinthians 6:20, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Galatians 1:3-4, Galatians 3:13, Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 2:14, 1 Timothy 2:6, Titus 2:14, Hebrews 9:12, Hebrews 9:15-26, 1 Peter 1:17-21, 1 Peter 2:24, 1 John 1:7, 1 John 2:1-2, and Revelation 5:9) and resurrected them from their trejectory towards spiritual death (Romans 6:1-11, Romans 7:4-6, Galatians 2:19-20, 2 Timothy 2:11, and 1 Peter 2:24).

[Verse 4]

Lines 1-4: In the English vernacular, “Pharisee” is a connotatively negative term used to describe someone who obeys the letter of the law, but not the heart.  They were chewed out most famously by Christ in Matthew 23:1-26.  Thus, Gable Price and Friends questions their motives.

Lines 5-8: Borrows from Luke 7:37-38 to make the same point as lines 1-4.

[Bridge]

Line 1: He is a prophet (Luke 13:33, Acts 3:22–23) and a priest (Hebrews 3:1).

Line 2: Borrows from Mark 9:24.

Line 3: That is, Jesus lives in Gable Price and Friends (Romans 8:10, 2 Corinthians 4:6-7, Galatians 1:15-16, Galatians 2:20, Galatians 4:19, Ephesians 3:17, and Colossians 1:27).

Line 4: Borrows from Psalm 147:4.

Lines 5 and 6: See Verse 3, line 7.

[Verse 5]

Line 1: That is, Jesus is foundational (Deuteronomy 32:4, 1 Samuel 2:2, 2 Samuel 22:47, Psalm 18:31, Psalm 28:1, Psalm 62:2, Psalm 94:22, Psalm 118:22, Isaiah 28:16, Matthew 7:24-27, Matthew 21:42, Acts 4:11, 1 Corinthians 3:10-11, Ephesians 2:20, 2 Timothy 2:19, and 1 Peter 2:6).

Line 2: A poetic version of Romans 5:6-8.

Line 3: Yes, because He is omnipotent (Genesis 1:1-31, Job 11:7-11, Psalm 33:6, Jeremiah 32:17, Romans 4:17, Hebrews 1:3, and Jude 1:24-25).

Lines 4-8: Contrasts His glory (Exodus 16:7, Exodus 24:17, Exodus 40:34-35, Leviticus 9:23, 1 Chronicles 29:11, Psalm 3:3, Psalm 8:1, Psalm 19:1-4, Isaiah 6:1-3, Isaiah 40:5, Isaiah 42:8, Isaiah 58:8, Isaiah 60:1, Habakkuk 2:14, John 1:14, John 17:22, Romans 3:23, 2 Corinthians 3:18, 2 Corinthians 4:6, Philippians 4:19, Hebrews 1:1-3, Revelation 21:10-14, and Revelation 21:23) and man’s expectation outside forgiveness (Hebrews 10:26-27).  As confirmed in line 2, though Gable Price and Friends are insignificant, God renconciled them to Himself (Romans 5:10).

[Pre-Chorus]

Lines 1 and 2: Casper the friendly ghost call notwithstanding, essentially repeats Chorus, line 1.

Score: 7/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

It mentions “crucifixion”, “Son of God”, and “Pharisee”, all of which points unbelievers towards Christianity.  Despite this song’s rich and vibrant language and lack of explicit words such as “Jesus” or “Christ”, those who aren’t believers should be able to piece together Gable Price and Friends’ main ideas.  Namely, That Christ is the Son of God, died for His followers, transforms those who believe, and offends with radical ideas that don’t mesh with their worldly thinking.

The issues raised in sections 1 and 2 will probably be lost on them, unless they deeply understand the meaning of “relapse” and “footnote”.

Score: 6/10

4. What does this song glorify?

It glorifies Jesus that He is called Prophet, Priest, and King, and that He liberates, renews, and resurrects.  It does not glorify Him that this song contains heresies, that there exists nature and ideas that are better than Him.

Score: 7/10

Closing Comments

Gable Price and Friends’ Heretic is a meaty tragedy.  It is rare that I get to review a song that is rich in complexity and sophistocation.  This one is about Christ crucified who transforms, revives, and yes offends, those who follow Him.  He is the Ruler of the stars, the stronghold of our faith, and our only source of hope.  These bring Him glory.  However, it also contains statements that suggest God is subserviant to parts of nature and some ideas, which are opposite of Scripture.  Still, unbelievers should be able to piece together the main things Gable Price and Friends communicates.

I cannot recommend this song for corporate worship.

Final Score: 7/10

Artist Info

Track: Heretic (listen to the song)

Artist: Gable Price and Friends

Album: Fractioned Heart

Genre: Rock

Release Year: 2020

Duration: 4:42

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