Posted on 12/07/2004 12:06:09 PM PST by LouAvul
The growing clout of America's 100-million evangelical Christians is being heard loud and clear. Just turn on your radio, and you'll notice that a seismic shift in American culture is taking place.
Before, you could tune into different stations, which offered different music and different messages.
But now, as Correspondent Bob Simon reports on 60 Minutes Wednesday, Dec. 8, at 8 p.m. ET/PT,, evangelical Christian music is flowing into mainstream media -- and changing it. In fact, Christian entertainment now brings in $4 billion a year.
Rappers and rockers are making hits and making money while spreading the gospel to national audiences. Christian groups can be heard on secular radio and seen on "The Tonight Show." Earlier this year, the group Third Day even played at the Republican National Convention.
"The fact that there are Christian themes now emerging in rock and that Christians are in rock is just representative of a spiritual desire or a spiritual hunger in our culture," says Cameron Strang, publisher of Relevant Magazine, a religious publication.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
I think the condition of one's heart is very important, but I also think it's important to offer the best we have. There is plenty of mediocrity (and worse) in church music.
I liked Bride. Also, I liked Barren Cross and Guardian. Sorry to hear you lost your copy of PK Mitchell.
You might still be able to get a copy here:
http://www.ruggedcrossmusic.com/
Look under "M". Site says they have it.
That's exactly what's occurring in large measure. Generally speaking, it is in large part simply another effort by man to conform God to man's desires and machinations instead of the opposite.
Far too many people get their information about God from others including music due to intellectual laziness and no desire to read and arduously study the Bible themselves. There is far too much emphasis on "what God can do for us" in a material sense and not nearly enough on the same focus spiritually.
As you can see from the postings here, there is also an ignorance as to the convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit (ie. GHS cannot bring a person to saving knowledge of LJC unless we help Him out through the use of worldly gimmicks).
And secular music as well.
The point that I am making is that performing for the Lord should not be a glamorous exercise at all. That is one reason why, over the centuries, people did not clap in church. But, now that church is entertainment, we applaud, disrupt, and make asses of ourselves.
Luke 9
49"Master," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us."
50"Do not stop him," Jesus said, "for whoever is not against you is for you."
Looks like a pretty clearcut command to me....
Applause in Church really bothers me. If God wants to clap, let Him. I think praising a man is disrespectful of God.
Wow!! Thanks for the great link. I found a lot goodies there.
I assume then that you also have problems with the production that goes into, say, a Billy Graham Crusade?
Don't mistake professionalism for a lack of humility. And by the way - applause is simply a way of showing approval or appreciation. I honestly don't think it offends God, and it's only a problem if the performer forgets who receives the glory.
Yeah, it can be a dangerous site. :)
Psalm 150
1 Praise the LORD
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with tambourine and dancing,
praise him with the strings and flute,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD .
Praise the LORD .
Yep, that David, making an ass of himself....
I challenge you to provide scripture backing up your assertions. I doubt that you can.
Do you think telling a pastor you liked his sermon is disrespectul of God?
Am I a bad person if that made me laugh? : )
No, but I think applause is praising man and not God.
Well, again, we'll have to disagree. It seems obvious to me that if you can appreciate a sermon and say so without being disrespectful to the Lord, you can appreciate a performance and say so without being disrespectful to Him.
I can say a appreciate a performance without clapping.
God wants me to worship Him with joy and passion. Maybe he wants others to worship Him in quiet contemplation. I think some posters here need to read Luke 6:41-43 about taking the log out of their own eye before trying to take the speck out of their brother's eye....
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