I recently had a conversation with a friend, Lydia Walker, discussing various opinions on Contemporary Christian worship. In my friend's mind, CCM (Christian Contemporary Music, I'm not spelling it out every time) is focused exclusively on modern discipleship, appealing to new Christians by constantly focusing on the redemption received through salvation. Granted, discipleship is one of the most fundamental doctrines of Christianity; Jesus explicitly tells us "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" (Mt 28:19 HCSB). The message of modern songs, however, often oversimplify Christianity to appeal to a "new age". Although the repetitive actions of songs such as "Surrounded" by Michael W. Smith provide a good reminder of the protection of Christ, it does little to remind us of God's autonomy outside of our own problems, thus reducing the message of Jesus to, in Lydia's words, 'Christian baby food'.
Part of the root of this problem is that CCM often abandons the second part of the Great Commission, "...teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you..." (Mt 28:20a HCSB). Part of what this commandment entails is having lyrics deeply entrenched in the Words of God (The Bible, people). I find it incredibly inspiring that the Christians of old recognized this fact and developed responsive readings and songs out of the traditions of Judaism. The example given of Psalms 136 in the article is a representation of the power of repetition and praise done right, both detailing the power of God and the source of his power, his "steadfast love". There can be much said for and against both CCM and traditional music practices, but no one can deny the power of praising God in any form!
The Bible. Holman Christian Standard Bible, Holman Bible Publishers, 2009.
I commented on Brooke's and Braylan's posts.
Most of the time, the mainstream music we listen to is what we love because everyone else loves it too, but as you said, that as well takes away from the song is trying to tell us. It strays away from the meaning of who God is alone and people search for that song in need instead of God. Worship is one of the many ways to praise God and give him thanks, but we have to do it in reminder of who He is and why we love him so much. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI cannot stress the amount of times I have sat in church and listened to the worship team do the chorus or bridge of a song repeatedly for probably 4-5 times and thought “Can they get to the end?” And I’ve done it before and I think it will always be something I have to guard against. Usually, the songs that the worship team does it in are with new and modern contemporary songs. I’ll always prefer the older traditional hymns simply because I feel that they cut through the “Christian baby food” and get to the real meat of who Jesus was and is, what He came to do, and what He still does in our lives. I’m not saying I don’t like certain contemporary songs but as a whole, I prefer the hymns and to each his/her own.
ReplyDelete