"Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing." Psalm 100:1-2 (KJV)
"Oh come, let us sing to the LORD!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms." Psalm 95:1-2 (NKJV)
"Where words fail, music speaks." Hans Christian Anderson
The Bible is filled with verses that instruct God's children to serenade Him. It's part of our Christian DNA. What I find so terribly upsetting is that Satan uses worship music as a tool to bring dissension in the body of Christ. How did it happen?
Contemporary Christian music (CCM) finds its roots in the Jesus Movement of the latter 1960s and early 1970s. Back then it was often called "Jesus music".
According to the Wiki article on Contemporary Christian Music, Paul Wohlegemuth, who wrote a book entitled Rethinking the Church, stated the following:
"[the] 1970s will see a marked acceptance of rock-influenced music in all levels of church music. The rock style will become more familiar to all people, its rhythmic excesses will become refined, and its earlier secular associations will be less remembered."
In her article "The Changing Face of Christian music", Kim Jones explains:
"Up until the late 1960s, Christian music invoked images of church, hymnals and organs. Traditional was the word of the day … but not anymore. The face of Christian music has spent the last 30+ years evolving and growing. Pipe organs have been set aside for electric guitars and drums. Hymnals have been replaced by hard hitting lyrics that speak of today and a God that is fully in control of our times."
There can be no question that music impacts our souls, so what's the solution to this dilemma?
As I mentioned in yesterday's post, for several years I was a member of a church that prided itself in its traditional worship. Praise choruses were rarely (if ever) sung, and I felt sorry for the young people in the congregation who were never allowed to sing the Christian music with which they were so familiar during the worship service. Please don't misunderstand me. I enjoy singing hymns, and I believe they are rich in doctrine, unlike repetitive worship songs.
When my daughters were young, they participated in a "hymn treasures" program at church for several years. They learned not only how to sing the more popular hymns, but the background for these well-worn songs. It is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT for young people to learn the hymns of the faith because they are a vital part of our Christian heritage. As you know, Martin Luther is our hero here at TWW, and I love singing the song he penned, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God". I get goosebumps when I sing this hymn written a half a millenium ago because it's such a powerful piece of music!
What concerns me about churches that prohibit the singing of ANY contemporary music is that the young people growing up in these congregations may not remain members when they become adults. Just look around. Contemporary services are growing by leaps and bounds, most likely because music is especially important to young people. Could it be that the selfishness of predominantly older congregations who only want to sing hymns is one of the factors driving our youth away from church? From what I can tell many of them are flocking to Christian concerts, so they do have a hunger for the things of God.
Now let's take a look at contemporary worship. As I previously mentioned, over the last several weeks I have attended two of the HOTTEST churches in my community. College students flock to these congregations week after week with great enthusiasm. Before I explain what bothers me about these kinds of churches, I must emphasize that I LOVE contemporary worship music! From the time my daughters were young, I would invest in Christian CDs and play them continually so that they would fall in love with Jesus Christ and embrace the faith. You know the ones — Michael W. Smith, Avalon, Third Day, Ray Boltz (we were absolutely crushed when he "came out"), Stephen Curtis Chapman, Hillsong, etc. I have fond memories of cranking up the volume and singing along with my daughters as loudly as possible (especially in the car). Those were very special times for our family.
Michael, a contemporary Christian artist who commented on the previous post, described my beliefs as a Christian mom extremely well when he stated:
"I always greatly appreciated members of an older generation in my concerts who would make a point to thank me for coming to sing for the, “young people.” Those statements told me that the person was an unselfish mature believer, not thinking about herself, but the young ones to whom our faith would be passed. I fully expect to adopt that view when I’m older and enter in with the young ones with their contemporary music."
Now that you understand that I'm not slamming all contemporary music, here's my problem. During these contemporary worship services, I only recognized a couple of songs, so I was not able to sing the words on the screen confidently. These loud songs were performed by a band (including drums), and the musical instruments drowned out those who were trying to sing along. I'll be honest, it was a PAINFUL experience.
Dee and I have a friend who sarcastically labels this kind of shallow music as "7-11 songs". What does he mean by that? These songs are so repetitive that the same seven words are sung ELEVEN TIMES IN A ROW! Please!!! Where is the doctrinal value in that kind of music? I was so relieved when the pastor began delivering his message, which I truly enjoyed at each church.
As I stood there attempting to sings songs I had never heard before, I looked around and saw only a few people in my age group. Most congregants were college-aged. Please understand, I'm thankful that these young people make church a high priority in their lives. The dilemma in contemporary churches is that college students are broke! Who's going to make the contributions necessary to sustain these "church plants"? If the worship songs were more enjoyable, folks in my age group might consider joining and blessing the church with their financial resources.
I am concerned about these two specific types of churches — the staunchly traditional congregations and the radically contemporary fellowships — because I believe BOTH are getting it wrong.
I know of a church in my area with a wide range of ages that truly blends the worship music. During any given service the congregation may sing three contemporary songs, one hymn, a Gregorian chant, and a Swahili tune. Hopefully, church members there will grow to appreciate various types of worship music.
I believe we are reaching a tipping point where Christians, even the youth, are getting bored with the same old, same old contemporary music — different words but basically the same rhythm as seen in the satirical piece we posted last Friday. Contemporary Christian music is becoming far too predictable, and in my ever to be humble opinion, it doesn't lead to a deep spiritual encounter with Almighty God.
Have you ever wondered what early churches looked like demographically? I don't believe they were segregated by age (young people in one church and older people in another). We need each other in Christendom. By that I mean that it's primarily the older generation that provides the financial support, while it's the younger generation that perpetuates the church through its participation.
Perhaps blending all kinds of music during the worship service in the answer for many congregations. I believe with all my heart that young people can learn from hymns and older congregants can benefit from reasonable contemporary music. Here are just a few of the songs that are meaningful to me.
Above All – Michael W. Smith
God of Wonders – Third Day
Be Still and Know – Stephen Curtis Chapman
One way to know we have reached a tipping point in Christendom is the advancement of the Ancient-Future Movement, which is best exemplified by the breakaway Anglican Movement. It's a blending of the old with the new during a worship service. You can read more about it here.
There's one thing for certain, the future of worship will be market driven in the years to come with a variety of worship styles. Here's our prediction. There will be a few traditional churches that are able sustain themselves, many contemporary churches, and a good number of blended churches.
My sincere prayer is that we, as brothers and sisters in Christ, will be more concerned about evangelizing the next generation than fighting over our music preferences. Remember, Christianity is just one generation away from extinction.
I'd like to end on a cheerful note (pun intended!). Most of you have no idea that Dee is a HUGE Johnny Cash fan, and I happen to enjoy Elvis. When churches can feature these two renditions of "Amazing Grace", we'll really be making some progress toward ending the Worship Wars. Enjoy!
As always, your comments on this important topic are encouraged and appreciated. Thanks for reading.
I had to laugh at the “7-11” comment, because I do see this happening where we’re currently going to church. To add to that, someone I read once called the CCM they were familiar with as “Jesus is my boyfriend” music. And I have to say that a few of the songs I’ve heard at the church we’re currently attending (we want to give it a fair shake) are like that. You can’t tell if they’re talking about an earthly romance or a heavenly love. I’ve been trying hard to listen or read the lyrics of the songs, even if I don’t know how to sing them. Do they praise God? Do they give Him honor and glory? Do they speak of His grace? Or do they talk about “me” or “I” and what “I” do? (Believe me, there are plenty of traditional hymns that fall under this last category!)
I hope that people from the more traditional churches (especially their young people) will open up to more different types of music. As I said in my previous comment, my teenagers find the difference in music just as difficult to deal with as my husband and I do. They were raised on the hymns, and though they don’t want to be judgemental in this area, they’re finding (to their dismay) that they are.
Tikatu,
Thanks for your comment. I agree with you. I prefer a blended worship style with an equal number of praise songs and hymns. Arce has commented several times that hymns can be updated to be more appealing. I wholeheartedly agree.
May God lead you to just the right church for your family’s spiritual needs.
Blessings!
Dee – I don’t know who coined the phrase “7-11 music”, but I do know Jerry Vines used that phrase a long time ago when he was pastor at FBC Jax to poke fun at the contemporary “chants” becoming popular at the time. It is funny, but true.
My experience at contemporary services was similar to yours, that the loud music drowned out the congregational singing! That is what I have loved about the FBC Jax worship music for decades, is that there is something unique in all of my music listening experience about hearing a choir AND the congregation singing a beautiful song!
I love contemporary music for my own personal listening, but to translate much of it over to a worship service with loud drums and guitars drowning out the congregation, it is not the same.
Worship leaders like Jim Whitmire at FBC Jax and Rodney Brooks before him have done a masterful job of taking some of those contemorary songs and making arrangements for a choir and orchestra and congregational singing.
Love your articles and the discussion on this topic.
Dee/Deb
My biggest complaint is the LOUD, and that includes when the organist plays the hymns so LOUD that I cannot hear the singing of anyone but myself and a couple of people behind me. My second complaint is the repetitiveness and the repetition of the “tag line” of the course several times after it should have ended. My view is that twice through any lyric is enough in one service. Use the time instead to sign another song or hymn, or hear a brief testimony to the presence of God in someone’s life.
My complaint about the hymn singing in most Baptist churches is twofold: We drag them terribly, making them unattractive to younger people, and we destroy the poetry by omitting verses that are critical to the message (the old 1st, 2nd, and 4th verses “tradition”). When I led congregational singing 25+ years ago, I solved both problems — sing all four in the time we used to do three! And there were enough people who liked it that the others did not complain very long.
Sometimes at our church when we sing hymns with a repeated refrain or chorus, we will only sing the chorus after two of the verses, instead of all of them. A little variety and avoiding the repetition in a place that seems to offend younger members.
Arce
Chuck Colson told a funny story about this. He said that the worship leader in his church kept repeating the chorus over and over again.It was a particularly inane chorus. He said it was obvious the song was over and he breathed a sigh of relief. Except the leader said, “Let’s sing it a few more times.” Colson blurted out, “Dear God, no!” Everyone in the church turned to look at him. His wife was mortified. I laugh every time I think of it.
While I agree with this article on the surface, I grew up in the church and in the pop culture of the 1960s and 1970s. My bigest concern is what makes a service contempory vs traditional is the music. The preaching is the same. I see an irrevence in contempory music that borders on “how close to the world in the church can we get without going over the line”. There is no depth to most contemporary music. While it does have ENTERTAINMENT value, it does nothing to encourage HOLINESS (1 peter 1).
I have encountered the “young people don’t pay the bills” observation a few times in the course of my ministry. One older lady said, “I know things have to change, but couldn’t they just wait until I’m dead?” The landscape of worship today is one of constantly shifting sands. We change our methods and our styles because the people we purport to reach are constantly changing, and they are changing at an ever increasing pace. Even a youth minister struggles with the reality that what reaches his high schoolers probably will not appeal to his up and coming middle schoolers. Worship styles have always been a challenge to the church, but now the shifts come with much greater frequency. Fortunately we have forums such as this where we can discuss such divisive issues with mutual respect and openness.
Another aspect to mention about the use of contemporaty music in church (which I’m for, but I also like a blended service) is that the constant influx of new songs is big business. When churches purchased a set of hymnals every decade or two, there wasn’t a lot of money to be made in it. But since churches have to pay royalties to cover all the new songs constantly coming out, this has become a huge money maker for the CCM industry. Their marketing to church worship leaders is designed to make them feel that they are not remaining relevant and “hip” if they don’t constantly keep bringing new songs into the services. A result is that teens like my son, who is 16, have no idea what it is to be raised with certain songs, even if they atend church regularly. Most of the “old” songs get dropped after a year or less in favor of the latest songs on the market.
Thanks, Tom.
Not having grown up in a church culture, all music in church was new to me (except for some chants that a Russian orthodox priest did). My husband was a music major at Dartmouth and took his science courses on the side. Although he went into medicine, music has played a big role in our lives. He actually set some TS Elliot’s poetry to music years ago. I love it all-traditional, cultural, contemporary, Gregorian, classical, blues,etc. The church I attend now does a good job.
My one frustration is when a fair to poor music leader takes a beautiful hymn that is beloved throughout the ages and puts some breathy college girl and guitar belting it out in some stupid arrangement that makes it sound like karaoke.Please understand, there are many hymns that can be contemporarized but it needs to be done by someone who knows what they are doing.
Also, I hate it when someone performs a solo and uses all the hand motions like they are some sort of virtuoso.Especially if they are not.It looks contrived to me. Ah well, rant finished!
What about Gregorian chant?
Thanks for providing the links to the songs. I just had a short time of praise and worship at home. I enjoy reading your blog.
Thanks for the encouragement!
Adam’s Mom,
I spent two hours yesterday morning listening to my favorite songs on YouTube as I was writing the post. It was my own praise and worship time. I had a much longer list of songs and links but decided not to overwhelm our readers with all of them.
Blessings!
Adam’s Mom,
Here are a few more of my favorite songs. Enjoy!
Draw Me Close – Michael W. Smith
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWG9-PJFcK8&feature=related
How Great Is Our God – Chris Tomlin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OsyiGgSlqY&feature=related
The Fingerprints of God – Stephen Curtis Chapman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gvf8ZRdO-o&feature=related
Indescribable – Chris Tomlin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTO08xATYJY&feature=related
El Shaddai – Michael Card
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzqwG-ZQDUE
Deb,
So given your other posts about gays and Christianity why were you “abosolutely crushed when he [Ray Boltz]came out”?
JT
I am not sure what you are saying and I’m sure Deb doesn’t as well. We have clearly stated our position on gays and the church. So, why wouldn’t Deb, and, for that matter, I be upset with Boltz’s announcement? Also, Jennifer Knapp has made a similar announcement. And I am sad for her as well. Please clarify.
JT,
Ray Boltz was married and has four children. When he announced that he was gay, my heart broke for his family. Wouldn’t yours?
Not only that but he has had a tremendous impact on many lives (including mine) through his music. I keep him in my prayers.
Psalm 136 has 26 verses, all of which contain the line, “For His lovingkindness is everlasting.” In the six verses of Psalm 150 it says, “Praise Him,” nine times. Apparently, God isn’t as uptight about repetition as we are.
I enjoyed some hymns growing up like, Onward Christian Soldiers, and Great is Thy Faithfulness. Guess which parts of the hymns I remember? The chorus, the part that repeats. Smart songwriters write the hook of the song so you won’t forget the most important message, like, “For His lovingkindness is everlasting.” And if you, at times, feel unloved in this world, maybe you need to sing that line 100 more times.
It’s interesting to me that people who complain about how loud it is with drums and electric guitars are the same who feel exhilarated when the pipe organist blasts her last chord so loud that all the stained glass windows crack and the birds outside in the trees scatter in mass.
How about the ways we’re encouraged to praise and worship Him that we never get around to, like, “Shout to God with the voice of joy,” or “Let them praise His name with dancing.” Do you, in your private time or in church, SHOUT to God? Do you praise Him with dancing? Do you lift up your hands in the sanctuary and bless the Lord? Do you make a joyful noise?
I read here a lot of criticism about contemporary choruses, some right on like, “‘Jesus is my boyfriend,’ music,” and some off base like, “It does nothing to encourage HOLINESS.” Hogwash. But, really, you could criticize all music, couldn’t you? How about, hymns are out of date, musically and structurally, and are boring and don’t touch the emotions deeply. Chants are so liturgical. Choir music is just a performance and I feel left out because I’m not participating in the worship. Organ music is so old-school. Blended worship doesn’t flow when it transitions stylistically from Contemporary to Southern Gospel to chant.
Here’s the bottom line for me; it seems we’ve made it all about us, what WE like, what we don’t like, criticism about repetition, it’s too loud, I like this style, it’s not as holy as the hymns, gripe, gripe, gripe. It seems nobody’s talking about what GOD likes. After all, it is supposed to be ABOUT HIM, FOR HIM, right? Personally, I think God likes it all when the heart is purposely worshiping Him. He likes hymns, chants, dancing, raised hands, shouting, silence, joyfulness, sorrow and repentance, prophetic songs, teaching songs, music with and without lyrics, Classical, Southern Gospel, Rap, Fusion, Jazz, Hard Rock, songs that repeat a bunch and ones that don’t repeat at all.
I hope we’ll learn to stop being so self-centered, petty, and critical and will embrace it all, appreciate it all, and participate in it all. To become more like our Creator, we need to surrender our right to be so one dimensional and expand and incorporate all the wonderful flavors and facets of God.
Finally, if the hearts of the people are truly intent on abandoned worship of our Lord, style will be irrelevant because His Spirit transcends style.
Wow, Michael! As my husband would say, how do you REALLY feel about it? You have given all of us something to think about.
May God bless your music ministry.
MIchael
Thank you for a passionate, well thought out response to this issue. I think you said you have occasionally performed music in churches. I’d come to worship with you anytime!
Here’s one of the most powerful videos Ray Boltz ever produced. I still get chills when I watch it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_L0AXVU5Ks&feature=related
Thanks, Dee and Deb.
It was late and it was a bit of a rant. Sorry.
I used to sing in churches full-time for about nine years,(mostly Southern Baptist, many Calvary Chapels, Bible churches, and an assortment of others). I got off the road in 1999 and now I manage investments for clients. I’m on rotation on my church’s worship team and I occasionally sing special music in other churches. Singing in churches, allowed me to see many different styles of worship and church dynamics.
The main thing is, as we mature in our love relationships with others and with God, we learn to love them, not in the way which is most comfortable for us, according to our natural inclinations,but in the way that communicates our love most effectively to the recipient. For example, I had to go outside of my comfort zone and learn to be romantic with my wife. She had to learn to move outside her comfort zone to communicate love to me, as well. And likewise, we need to communicate our love to God in ways that are outside of our comfort zones. To a Baptist, it might be uncomfortable to shout to God or dance for Him. To a Pentecostal, it might be hard to just be still and silent before Him. Several months ago, while I was on the platform as a part of the worship team, God told me to take off my shoes. I argued at first, but I did it, but I was very self-conscious. It was a very holy moment.
Are we willing to worship Him in the way HE wants?
Like this??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4q6eaLn2mY
It was a great rant! Thanks!
Exactly, Michael.
You know, one thing I miss is the doctrine in old hymns. Many of them communicate biblical truths that we rarely hear these days.
Because I grew up much like Michael within a music ministry in many venues, I know a lot of the music by heart. In times of unrest and despair, it is amazing how an old hymn taken out of Pslams or even Lamentations with spring to mind.
Maybe it is just me, but the language of the old hymns is beautiful because so much is lifted from scripture.
I have NOTHING against the more contemporary stuff. I can remember when “Pass it on” was considered contemporary. :o)
OK I feel very strongly about this subject.
I HATE 7-11 songs.
I HATE songs that have no meaning (or incorrect meaning)
Example 1: “Lift Jesus higher… For He said if we lift him up He’ll bring all men to him”…. The verse is talking about Jesus’ death! It is so disgusting!!!
“This is the day of David… Rebuilding the temple of Praise…”… nice music, but the lyrics are wrong.. David wasn’t allowed to BUILD the temple, let alone re-build it.
I was a Christian in the 70’s when the labels weren’t owned by non-Christians. They didn’t make a lot of money, but the lyrics meant something. I love SOME hymns.
One of the things I love is that I am a baritone. I am NOT a tenor. If we sing hymns, I can sign along (with the harmony I have memorized). I also love the lyrics (of some of them… not “Sing the glorious lay of Jesus”.) So when a song leader throws a “hymn” in — but changes the tune, they have ruined it for me.
And I agree that making the songs too loud is stupid. It is physically bad for people’s ears. I doubt that our Lord is impressed.
I love 70’s Christian music (Larry Norman, Honeytree, 2nd Chapter of Acts, etc.) But less and less of contemporary meaningless pablum. If it means something it might not sell.
I love Michael Kelly Blanchard and Michael Card.
THANK YOU!!! I’m so glad someone hit the key word. New worship styles are about entertainment. Sadly, it most closely mirrors secular entertainment. Worship styles are not changing for “reaching people”. Worship is for believers, not non-believers. We have changed the church to please the world. I’m sorry but I don’t see how that honors Christ.
I totally agree that I don’t like “loud”, but I promise you that guitars and drums are louder than most organs. Trust me, I’m an organist and I play loud, but the praise band usually blows my doors off.
Mac
I agree with you. I give people more credit than many “entertainment” pastors. I think that when the Holy Spirit draws the unsaved to church, He is causing them to seek for something more. This generation has had it up to their eyeballs in entertainment. Hollywood does that real well. I think most seekers are looking for depth and teaching-not another American Idol show.
I love you comment! Thanks for the smile.
I’m glad that you liked it. I really appreciate your site and all of these good discussions. It has been especially helpful following the recent sad events at Coral Ridge.
I am very serious about my other comment. My music director fusses about my playing the organ loud. I’ve been playing the same way for the past 22 years–few people complained. I may be loud for the taste of some and I respect that view. But the praise band (and especially the drums) can rattle the walls–but that’s OK. I have actually become a little more tolerant of his contemporary worship preferences. He, on the other hand is “sold out” to CCM. Oh well, pray for him and move on. I have STRUGGLED to get where I am.
Keep up the good work. 🙂
Dee, again you are right on the mark. God is drawing the lost to church. It terrifies me that we as the collective church are dumbing down the gospel and treating these people like they are customers and we are a business trying to provide the product that they want. All that happens is that they make a decision for Christ and become part of the church, but in a few years they lose interest and they may never come back. The scary question we the church MUST ask is that did we really introduce them to Jesus Christ.
In our church, the traditional service is at 8:30am and IMMEDIATELY after the service the music director takes the pulpit off the platform and replaces it with a music stand. The argument is that people might be turned off by the sight of a pulpit and the “authority” it may represent. ????????? What kind of thinking is that? If the sight of a pulpit scares people off of God, what do they think is going to happen if they come under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. There is no more uncomfortable feeling in life than dealing under conviction. Only after surrender does Christ replace the burden with His peace.
Pray for us all. Thankfully, my pastor is on solid biblical ground. The music director is a good guy, he is just seduced by all the fluff.
Have a blessed day.
A lot of what you said really stuck a chord with me (pun intended). I too am a baritone/tenor. This new music is written for a tight three part harmony with a bass line added for after-thought. Men are not supposed to sing above middle C for the ENTIRE song. These tenor parts are sky high. They should really be using women’s three part for these songs. People’s voices are getting lower not higher (at least in my experience).
Oh for the day when a song actually says something. 🙂
Thanks for the comments.
Just remember, the great music of the millennia will continue because they are…great. Its just like names. Every decade the coolest new names are announced. But the wonderful names of the ages like Abigail, Adam, Mary, etc will always be with us because they have staying power.
I remember when Ed Young Jr would not take a Bible onto his stage and podium because he didn’t want to turn people off. Guess he didn’t buy that the Gospel will be an offense to some. Most church entertainment is subpar to what is available in the secular world. When people come to church it would seem to me that we need to offer them excellence. And what is anymore excellent than God’s Word???
I have the same problem on the soprano end of things. It is funny to hear people around me trying to hit those high notes and failing miserably.(Finger pointing directly at me). Thank heavens the Holy Spirit changes it around so that it is a pleasing sound in the Lord’s ear. Do you think i will be able to sing better in heaven? I am banking on it.
Well said Dee. Thanks for bringing up the scripture that says that the gospel is an offense to the non-believer. On a similar note, I remember watching Bellevue Baptist from Memphis where Dr. Adrian Rodgers was pastor. Dr. Jim Whitmire was introducing a worship chorus called “We are a Chosen Generation”. Dr. Whitmire ran one of the most outstanding music programs in the SBC. Nobody minded new songs because the orchestration wasn’t rock. But I digress, the song had a good phrase–“we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people that you would show forth the praises of Him…” Christians should be a “peculiar people” and not try to mimic the world with our own “entertainers”.