Christian band Despite having experienced church abuse, We the Kingdom still believes in God’s miracles

Christian rock band Despite our experience with church abuse, the Kingdom believes in God’s miracles.

We the Kingdom has become a big name in modern Christian music very quickly, and now they want the whole world to know how powerful God is.

Ed Cash, his children Franni and Martin, his brother Scott Cash, and their friend Andrew Bergthold make up We the Kingdom.

A few years ago, Bergthold tried to start a band called We the Kingdom in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri, but failed. Then, for work, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he met the Cash family.

After getting to know each other and working together in children’s ministry for a few years, they wrote a song called “Dancing on the Waves” to sing at a Young Life camp event. It was the first time they all performed together, and the song was about a hard time they had all just been through dealing with church abuse.

“We had no idea where that song would go,” Bergthold said in a recent interview with The Christian Post. “That song was where We the Kingdom began. A couple of months after that, we started writing more songs. I said, “Well, if we want to use it, I already have a name, a website, social media accounts, and everything else set up.””

“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.

One time, I felt very down because one of my friends wasn’t getting better from an illness. God, why? It was hard for me to understand, and I felt like the Lord showed me then that the best place to get better is in Heaven.

Even though I’m healthy and whole right now, I still need that new body, and I still need to be healed of my emotions and my sin. That will happen when we get to be with Jesus. So, I think that yes, God is still at work in all parts of life, both big and small. But I think there is a part of “already but not yet” that believers really have to work through. But I would tell you not to let disappointment stop you from trusting that what God says is true. Even if it doesn’t happen right now, I know that God will make everything right.

As far as I can tell, God really does perform miracles. I think we tend to see them in places where people don’t have easy access to all the things they need to ease their pain, whether it’s physical or emotional. We have a hard time with that in the United States because we don’t really wait on God. We find it hard to wait on God’s timing, which is so different from ours. The Bible says that a thousand days are like one day to God, so it can be very hard here.

I really like the second verse of the song, which says, “Sometimes it’s so hard to be human, with all the pain and struggle.” I really like when the Bible says, “We don’t have a high priest who can’t understand how weak we are.” He knows what to do; all we have to do is wait for Him and trust Him. And then, if not now, then in the next place, I know He will do miracles, but I hope that doesn’t stop us from trusting Him to do whatever we need 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 deep talks about religion. I think the most important thing to remember is that He is a loving father. He loves His kids. It’s not a secret that medical miracles happen in the modern world. I’ve read about them in places where people can’t explain them. In the end, Heaven is where all healing comes together, but I don’t think that means that He won’t move here. There’s a tension there, and I’d just say that I think it’s fine for us to be wrestling with it, working through it, and giving ourselves a lot of grace as we heal. I would say that being healed of the church wound I had is 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 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.