Cory Asbury has openly challenged aspects of the Christian music industry, but his experience at the 57th annual GMA Dove Awards prompted a deeply emotional response. The "Reckless Love" singer reflected on a gathering that brought him a renewed sense of belonging-and led him to address the question of whether Christian awards ceremonies celebrate God's work or place artists on a pedestal.
According to ChurchLeaders' October 12 report, Asbury shared his reflections on Instagram after serving as a presenter at the ceremony. Although he was not nominated for an award, he described the evening as one of his most meaningful experiences within the Christian music community.
"I'm waking up reflecting on the Doves last night. I'm getting wrecked in the most beautiful way possible," Asbury said. For him, the emotional weight came from seeing a room filled with people who had devoted their lives to making music about Jesus and recognizing his own connection to that community.
"It wasn't about trophies. I wasn't even up for one of them," he continued. "It was about looking around a room full of people who have given their lives to making Jesus music, music for God, and realizing that I'm one of them, and I belong to them and they belong to me in the strangest way."
His comments carry particular significance because Asbury has previously voiced concerns about the industry. In this reflection, he acknowledged those criticisms while explaining why he experienced the awards differently.
"And anyone who knows me knows that I have not been shy about calling out the fault lines that I see in the Christian music industry," he said. "And I know a lot of folks might think this is a night of idolatry, and I get the concern, but that's not the way I'm seeing it."
Asbury's response centered on the purpose of recognition. He argued that honoring the results of an artist's ministry can become an expression of gratitude to God, rather than an act of worship directed toward the performer.
"Celebrating what God is doing through his people is not worshipping the people or the thing, it's thanking him for the fruit," he explained. His reflection placed the focus on what the music has accomplished in people's lives and the faith that connects those creating it.
The singer, whose latest album is Outsing the Angels, also widened the conversation beyond artists and industry executives. He emphasized that listeners have a stake in these celebrations because they carry the songs into experiences the performers may never witness.
"Not to mention it allows the listeners who have cried in their cars, who have listened to these songs in the most difficult seasons of their lives, it allows them to be a part and celebrate alongside the artist and the industry leaders," Asbury said. "Because these songs, they belong to those folks-the listeners, just as much as they do to us."
Asbury's account offers a personal response to an ongoing tension within Christian entertainment: how to recognize artistic achievement while keeping faith at the center. For the "Reckless Love" singer, this year's ceremony became an occasion to recognize shared purpose, the listeners behind the songs' impact, and his own place among the people making them.
