Bad Music is Destroying the Church

The Catholic Herald ^ | October 2006 | James MacMillan

[Protagoras]

That explains it.

[technochick99]

Communion or as you call it "The Lord's Supper" is SYMBOLIC.

We Catholics would disagree.

[nobdysfool]

I am not a member of any denomination. I am a member of the church that was founded by Christ. I was added to that church, by God, on the day that I obeyed the Gospel of Christ. I do not base my beliefs only on the writings of any inspired writer. I base them on the Word of God.

Church of Christ. They claim they are not a denomination, but they're just like any other. They have a mypoic view of scripture, and are generally very argumentative, and given to making statements sure to rile up the hearers. And they are quite proud of how they are different from any other group of Christians, and believe that it is proof of the rightness of their doctrine. They are contrarians.

sorry, but that's been my experience with C of C people.

[DungeonMaster]

I am not sure I understand what you are trying to say.

Well, I'm just trying to nail down a definition of the word binding as you are using it. I see a number of possibilities:

1: Necessary for salvation ie, necessary for being a Christian.
2: Necessary for a good relationship with the Lord.
3: A requirement for attending a Christian Church.

[TommyDale]

Likely that many churches would disagree, that is why we have so many different churches.

[TommyDale]

"If it's been written since 1965, it's crap!"

LOL!

[newgeezer]

Think non-structured worship and you'll be near my meaning.

During the course of the Remembrance meeting in the Plymouth Brethren tradition, men in the congregation will rise individually to call out a hymn, lead in prayer, read from the Scriptures, offer worshipful praise and thanksgiving, or any combination of those, all of it centered on the Lord Jesus Christ. Usually, the meeting opens with a hymn and, sometime during the latter half of the hour (or so), the bread is eaten before the cup is passed. There may be many or few periods of silence, sometimes lasting two or three minutes.

There no script, no particular order, little regard for the clock, and no person or team leads the meeting.

[Crusher138]

I don't know, I like much of the contemporary Christian rock:

Rain, rain on my face
It hasn't stopped raining for days
My world is a flood
Slowly I become one with the mud

[Chorus:]

But if I can't swim after forty days
and my mind is crushed by the thrashing waves
Lift me up so high that I cannot fall
Lift me up
Lift me up - when I'm falling
Lift me up - I'm weak and I'm dying
Lift me up - I need you to hold me
Lift me up - Keep me from drowning again

Downpour on my soul
Splashing in the ocean, I'm losing control
Dark sky all around
I can't feel my feet touching the ground

[Chorus]

Calm the storms that drench my eyes
Dry the streams still flowing
Cast down all the waves of sin
And guilt that overthrow me

[Chorus]

Lift me up - when I'm falling
Lift me up - I'm weak and I'm dying
Lift me up - I need you to hold me
Lift me up - Keep me from drowning again

A very moving cry to the Lord for help.

[TommyDale]

I count the number of direct references to God and Jesus at least 0 times... This could be a song to Satan as far as I can tell.

[newgeezer]

contemporary Christian rock

Some say whatever it may lack for edification, it more than makes up for with emotion.

[trisham]

Find a Catholic Church with a really early morning Mass ... almost always no music at all (unless the priese is chanting the Mass).

************

I'll remember that. It's not easy getting up and out early on Sunday, but if that's the case, it's worth it.

[MineralMan]

Very interesting. I wonder how they'd feel about a stranger attending respectfully. I'll see if there's one here in the Twin Cities and contact them to see if it would be OK to visit. Thanks!

[Maeve]

Find a Catholic Church with a really early morning Mass ... almost always no music at all (unless the priese is chanting the Mass).

We call those "Duck and Cover" Masses. You play your CD of Plainchants on the way to Mass. You "duck and cover" as you run into the modernist church for Mass and pray you can escape before "the band" starts tuning up for the next Mass. Then you get back in your car and listen to Palestrina on the way home...

[jkl1122]

Here is what you quoted me as saying:

I am not a member of any denomination. I am a member of the church that was founded by Christ. I was added to that church, by God, on the day that I obeyed the Gospel of Christ. I do not base my beliefs only on the writings of any inspired writer. I base them on the Word of God.

Do you believe that it is wrong for a Christian today to believe this way?

[redlocks322]

I was never more discouraged in my faith until I worked for a church and was enlightened to the fact that the preacher didn't come up with his own sermon by prayer and meditation - instead, as he told me, his sermons came from someone else (the name I don't recall) who earns their living scheduling out the calendar with topics to preach about for that particular denomination. This pastor explained to me that that is the way it is done in all denominations as set up by the national organizations (I can't put it the way he did, but something like Southern Baptists use John Doe's schedule, United Methodist use Jane Doe's schedule, and so on.) I don't know how true it was, but I did see for myself his schedule and I was NOT impressed at all.

I didn't stay at that job but for a week. I prefer the church where sermons come from God, and services are very much like the Plymouth Brethren tradition.

As to the instruments in church - there are many, MANY people who have been blessed with a supernatural ability to play instruments who play them ONLY in praise, worship and thankgiving to Jesus. Doesn't the Bible say we are to give thanks to God for every blessing?

[Lee N. Field]

Bad music is not limited to one church, but is universally accepted these days.

It's epidemic in the Protestant evangelical churches I'm most familiar with.

I wonder if non-Christian religons have problems with cheezy bad modernist music.

I can see it now: "This is Radio Fatwa, with Classic! Muslim! Gold!, playing your favorite pop Islamic worship songs from the '70s, '80s and 90s!"

[jkl1122]

If you don't mind, where do you attend worship?

[newgeezer]

There are a number of them in the Twin Cities. For starters, there's Plymouth Bible Chapel in Plymouth, Believers Bible Chapel in Coon Rapids, Northeast Gospel Chapel in Mpls, and Longfellow Gospel Hall in Mpls.

Feel free to just show up. Non-believing visitors are welcome to attend and observe.

If you go, I'd be interested in hearing from you afterward.

[jkl1122]

What do you mean by saying the Remembrance meeting is free-form?

[relictele]

Yeah, they haven't had a decent album since Starfish.

Not sure many on here will get that reference but I do. Actually, some of their later stuff is tolerable.

Back to topic A, these neo-hippy churches with off-key guitars inexpertly strummed make me want to jump through a stained-glass window. I know they are trying to do their part but if an organist played that poorly he or she would be asked to step down. I'm not sure why it's OK for Charlie Capo to stand up there and struggle with three-chord progressions.