Going Against Tradition...Again

Recently, I read the following words regarding worship music in the church.  My responses are meant to be tongue-in-cheek, and some are not, so don’t take what I say too seriously, well some of it anyways:

There are several reasons for opposing it [this new music in churches]:

• ·One, it’s too new.

• ·Two, it’s often worldly, even blasphemous.

• ·The new Christian music is not as pleasant as the more established style.

• ·Because there are so many songs, you can’t learn them all.

• ·It puts too much emphasis on instrumental music rather than Godly lyrics.

• ·This new music creates disturbances making people act indecently and disorderly.

• ·The preceding generation got along without it.

• ·It’s a money making scene and some of these new music upstarts are lewd and loose.

These are neither new arguments nor are they shocking (to me anyways).  I’ve been actively playing worship music a long time (close to 20 years now), and I feel like I’ve heard every argument there is, whether for it or against it.  The above list seems to pretty much sums up the vast majority of what I’ve heard, so as opposed to trying to tackle these comments as a whole, I’ll attempt to answer each one as a separate issue all the while trying my best of avoid the ever-present semantics found when discussing anything theological. Here we go: 

One, it’s too new.

I guess my response to this would be in the form of a question: How old does it need to be in order to be appropriate for a church?  Mylon Lefevre wrote “Without Him” in 1963 and has been featured in a wide variety of Baptist hymnals since then (Oh and by the way, it was recorded by Elvis Presley).  Is this too new?  How old does a song have to be in order to be ok to sing?  50 years old?  How about 100?

To be totally honest, I’m pretty sure the author of this concern probably meant “One, it’s too new…for me.”  One can only assume.

Two, it’s often worldly, even blasphemous.

I’m not sure I know what this means.  Is this speaking in terms of volume and/or instrumentation?  There is plenty of scripture which speaks of loud cymbals, playing with stringed instruments, etc.  Read the Psalms.  I don’t know what “worldly” means in terms of musical styles.  Maybe I’ve been doing this too long.

The new Christian music is not as pleasant as the more established style.

If this question was directed at modern worship instrumentation vs. piano/organ instrumentation, I have to ask, do most people listen to music that solely played on piano and organ?  You may.  I don’t.

Because there are so many songs, you can’t learn them all. 

 

Charles Wesley single handedly wrote close to 9,000 hymns (8,989 according to http://www.ctlibrary.com/ch/1991/issue31/3100.html.  To respond to the concern, in terms of learning worship music, don’t feel pressured that you have to learn them all; it’s probably impossible to do so.  With respect to hymns, I never bothered learning all of them, including “God of Earth and Outer Space.”  I’m ok with that.

It puts too much emphasis on instrumental music rather than Godly lyrics.

 

Instrumental music?  The only way I can relate this to modern worship music is occasionally there is a guitar solo (but it’s more of a guitar “break” as opposed to real “solo”); however, I fail to see where there is an emphasis on the “instrumental” aspect of the question.

This new music creates disturbances making people act indecently and disorderly.

I guess the author would have to go more into what is meant by “indecently and disorderly.”  If the author is against the raising of hands, clapping, etc., then we will just have to agree to disagree there.

The preceding generation got along without it.

True.  Preceding generations also got along without electricity, the automobile, and Google.

It’s a money making scene and some of these new music upstarts are lewd and loose.

This is where I have to put on the brakes a little bit, and to tell the truth, I’m not sure how much to share my own thoughts here because I am more of a realist than an optimist at my core.  With that said, worship music is the only genre in which major Christian labels are making any significant amount of money right now; therefore, modern worship music is getting a lot of promotion and radio airplay.  Very few (if any) are “making it” right now purely writing Christian-based music that’s NOT worship music.  Quick story: I was once in a band that opened for an independent band (that shall go nameless) who was quickly signed to a major Christian label shortly after we had the opportunity to play with them.  Not only did they go on major tours, I’ve heard they were the highest-grossing band on the label, but they were dropped within a couple of years later because the label is in the middle of folding.  I’m “friends” with this band on Facebook, and one of their final posts was about how upon their disbanding, they have a “significant amount of debt,” and they are trying to sell off their equipment…including the mini-Winnebago and trailer they had to fund themselves (no tour buses for this group even though they were a top seller for this label).  Things just aren’t the way they used to be.  Outside of worship music, if I may be so blunt, the Christian music industry is dying.  Here is an article that was put out in CCM Magazine (which is no longer in print, by the way, if that tells you anything) by Charlie Peacock about the state of affairs of Christian music (circa 2008).  Although rather sad, this is coming true.   

http://www.ccmmagazine.com/article/charlie-peacock-predicts-the-future-of-christian-music/

If you still don’t believe me, think back to the last time you heard about an awesome Christian band coming through (whose emphasis was NOT worship music) that was playing at a venue that WASN’T at least 1.5 hour drive away (this does not include festivals).  Can’t remember?  Me neither.  Also, have you ever wondered why some of your favorite artists have evolved to more of a praise and worship artist as opposed to songwriting?  They probably aren’t doing this because this is what they want to do; they are likely doing this because this is what they have to do in order to stay on the road.

(BTW, all of these major Christian music labels of days gone by are actually owned by one of the top 4 major companies:  EMI, Universal, Sony/BMG, and Warner Music Group.  For example, Forefront Records (think Audio Adrenaline, TobyMac, Rebecca St. James, Big Tent Revival, etc.) is a subsidiary of EMI (same as Snoop Dogg, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Garth Brooks, and a slew of others).  Whenever you purchase any sort of Christian music on a major label, you are supporting one of the top 4 companies which put out (brace yourself) secular music! *Gasp!*)

I’ve felt like I’ve had to say all of that to say this regarding the opening concern which implies that modern worship is all just a money-making racket.  The truth is, yes, labels and artists are making a lot of money.  I don’t think that Chris Tomlin or Paul Baloche is worried about paying their power bill this month, but you know, there’s nothing wrong with making a living (or even a good living) doing what God wants you to do.

So, is it a money-making scene?  Yes. It’s a business; that’s its purpose.  However, it is necessary because major labels have the knowledge and the skill to push out modern worship music that, well, people actually want to listen to, use, and enjoy.  Even though it’s a business model, God can (and does) still get the glory in all of it.

In conclusion, when I first read this series of concerns regarding modern music, I was neither surprised nor shocked.  I’ve had these conversations time and time again ad nauseum throughout my tenure as a person who plays praise and worship.

HOWEVER…

This…

One, it’s too new.
Two, it’s often worldly, even blasphemous.
The new Christian music is not as pleasant as the more established style.
Because there are so many songs, you can’t learn them all.
It puts too much emphasis on instrumental music rather than Godly lyrics.
This new music creates disturbances making people act indecently and disorderly.
The preceding generation got along without it.
It’s a money making scene and some of these new music upstarts are lewd and loose.

…is not about modern worship music in terms of what has come out since 2010.  No, it’s not talking about worship music that came out after the year 2000 either…or the 1990s, the 1980s, or even the 1970s.  So when were these concerns published? 

These concerns were actually published by a church leader attacking Isaac Watts, writer of the hymn “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.”

 

In 1723.  

Martin