This month’s issue of Premier Christianity has been guest edited by Premier Gospel’s Muyiwa Olarewaju. He explains why Gospel is such a powerful tool in building bridges from the Church to the world

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As Christians, you and I want to see God’s kingdom come “on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). We want to see our culture become more Christ-like.

Changing culture may feel insurmountable; like too big a task. But I believe God has given us a remarkable tool that is already changing culture for the better. My thesis can be summed up in the following observation: At the heart of culture is music. At the heart of music is Black music. At the heart of Black music is gospel. 

That means when gospel music rises, culture changes with it.

Gospel is the original soul music. It moves bodies and imaginations. It holds protest in one hand and praise in the other. It names pain, fuels joy and asks us to lift our eyes. It’s a sound that speaks to the spirit as surely as it climbs the charts. It is Sunday morning courage for Monday morning life.

As guest editor, I’ve been tasked with producing an inspirational love letter this month to the impact and power of gospel. 

When we talk about gospel in this issue, we’re referring to three pillars: the music, the message and the culture. The music is the heartbeat, the craft, the groove. The message is the good news of Jesus Christ that gives the songs their power. The culture is the context that makes it matter all week long – families and churches, streets and studios, communities that turn songs into lifelines.

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Gospel is not a niche. It is the energy under sold-out arenas and the warmth in everyday playlists, the soundtrack for school runs, late shifts and quiet commutes home. And now the wider world is catching on to its scale. As one of Europe’s biggest artists, Stormzy, told us, we’re not to cram gospel into the corner. “Gospel as a genre of music is often sidelined…I encourage [you] to reject that notion. Gospel is massive because the God you serve is massive.” 

That is the posture of this issue. And it’s why the radio station I manage, Premier Gospel, has spent years building bridges that reach beyond church walls, spotlighting artists, curating moments and telling stories that make sense in the marketplace and the sanctuary. We have already collaborated widely to show gospel’s power at scale, and we are doubling down in 2025.

We are not building a bridge to ‘real culture’. We are culture. 

As part of Gospel Music Heritage Month this September, we’re hosting the Premier Gospel Awards at the O2. It’s going to be the country’s biggest celebration of gospel (and you can be there – tickets are still available from premiergospelawards.org.uk). This is your opportunity to join us in honouring the past, celebrating the present and spotlighting the future, because this story has always been multigenerational.

Find your place in the choir. Lend your voice. Come home.

 

Muyiwa Olarewaju is the director of the UK’s biggest gospel radio station, Premier GospelView full Profile

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