Posted on 12/01/2004 7:48:32 AM PST by sionnsar
[Please read the comment following, to get the context of this posting, before starting into this article. --sionnsar]
The Catholic church has been fighting a running battle with narcissism in worship ever since apostolic times. There has never been a shortage of people who want to take over public worship for their own purposes. In this battle–really a tug-of-war–two powerful forces struggle for supremacy. On the one side there is “me”: the personal dimension of religion. The faith of Christianity must involve the personal, private relationship of the individual ("me") to the personal Jesus, who will always listen to every prayer. On the other side of this tug-of-war is the job of faith. Christians come together to worship as a community. The Mass is a public, communal effort, in which individuals act and pray as a group. Tension between the private and public sectors is inevitable.
We can see this tension in two thousand years of Christian art for a liturgical setting. The painters of the Byzantine icon, for example, were ready to burst with emotional religious fervor and yet at every stage of artistic creation they pulled this zeal back; they held the reins tightly, as it were. They would not permit themselves the luxury of painting their own version of what they felt. Instead, they submitted to a canon of taste that belonged to something larger than themselves: the highest expectations of the community, the culture, or, if you wish, the tribe. The painters of the icon put their private, inner faith into the painted image but they did so according to strict conventions and traditional formulas; in this way they communicated to the beholder the message that the image went beyond the mere feelings of the artist and beyond the commonplace.
The church insisted on obedience to a great Unwritten Law which went something like this: “As a creative artist you may follow your own instincts but your art or music for the church must not clash with the liturgical function; it must take its place in the objective liturgical setting and not seem like an intrusion. Your creation must display a degree of quality and craftsmanship which will be agreeable to prince and peasant, male and female, young and old. Everyone who sees the artwork or hears the music must sense a group endeavor, a group prayer: maybe something performed by the assembly or by a choir acting in the name of the assembly, maybe a painting that seems to sum up the highest religious aspirations of a whole people. In the past the icon painters prayed and fasted as they struggled to put the holy images into the exacting forms prescribed by tradition. You must try to do something similar.”
The composers of … reformed folk music have created a large repertory of songs with mild harmonies, comforting words, and a sort of “easy listening” sound; it is all so very undisturbed and appealing, the musical equivalent of the warm bubblebath. The whole enterprise has been resoundingly successful and some publications sell in the millions…. For the time being, the reformed-folk repertory (also known as “contemporary” church music) occupies the high ground; it has the advantage of appearing to possess a musical and a moral superiority. It enjoys the reputation for being “new” and “what the people want.”
The victory of the folk style, reformed or otherwise, is so great and so blinding that many people cannot see beyond the apparent success to what could mildly be called the problem with this music: simply put, nearly all of it–no matter how sincere, no matter how many scriptural texts it contains–oozes with an indecent narcissism. The folk style, as it has developed since the 1960s, is Ego Renewal put to music.
“I” and “me” songs or sung versions of intense personal “conversations” with God can be found in the psalms and in almost two millennia of Christian worship, but great care was taken to make sure that the music would not sound like a presentation of individual “I-me” emotions. The words of the psalm might say “I” and “me,” but the music, intended for public worship, said “we.” A good example of this can be seen in the various settings of Psalm 90/91, a song of comfort and a reminder of God’s abiding protection. In the Middle Ages, the words of this psalm were lifted out of the common place and uttered in the Latin language (Qui habitat in adjutorio Altissimi …); the sentiments in the text were then twisted in the unusually shaped melodies of chant, the musical equivalent of the icon. These two “artificial” steps (the Latin language and the odd melodies) reminded everyone that this particular text, as sun, was not the personal property of the singer but an integral part of a public act of worship.
The early Protestant reformers translated the same psalm into the vernacular so that the congregation could sing it, but they too kept this important element of distance and “artificiality”; that is, they preserved the ideal of the “icon in music.” The words of the psalm were jammed into the pattern of a strict poetic meter with rhyme. ("O God, our help in ages past,/Our hope for years to come …") Melodies were foursquare and totally without a sense of private intimacy. Sometimes the melodies were so “neutral” and generic that a tune could be used for any kind of psalm: one with a joyous text or one with more mournful words.
Now, with the above versions of Psalm 90/91 in mind, analyze the same text as found in the song On Eagle’s Wings by Michael Joncas. Note the enormous difference. The Joncas work, an example of the reformed-folk style at its most gushing, does not proclaim the psalm publicly; it embraces the text–lovingly, warmly, and even romantically. That moaning and self-caressing quality of the music, so common in the reformed-folk style, indicates that the real topic of the words is not the comforting Lord but “me” and the comforts of my personal faith.
One composer of “contemporary” church music described perfectly what is going on in this type of music. He said that in his own compositions he tried to bring out the “felt meanings” of the sung words. There is indeed something quite tactile about the way this music manipulates the words; the meaning of the text has to be molded, shaped–felt. As a result, the performance of reformed-folk music depends heavily on a dramatic realism, on the ability of soloists to communicate personal feelings, felt meanings, to a congregation.
The music of the St. Louis Jesuits, the Dameans, the Weston Monks, Michael Joncas, and all the others is, without any doubt, a revolutionary addition to the Roman Rite. These composers have, as it were, smashed the icon, an exceedingly revolutionary act.
tTHANKS TONS.
Will check them out.
Am downloading from musicmatch now.
Twila Paris
The stuff I like is rather dated,(early 80's) but see if you can find some early works from "First Call" or from "SilverWind". You might also like some of the stuff from Steve Camp.
i AGREE.
I LOVE SILVERWIND.
I'd forgotten about them.
Thanks.
Will see if they are available on mm
LUB,
What I have trouble with is those who tell me that the contemporary music is MORE worshipful because it is "from the heart," and that the traditional music is not connecting with the congregation. We lose SO much when those old hymns and anthems are neglected; we lose the history of those believers who have gone on before us, the rich cultural heritage which bound us together over time and space. People NEED to know about the history of that music, and what it meant to the people who wrote and sang it.
I am still looking for a church which will not discount the efforts of those who went before.
And I don't feel worshipful with electric guitars and drums. Neither does my son, who calls it "Church Light."
If you can find some older songs by Steve Greene, I would recommend them. He had a few CD's in the mid-80's, and they are done in a traditional style and are very inspiring and worshipful. He has a beautiful voice.
I agree. I really like Keith Green's mellower songs, too. And he is available. Thanks.
Am trying to download about 90 songs to my SAMSUNG 1 GIGABYTE MP3 PLAYER.
Have quite a number of songs already on it.
But for some reason one of Carolyn Arends songs keeps hanging things up and I have to use the program manager to kill the program to start over.
Anyone else have any experience with musicmatch and the SAMSUNG MP3 player?
Going to try deleting the Arends song from that play list and see if it works.
We feel blessed to have found a church that does honor what has gone before, and the value of depth in worship. It is not afraid of the new, but will not follow pop Christianity into the shallowness and ease of contemporary 'worship.'
It's only about a 3 and a half hour drive. Why don't you and your son stop in some time. :o)
What I don't understand is why this has become such a problem. When I was first married, we attended a wonderful Methodist church which had balance...a rousing traditional opening processional hymn, a low church hymn, a praise chorus, a traditional choral anthem, and a high church recessional hymn. I think this is a good mix and has somethingwhich appeals to all, plus allows a continuation from generation to generation.
All I have seen around here for the last ten years is "groovy" music, and don't get me started on skits and "sacred dance."
One of the big problems I see is what I would label deceit. Lots of 'Praise and Worship' leaders come into churches claiming they'll do a 'blended' service including hymns, and before long they're doing entirely choruses with one verse of "Amazing Grace" and calling it balanced.
I know of many people who endure awful music in formerly good churches because it's tough to leave a church, and to leave it for music is even tougher.
To tell you the truth (and this won't be popular), I believe Satan is using music to tear churches apart, and the few people who are willing to stand up and be counted in keeping theological and musical integrity in churches (in many cases) are being punished.
I have several good book references on the subject if you're interested.
I listen to a lot of different Christian music - Delirious, Third Day, Caedmon's Call, Rebecca St. James, Newsboys, etc. My wife's a big fan of Randy Travis and Sandy Patti.
The way I've always seen it, the lyrics are what make it "Christian"...not the tune. I like a lot of the heavier, "rocky" stuff, but I think that's primarily just due to my youth. If the words are edifying, and theologically sound, it's a-ok in my book, regardless of what sort of beat is put to it. I listed to Christian rap, reggae, and hip-hop...as well as classic hymns.
That being said - I will not, will NOT participate in a worship service that includes many of the contemporary songs in it's service. As another poster put it - there's a time and a place for contemporary Christian tunes, and inside the sanctuary is not one of those places. IMO, it lets people approach worshiping the LORD in a casual, relaxed way, and not one of humble reverence.
That casual atmosphere is indicative of the many problems that churches face today with lazy worship services, which results in lazy teachings, which results in lazy lifestyles - absent from Godly awe and humility.
Good points.
I don't know what the answer is between reverence, casual and
ABBA FATHER.
DADDY.
I don't have a lot of answers in this area.
Sorry, but I can't help with your search but I can ping your request!
THANKS THANKS
Have over 100 songs now to sync with my MP3 player. Getting the favorite ones on from the list is a challenge it seems.
I keep getting IO errors with both Musicmatch as well as WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER. sigh
Going to reboot and see if that helps.
Thanks for your kind msg.
"ABBA FATHER.
DADDY."
While those words invoke a sense of comfort, it's not to be confused with irreverence or casual laziness.
I'm reminded of an AOG church that I once attended. Or, attended once - and never returned. A member of the church showed up 1/3rd of the way through the service - in sweatpants & a t-shirt, then proceeded to crack open a Mt. Dew and drink it - all while the pastor was preaching.
That, IMO, is irreverent casual-ness - and certain contemporary music creates an environment that can encourage that type of behavior.
I'm not saying people need to wear a 3-piece suit to church, but c'mon - a little holiness and respect is needed.
"To tell you the truth (and this won't be popular), I believe Satan is using music to tear churches apart, and the few people who are willing to stand up and be counted in keeping theological and musical integrity in churches (in many cases) are being punished.
I have several good book references on the subject if you're interested."
I would be interested in those references! It would be good material.
Don
Just got to your post (do you like Wagner by any chance? ;o), and am taking off in a minute, but I'll get you those references (4 good ones, IMO) this afternoon.
Second one of your threads I've bookmarked today, though this is an old one.
Oh, how I miss my former church and choir, especially now during Lent.
I've been missing mine -- between illness and travel I've missed all the Wednesday night services, all but two of the Sunday services so far, and will be away at a conference most of Holy Week.
Reaching Out without Dumbing Down: A Theology of Worship for the Turn-of-the-Century Culture, by Marva J. Dawn (a Catholic), published in 1995, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
Marva Dawn's sequel to that, A Royal "Waste" of Time: The Splendor of Worshiping God and Being Church for the World, 1999 (Eerdmans).
From the Evangelical Protestant perspective, True Worship: Reclaiming the Wonder and Majesty, by Donald P. Hustad, 1998, Hope Publishing Co.
And more recently (2002, Baker Book House Co.), A Better Way: Rediscovering the Drama of God-Centered Worship, by Michael Horton, Reformed theologian and minister.
They are all excellent books on why the exclusively contemporary movement that crosses all denominations is unbiblical and detrimental to true worship, and to the work of Christ's Church in a contemporary world.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.