That would have been a great concert had the crowd not gotten out of hand.
even the earliest 1st-century church hiding in tunnels sang songs.
Beethovan’s Ode to Joy was sublimely and eternally entertaining as well as joyiusly worshipful. They are not mutually exclusive.
The churches in the Southern Hemisphere would have a VERY different take on this.
I’ve seen African and South American churches.
Their worship is quite lively and warm. In the Northern Hemisphere, we tend to be the Chosen Frozen.
There’s a time and a place for everything. My church actually just purchased new hymn books. Song 1 is In Christ Alone. I’ve been traveling a lot and haven’t been to church much since they got them a month or so ago. My wife tells me that it’s a good mix of old and new.
They also have a small band lead singing with many songs broadcast on the screen. Some are good, some very good, some I don’t like. The band plays to be sung along with, leading music, not entertaining us. They don’t deviate with their favorite guitar riffs.
I’m also a long time unrepentant rock and roll aficionado, Chistian and secular. I’ve attended Rock concerts with fellow church members. I like 70’s-90’s Christian rock. Today’s Hillsong crap is just that for the most part.
That would have been a great concert had the crowd not gotten out of hand.
Todays churches have lost their way regarding “Praise and Worship”..
I can remember the groanings of people back in the late 80’s/90’s toward the “same old hymns and choruses..”. Then came the grunge movement. -which we are stuck with -30 years on.. (U2 guitar/Phil Collins drumming..)
The whole reason for a “praise & worship team” should be to accompany the singing of the congregation. These days, they are wannabe rock stars who overpower everything - as they urge on the congregation to “sing along!..”
There is a DIFFERENCE between songs that edify and actual PRAISE & WORSHIP. Most songs I hear in churches are the former.. songs people ought to listen to during their week which may be to their taste and fortify their faith. But that doesn’t make it Praise and Worship. Churches today completely fail to understand this.
Blacking out the room; using cool rock-show lighting; a 40,000 watt p.a. system in a 400 square foot room…turning it into a rock show isn’t praise and worship. It’s basically a concert.
Praise and Worship are His people - singing TO HIM -together as one. Somewhere along the line, younger generations began considering this to be ‘old hat’, ‘boring’, uncool… And so they mimick the rave parties that they used to have in college with “Christian” themes and call it praise and worship.
Then, justify it because we older folks “just don’t get it..”
It’s very sad. We enter the Lord’s very gates with thanksgiving; we enter His very courtroom and presence with true praise. Those who have been there will never be satisfied to just bop and jam out like we did at concerts as teenagers. It is NOT the same thing.
Then again, I’m not expert and I don’t know everything..
There are plenty of bible believing churches in this country with all sorts of styles of worship. We are indeed quite fortunate in that regard.
My daughter from that marriage still attends those services but they have metamorphosed into about 1/3rd "light Christian rock concert", complete with electric guitars, drums and keyboard with background visuals and the lyrics projected onto a screen behind them. The remaining 2/3rds was the pastor's sermon in which he wore a headset and microphone and paced back and forth on the stage behind him - and pushed for money.
I think I'll stick with Catholicism.
The devil uses ANY means available to destroy faith in God. He sees a weakness and takes advantage.
When radios became commonly available a new addiction was born. People have become so addicted to music in general, that they quickly become bored with a song and seek a new one. Since new songs are always in demand, and profitable, the desire is met. C
And church members that are addicted to music throughout the day seem most likely to desire new songs at church.
My first wake up to ‘Christianity’ being mixed with pagan music was not Elvis (a man that threw his hips to rock and roll, and also sang gospel). I was too young and had not seen Elvis perform until his ‘comeback special’.
But it was Tom Jones on his tv show, singing and dancing very suggestively, while wearing a necklace with a gold cross, that sent mixed signals to me (14 at the time).
Living for God means living godly in Christ Jesus.
Serving two masters never works, but the devil slyly convinces people that they can.
“Church Should Be About Worship, Not Entertainment”
I read the article. He concludes that “Now, the old saying goes, “Different strokes for different folks.” That would seem to generally apply to worship styles. I’m sure many have come back to church through the more modern music. Great.”
So he actually does NOT condemn Contemporary Christian music in church. He just doesn’t like it. Who cares what HE likes?
He likes the “OLD” hymns sung from holding hymnals in your hands, you know the ones Moses used to sing. /s
If you look at those “OLD hymns copyright dates, you will see most of them are from the 1800s.
At the time they would have been contemporary Christian music.
I fault ALL “organized religion”. Music, no music, hymns, rock, words on screen, words in hymnals, it doesn’t matter.
Is THE WORD OF GOD preached? Is interpretation left to the hearer/reader and his Holy Spirit or does the Priest/Pastor/Minister/lay person TELL YOU what it means.
Are they constantly asking for money/donations/free services all for God? God doesn’t need your money! He doesn’t need your old clothes (RAGS). He doesn’t want to hear you bragging about what you have given to God.
Do you claim your tithes on your income tax filings?
SHAME ON YOU!
Does your church give you an annual accounting of your giving to the church?
SHAME ON THEM!
You only need 3 things to properly worship God.
1. God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)
2. His word (the bible)
3. YOURSELF (saved by His grace)
Ancient Egyptian Temples were all about entertainment with music, dancing girls, cymbals, processions, incense, foods, a form of drama. That’s why Christians rejected that for worship only.
