Posted on 02/21/2022 10:53:33 AM PST by MNDude
Last week, I was visiting with my step mother and were discussing Covid and it's impact on life.
My step mom said that after the Covid shut down, that 30% attendance has dropped 30% at her church , although there is no live streaming any more.
She said that they used to have two services--one for the old and one for the young, but now they have merged them into a single service.
Apparently the young people desire LOUD music, so the church's way of accommodating the older people is to hand out ear plugs.
I did attend this church one time a while ago, and the music really was near rock concert level in decibels.
Is loud music really this important to that many people? Can anyone here relate?
And the music they play is dreck. I was listening briefly to the “contemporary” worship service online on Christmas Eve at my church.
Some idiot had taken the lyrics to “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” and substituted this: “Oh come you unfaithful, broken and unstable.” This is music to celebrate the birth of Christ??? Lyrics that suggest the room is full of mental patients? The service continued on its weary, dreary way with a guy playing chords on the piano, a couple of guys on guitars, and a soloist moaning into a microphone.
It was outright depressing. At least it wasn’t loud, but it was incredibly glum as if everyone was there for a group therapy session. Ordinarily the service features drums, guitars, and the excrement 7-11 songs which are written by “musicians” and lyricists with minimal talent. Why does this appeal to people? It’s mind-numbing in its vapidity and it is so repetitive you think the performers have forgotten the lyrics. Just awful.
Some other hymns older than that, dating two centuries ago, were written by John and Charles Wesley. Charles Wesley in particular received criticism of re-using the melodies of bar room jingles and putting Christian words to it. His idea, of course, was to make it so that if people heard the same song (without words) outside church, they'd think of Jesus and might be motivated to live holy lives instead of worldly lives.
Imagine what church music today would be like if the naysayers had won the arguments against the Wesley's and the Gaither band's influence.
Phil appeared doing some blistering acoustical work on the Neal Morse album One.
Though not as loud as The Door from Neal's album Sola Scriptura...
Amen! One of the greatest of hymns. Full of meaning and the figurative language that conjures up images like the best poetry.
That’s great! I do too,.... with a catch. Do it sensibly, not with eardrum damaging amplification. God desires us to not abuse our bodies, including our ears.
The old folks are the ones that contribute the most in our church. Not to mention, including the church in their will.
Better take care of us.
“Imagine what church music today would be like if the naysayers had won the arguments against the Wesley’s and the Gaither band’s influence.”
Could very well be better,
Most young people and most Fundamentalists like very loud services. They didn’t call themselves Holy Rollers for nothing.
Avoid working around a grain vac, they do the same thing.
If it wasn’t for RAP music, then Christian Rock would be the worst noise on the planet.
“Well - you grew up in the Lutheran church right? Remember how you did all of the repetitious chanting during one part of the service? That repetition is a form of worship. Recall in Revelation how the four creatures say “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, the Almighty who was and who is and who is to come” ALL the time - 24/7.
Well, we don't have the chanting in church - so the repetition is in the praise songs. Praising God!”
He went on to say to use it as a way to focus on God. Each time it repeats think of a different attribute of God, or what God has done, etc.
you should go anyway, I bet they have more than golf tips :)
I get tired of the 7-11 hymns: a seven line verse repeated eleven times.
Yep, wife and I having a tough time finding a church that doesn’t bleed your ears before the preaching starts.
“They aren’t worshipping at all; they perform.”
Had an interesting experience on this at a church attended by my husband’s aunt. Our church uses only organ and piano and the occasional violin or flute special number. This church had a band. At any rate, the sermon featured a few “Let us pray” interludes and once, while praying, I felt the floor of the building shake a bit (this being California earthquake and volcano territory, I was slightly concerned). I opened my eyes to see the band hustling up the side aisle to be in place to strike up the notes as the prayer was ending.
Luke 15…. 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
And they rejoiced with soft Amens and soft organ music playing Jesus Paid It All….
My friend plays drums in a band at a cowboy church in Tx and he is kind of a heathen ;)
I like that a lot….
Christian rap is where I draw a line.
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