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The Divisiveness of Church Music
For the past few decades, churches have lamented the exodus of young people. Their answer has been uniform: Make the service more like a rock concert through praise music, and the young people will flock to church in their skinny jeans and hipster vests. Nowadays, it’s more common to find special music consisting of electric guitars, drums, and lighting effects than traditional choirs and organs. But has turning church into a dressed-up version of Bonnaroo really helped bring the coveted Millennials back to church?
I am vehemently against praise music, though I thoroughly recognize that this is a matter of personal preference. The pervasiveness of praise music has made finding a church I like very difficult. It has made it difficult to attend church with friends, because I just stand there with my hands folded in front of me while everyone around me sways their hands in the air, singing with their eyes closed. The difference in worship style preference has even made dating difficult in some instances. Still, I was interested to see how many of my fellow Ricochet Millennial contemporaries have a similar bias towards traditional music. They may not be as militantly against contemporary worship as I am — I will turn and leave if I walk into a sanctuary and see it looking more like a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert than a church service — but they still seem on the whole to enjoy the traditional worship style.
In short, I contend that this:
Is more reverential and evocative of God’s divine love than this:
But I’m also a classical music snob, admittedly. So what do y’all think? How much does worship style influence where you worship? Have your churches embraced a contemporary style that has successfully brought young people back to church? My fellow Millennials: which style do you prefer?
Perhaps all this boils down to this question: What is the purpose of music in a worship service?
Published in Religion & Philosophy
I think you hit upon a pretty common perception: traditional music is quiet, while praise music is joyful. I don’t have a problem with contemporary music as long as there’s depth to it. Where I have an issue is when listening to music in church sounds just like what’s on the radio. Church music should be elevated above the secularity of everyday life.
I love singing in the loft and hearing music sung from the loft- like angels floating over us.
Skip, you nailed it!
I left a United Methodist church (in the middle of a service!) when a “music leader” led the congregation by singing in a mike during a traditional hymn.
I’ve been to quite a few Catholic services before I found one church in our town (i.e, the Cathedral) that actually has a Catholic hymn book. Most of the others just print the words, which makes it very difficult to join in.
The words in the music need to come first, preferably from the Bible. Then when you can add great music to it, it works, regardless of style.
To inspire and to express.
King David’s psalms express his (and our) love of God. We are told again and again that the angels sing praise of God. The first Christians sang hymns. We honor God by seeking to praise Him in the most beautiful and thoughtful ways we know how.
God created us as physical beings. So we express our love physically as well as intellectually. Love is harmony. Uniting in song helps us to praise, to reflect, and to seek His mercy as a community. We are called to love Him together and not just alone.
But music isn’t limited to expression. It can also motivate and guide us. Ask Steven Spielberg what his films would be without scores by John Williams. Music encourages us to feel a certain way about what we are seeing or saying. It can help to calm us or to thrill us.
The Mass requires both somber reflection and joyous celebration. It requires both individual responses and a connection to the shared gifts, experiences, and duties which bond Christians of all times and all nations. The music should reflect this diversity of purpose.
But as vernacular speech is combined with Latin to unite all peoples, vernacular music should be combined with music that unites all Christians.
Primarily, to set a tone and invite the Spirit. Hymns also teach doctrine.
-E
yes. It seems that the historical music may have filtered out all of the groaners, and left behind the better examples.
I have to agree, I don’t like the mesmorizing repetition, at all. The instruments don’t matter as much.
The question is: has the variability in music made the difference it was expected to?
What I find odd is a generational separation for services…even if by happenstance of alarm clock.
There is value in ritual, not for the repetition of it, but for the fact that it is a core component of the faith. We internalize the things we do all the time.
Just because something is internalized and recurring does not make it empty.
Would it be true that a gesture is only empty if the person offering the gesture is empty?
We only sing from hymnals at my church. I like #9.
Hmmm… yes, but sacred music can be loud and joyful as well. Nevertheless there is a difference in tone. It’s a difficult thing to sort out or even describe. I like to use the word reverent, but even that can fail as a differentiator.
-E
Hopefully those who can’t hear appreciate what she is “singing.” I haven’t experienced that, but I think with an experienced presenter, the sign-singing could be very beautiful, like a dance. I don’t think it is always just a matter of signing the words, but more of a translation.
So, if you can imagine not hearing, or being unable to speak or sing, that kind of worship would be quite valuable, not distracting.
So an old boyfriend, a conductor, I think accurately described the problem with contemporary music- it often has a wondering, rambling melody that is difficult for the congregation to follow and anticipate. That’s why hymns have traditionally been strophic. Hymns also allow people to see the general shape of the song, even if they can’t read music. Contemporary music doesn’t provide that. All these things lead to lack of congregational participation, causing it to be a performance by some skinny hipster named Tristan.
Yep, no joy, just boring quiet here:
I should note this was recorded at a youth conference.
Repetition is a matter of style. Psalm 150 is essentially 13 lines saying “Praise the Lord in all ways possible”. Revelations 4:8 says, “The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying:
‘Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty,
Who was and is and is to come!'”
Are these too repetitious? We should be wary of criticizing the style of others’ worship because it is often rooted in arrogance. Does this description of David’s worship from 2 Samuel 6 sound like a traditional, white, Euro-centric form of worship?
David’s wife saw his form of worship and despised him for it.
It’s tough to agree whole-heartedly with any one prescription for church music. There are hymns with which to sing along:
and there are performances to be admired and appreciated:
Both bring me closer to God, and my ideal church would have them both. But under no circumstances would it have any songs by Marty Haugen (can I get an Amen my Catholic brethren?).
I know there are others with whom I agree on most issues of faith who feel almost diametrically different concerning music. So let a thousand musical flowers bloom.
Holst is great.
100% Agree. It’s my dream that one day I can put together a choir that can perform this for one of our Christmas services.
-E
There’s a lot of joy and beauty in other forms of music, of course. Where I have an issue is with the performance aspect of music. I think a lot of churches are using pop music for its entertainment factor, and not as a conduit for spiritual elevation. Of course a lot of this is personal preference.
I listen to God’s Composer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=br0weaJgrnw
While not as hardcore against at least the Worship side of Praise and Worship music as VC, I do hold a special loathing for a genre of song I like to refer to the “Jesus is my girlfriend” song. These are songs that could either straight out or with the modification of only a few lines be a “love song” on a contemporary music station. My favorite example is a song called “Draw Me Close to You”.
Draw me close to You
Never let me go
I lay it all down again
To hear You say that I’m Your friend
You are my desire
And no one else will do
‘Cause nothing else can take Your place
To feel the warmth of Your embrace
Help me find a way
Bring me back to You
You’re all I want
You’re all I’ve ever needed
You’re all I want
Help me know You are near
Draw me close to You
Never let me go
I lay it all down again
To hear You say that I’m Your friend
You are my desire
And no one else will do
‘Cause nothing else can take Your place
To feel the warmth of Your embrace
Help me find a way
Bring me back to You
You’re all I want
You’re all I’ve ever needed
You’re all I want
Help me know You are near
You’re all I want
You’re all I’ve ever needed
You’re all I want
Help me know You are near
Help me know You are near
Help me know You are near
There are however some songs I consider to be modern day hymns that could fit well in the traditional hymnal. My favourite example being “In Christ Alone”.
This is a major problem. In faith, as in so many other ways, the young and old need to learn from each other and be united.
My parish recently started a program for married couples to help couples thinking about marriage or just getting started in married life. The young couples probably help the older couples to rekindle their affections and reflect, too. It’s important that the generations approach God together.
I was lucky enough to work for a year in a mediaeval cathedral library. The day began with sung matins (Church of England, Book of Common Prayer). Throughout the day we could hear services and choir practices. The day finished with candle lit sung evensong. The piece of music which affected me the most was this. The Gloria at the end of the Magnificat (repeated at the end of the Nunc) is particularly moving.
The other thing I loved was seeing a Catholic nun on a tour of the library’s mediaeval music collection begin singing from the Worcester Antiphoner which was written in the c1230s. 800 years was nothing in that awe filled moment.
I sang that piece with the National Honor Choir at Carnegie Hall in ’00 or ’01. It was one of those life changing experiences.
I agree with that. There are certain megachurches that treat their service like it’s The Tonight Show. My concern is that we don’t rush to condemn a service simply because it is different or makes us uncomfortable. We have to move beyond that and weigh the substance of what they are saying and doing. Does their worship celebrate God or themselves? Are they incorporating Scripture or self-help platitudes? Those are the relevant questions. Styles of worship differ around the world, but they even differ in the US. A black church is going to have a much livelier service than a traditional white church, and there is nothing wrong with either one as long as they are both praising God.
This really does it for me:
I don’t find these things empty gestures exactly for the reason you stated. I find comfort in the constancy of my faith, and these rituals help to keep me centered. They ground me and remind me what are the important things. (Hint: it’s not the style of worship. That’s a personal preference.)
But yes, I definitely wonder about the folks who claim these are empty gestures because they are trappings of an older time that should fall by the wayside. I have heard it pronounced that if a ‘seeker’ came into a service where the Apostle’s Creed was recited, that because they weren’t familiar with the Creed it would be a barrier to that person coming back. Made me want to tear my hair out.
I’ve sung some really great gospel music that was wonderfully joyous. And I could say that those songs were very different from the rock band praise music. They’re much more substantive. There’s one particular composer who does fabulous choral arrangements of traditional spirituals. But even some of the country/bluegrass stuff is really awesome.
And yet Vaughn Williams said he was agnostic!
However, what are they praising God for? For creation? For being a friend? For giving the congregants stuff? For the sacrifice of the cross? For making life easy? For binding one’s family for eternity?
That’s where the doctrine in the songs is needed — and why not all praise and music are equal. People who don’t agree on doctrine aren’t going to agree on what constitutes a “good” song, but one can use more than just personal taste to determine if a song is worthy of being used in a denomination’s worship.
The only barrier would be the person’s heart, right?
There’s some theology in this song that I would take issue with. But that’s another thread all together ;-)