As most of you know by now, I am a Worship Leadership major. My life revolves around music and learning to use music in a way that honors the Lord and draws others to Him. So, I was intrigued as I read "The Growth of the Christian Church and it's Music." I quickly found interesting parallels to an issue that continues to grow in worship music today. Page 13 quotes St. Augustine as he admits his battle with feeling "sensual pleasure" from worship music. He says, "However, when it happens to me that I am moved more greatly by the song than by what is sung, I confess that I am sinning and deserve punishment." This is not a conviction that many of us feel. Maybe you do from time to time, but I believe so many musicians try so hard to make sure their worship songs are heard that the line between worship music and secular music begins to blur. Obviously it is important for a song to sound good... who wants to sing a worship song they don't like? The issue is that instead of writing worship songs that sound good, so many are writing songs that sound good but the worship element is just extra. For example, a few weeks ago my mom had some music playing in the kitchen. One song came on and the lyrics went something like this: "Come a little closer, stay a little longer." I asked my mom if it was supposed to be a worship song. She told me it was on a worship playlist by a Christian artist. I don't know about you, but those lyrics remind me more of a country song talking about a girl. It was as if the artist was so desperate for his song to be heard that he didn't mind if people thought it was about God or a girl. I understand that a lot of songs about God are love songs in a sense, but I think St. Augustine's conviction should remind us of what true worship should be.
"But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." John 4:23-24
"Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2
I couldn't agree more. There is a song that I used to listen to that talked about how worship is more than just a song and that God is the one who needs to be seen and exemplified on stage, not our own personal agenda and attempts for recognition. I mean after all, the reason it is called a "worship leader" is because it is that person's role to help lead others into a place, setting, and environment where they can worship God intently.
ReplyDeleteBecause of my musical background I often catch myself focusing on the technicalities of worship so much that I miss the meaning of what is being sung. Not only does this take away from worshipping God, it allows me to miss what the singers are actually saying. For example, if a song sounds good but has a weird beat to it, I might sing the lyrics but I'll be focusing so much on the oddity of the beat that I won't pay attention to what I'm singing. If song writers fluff their lyrics to cover a more general audience, I might end up singing something sacrilegious without noticing. Thus I think it goes both ways; song writers shouldn't generalize their lyrics to ensure song popularity, and listeners should focus on what they're singing rather than getting distracted by the technicalities.
ReplyDeleteHaley, I loved your post. I used to go to worship services with a friend of mine who was a devout atheist. She loves popular Christian music and would sing it to her heart's content... and I always wondered why. I never asked - it seemed such an insensitive thing to say, and I was hoping the music was a gateway to teach her more about Jesus. I think that her experience with the music was something different than the goal of worship should be, and I definitely think it may be partly due to the lyrics choices in Christian music.
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