Christian band We the Kingdom believes in miracles of God despite experience with church abuse
We the Kingdom has swiftly become a household brand in modern Christian music, and they now want the entire world to know how strong God is.
We the Kingdom is made up of Ed Cash, his children Franni and Martin, his brother Scott Cash, and their friend Andrew Bergthold.
Bergthold tried and failed to form the band We the Kingdom in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri, a few years ago. He then relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, for work, where he met the Cash family.
They wrote “Dancing on the Waves” for a Young Life camp event after getting to know each other and working together in children’s ministry for a few years. It was their first time performing together, and the song was about a difficult period they had all experienced coping with church abuse.
“We had no idea where that song would go,” Bergthold told The Christian Post recently. “We the Kingdom began with that song.” We started writing other tunes a few months later. “Well, if we want to use it,” I continued, “I already have a name, a website, social media accounts, and everything else set up.”
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“Everyone liked it and got on board with it. As I was driving home from that, I just started crying because I heard the Lord say, “This is why I gave you these dreams, and just because it wasn’t right at that time doesn’t mean I’m not faithful and it won’t happen.”
“Miracle Power,” the group’s newest single, will be the first song on their next album. Bergthold said that the single fits because he sees God’s miraculous hand in how We the Kingdom came together.
“It’s crazy to see how faithful God is and how he works miracles in your life, and We the Kingdom looks different than I ever thought it would. “But this is so much better. It’s God’s time because it’s God’s plan.”
Their last single, “Dancing on the Waves,” was followed by “Miracle Power.” After going on tour with Casting Crowns in the spring, We the Kingdom said last month that they would be the main act on a 22-date fall tour.
Here is an edited version of CP’s interview with the band. In it, they talk about how they do ministry as a family, how they believe in God’s power to do miracles, and how they got through a hard time when church hurt them.
CP: Your new single is about how God can do miracles. What do you think about the fact that some Christians don’t believe in God’s miracles?
Franni: It’s interesting to see that even people who believe in it don’t know what they think. I think that’s because the Bible says it’s true, so you should feel bad when you doubt it. In the New Testament, it’s still going on. I think that from God’s point of view, the earth on this side of Heaven is more connected to Heaven than we think.
I was depressed once since one of my pals was not recovering from an illness. Why, God? It was difficult for me to comprehend, and I believe the Lord demonstrated to me that the ideal place to improve is in Heaven.
Even if I’m currently well and whole, I still require a new body and the healing of my emotions and sin. That will occur when we are with Jesus. So, yes, I believe God is still at work in all aspects of life, great and small. But I believe that there is an element of “already but not yet” that Christians must struggle through.
But I would advise you not to let disappointment keep you from believing what God says. Even if it doesn’t happen right now, I have faith that God will set things right.
As far as I can tell, God truly works miracles. I believe they are more common in areas where people do not have easy access to all of the resources they require to alleviate their pain, whether bodily or emotional. In the United States, we have a hard time with that because we don’t actually wait on God. We struggle with waiting on God’s timing, which is so different from ours.
According to the Bible, a thousand days are equal to one day to God, so life can be difficult here.
I particularly like the song’s second line, which begins, “Sometimes it’s so hard to be human, with all the pain and struggle.” I love how the Bible says, “We don’t have a high priest who can’t understand how weak we are.” He knows what He’s doing; all we have to do is wait and trust Him. And then, if not now, then later, I know He will do miracles, but I pray it doesn’t prevent us from believing Him to accomplish whatever we need right now.
CP: You’ve said that going through a time of spiritual church hurt brought you all together as a band. Some people leave the Church because they have been hurt in some way by the Church. You’ve all made it this far, you’re all doing well, and you’re all full of spirit. Can you talk to someone who might have been in a similar situation?
Ed: I just really feel this way. I think one of the most dangerous things is to see God in the face of someone who hurt us, like a pastor, parent, friend, enemy, or anyone else. We see Jesus in these Christians who are just broken, and then we think that’s what God looks like. God doesn’t look at all like any man who has ever lived, not even close. His ways are higher than ours, and it’s not fair to God to put the hurt people in this world on Him. He is holy and without fault. And I think that’s hard to understand for our minds, at least for mine.
Even talking about our song “Miracle Power,” I think it’s funny that one of the big things at the church you mentioned where we went was God’s miraculous healing power. A lot of the time, they would bring people up, and it would be like healing. If you had enough faith to believe, then something was wrong with your faith. That really bothered me, and it even made me think, “Maybe God isn’t so miraculous after all.”
I think what really bothers me about that is that saying God doesn’t do miracles anymore is, in a way, saying He can’t do miracles anymore. I’ll also say that God is in charge, that His ways are better than ours, and that He could do a miracle whenever He wants. He didn’t stop the miracles from happening. So what’s going on? Does she not believe? Is it because of His sovereignty that He doesn’t think it’s the right time to do it? I tend to think that. I think that our faith does play a role, but I don’t think it’s the kind of thing that makes you feel like you have to get it right, and if you don’t have enough faith, then there’s something wrong with you and God won’t help you. I don’t think that’s how God works.
These are serious religious discussions. The most important thing to remember is that He is a wonderful father. He adores His children. It’s no secret that medical miracles occur in today’s world. I’ve read about them in locations where no one can describe what they are. In the end, Heaven is where all healing comes together, but I don’t believe He will stay here. There’s a tension there, and I’d just say that I think it’s good for us to wrestle with it, work through it, and give ourselves plenty of grace as we recover. I consider my healing from the church wound to be a miracle.
Oh my gosh, I never thought I’d get over that, and I really do feel like the Lord has finally healed that. I still have a limp and the scar, but they don’t bother me as much as they used to.
CP: Tell us about the album you’re working on. People loved your first release so much. What do you think will happen in the next round?
Martin: I think that as an artist, you often wonder how often you should do what you know works, but also how often you should change so that you can give people not only new art, but also the Gospel in a different way that might speak to someone outside the Church who would never in a million years sit in a pew but is open to the Gospel? And you write a song with words that make people want to listen. The Gospel is appealing, and so is Jesus. So I think what we’ve tried to do on the album is play off of old-school We the Kingdom, both musically and lyrically, while also adding a new sound that we hope will make people love God and music more deeply.
It’s been interesting to see what happens when you put forty years right here. So, what happens when you combine all of these different things? You have kind of pop-modern stuff mixed with old Southern rock electric guitar riffs or whatever. It’s been fun to see how things turned out. I’m surprised that, at least for us, it feels right, because those things seem to go against each other.
Scott: I want to be sure that I can say this truthfully. We rarely go on stage and have to start performing. Almost never! Can I say that never occurs? No, it does happen sometimes.
We’ve had a very stressful season trying to make an album and go on tour at the same time. [Our manager] said, “I hope that your 45 minutes on stage will feel like a break. Just let go of everything, all the stress, and play music for fun.”
I feel like God has always treated that time on stage as holy for us. We’ve had our struggles, but it feels really special, and I do think that God keeps giving us energy for it. There have been times when we slept for three hours on a bumpy bus, but when we get on stage, at least for 45 to 70 minutes, we can lock in, play, and meet the Lord and the people there. So it really is a gift. I don’t get it; it’s a puzzle. This whole thing is so strange and mysterious. It is very hard, but it is also very beautiful.
