Posted on 07/13/2024 11:03:38 AM PDT by Morgana
I recall attending worship services where the worship leader and band members spent more time interacting with the crowd and showcasing their vocal range and guitar riffs than pointing us to the true object of Christian worship—Jesus Christ. It’s been a while, but it always had me thinking about how the line between a secular concert and a worship service has become perilously blurred in modern Evangelicalism.
In this glittering arena of contemporary “worship,” I find myself increasingly disheartened by what I see. Smoke machines and light shows eclipse the pulpit making me question the true focus of this industry. Is it genuinely about honoring and glorifying God, or is it more about promoting the artists themselves?
Sadly, it seems that much of what passes for worship today is little more than a platform for self-idolatry, driven by an insatiable desire for fame and fortune. In this industry, commercial success is vitally important, almost always overshadowing genuine devotion to God, let alone theological integrity.
Today’s worship music scene is riddled with examples where the focus shifts from God to the performer. Many so-called worship leaders craft songs that are steeped in emotional manipulation, designed to elicit a response from the audience that is more about the experience than about true worship.
Charity Gayle, an up-and-coming highly popular artist in this genre, exemplifies this trend. Her song “New Name Written Down in Glory” is a prime example, where the repetition of “I,” “me,” and “mine” dominates the lyrics, overshadowing any genuine reference to God. This self-centered approach to worship is not simply a quirk of modern music but a central tenet of it, and more importantly, a profound theological mistake that turns the focus away from God in all His glory and onto the individual and what “God can do for me.”
But what if some of this music is really biblically sound? It’s a hypothetical defense often raised by proponents of contemporary worship music, and it is a matter of fact that much contemporary music produced by such people is solid. However, this question itself demands a more thorough examination—one that brings us to the very heart of the matter:
If Satan himself wrote biblically sound worship music, would you sing it in church?
The short answer to this is, for most people, they probably would. They simply don’t care. But, for the more reasonable Christian, perhaps the one who actually (gasp?) believes the Bible, to answer this, we must first delve into the examples of contemporary worship music that, despite having the appearance of doctrinal soundness, emanate from sources steeped in theological error and heresy.
Let’s take Charity Gayle again, whose association with the United Pentecostal Church (UPC) places her outside the bounds of biblical Christianity. The UPC denies the essential doctrine of the Trinity, a foundational cornerstone of orthodox Christianity, and presents a completely false God who is foreign to His revealed word. Therefore, any music emerging from this source, regardless of its lyrical content, carries the taint of heresy and should be avoided by true believers.
Similarly, Bethel Church in Redding, California, has built its reputation on emotionally charged music that overshadows sound theology. Bethel’s practices, such as “grave soaking,” the promotion of the heretical prosperity gospel, and their denial of various other core Christian doctrines, reveal a deep-seated departure from biblical Christianity. Their music, designed to create an emotional high, seduces the listener into an experience that prioritizes personal feelings over the worship of God.
Hillsong, another giant in the contemporary worship music industry, is equally culpable. Known for its polished productions and emotionally stirring music, Hillsong preaches rank heresy—the prosperity gospel that distorts the gospel into sensuality.
Hillsong’s focus on material success and personal well-being, usually at the expense of sound biblical truth, reveals a fundamental misalignment with God’s word. Hillsong’s music, while sometimes lyrically sound, interestingly serves as a gateway drug to their broader theological errors, leading believers astray.
Even Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light, as the Apostle Paul warns in 2 Corinthians 11:14. If the most evil being in existence can deceive with the appearance of goodness, how much more can his followers—these so-called worship leaders—seduce with their seemingly sound music? The snare of emotional highs and the superficial appeal of contemporary worship songs mask the underlying spiritual poison and false teachings of their creators.
The argument that some of the music might have biblically true lyrics is moot. It really doesn’t matter and it is only used as a smokescreen by these aberrant movements to gain credibility while seducing believers into their false doctrines. By singing their songs, we inadvertently endorse their teachings and grant them a foothold in our congregations.
The danger lies not in the lyrics themselves but in the associations and influences that come with them. And the bottom line is that by allowing their music into your churches and your lives, you actually are singing and worshiping to music written by Satan.
“I prefer old fashion hymns out of old fashion hymn books.
Now turn in your hymn book to page 358 and let’s all sing “Amazing Grace” Amazing grace, how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I’m found; Was blind, but now I see.”
This may bother some folks for me to say this, but: My opinion is that the songs sung during a worship service should be traditional songs known by all the congregation. There should not be any sort of change to this practice AT ALL, except in the following circumstances:
* If there are members of the congregation who long to express themselves in terms of pop musick and who are, you know, decent singers/musicians, those should be allowed to have a service, however often as convenient, under the auspices of the church. The entire community should have a chance to hear the singers/musicians doing their thing and whoever wishes to take part should be welcome, even if not a member of the church. (All the musick thus presented would of course be screened by the clerics and singers/musicians who are already a part of the sabbath service for appropriateness regarding doctrinal elements in the text, melodic/chordal progressions, and whatever else might bother the established congregation - like if it’s too fast, too hard to sing, etc.) In any case, a cleric should always be present and not leave things up for grabs of open interpretation. A worship service should never bother or challenge anyone, EXCEPT during the sermon, when various members might get called out for their transgressions. (But that’s the sermon, not the musick.)
* Assuming the above is adopted, members of the congregation may choose to include a favorite song as part of the worship service. This will only be after the approval of clergy and established congregation.
The sermon is supposed to be challenging and perhaps confrontational.
The musick, not so! Bach, the inventor of the so-called “well tempered system” that musicians still use today, stuck to CLERGY-APPROVED chord progressions in all his musick, which he apparently also taught to his 155 children, some of whom were also famous musicians.
Musick during a worship service should set a worshipful mood, not call attention to the performer of said musick. And as far as traditional songs being boring: Go to the internet some time and look up an old church song like “oh nob our help in ages past” or “doxology” and just SEE how many ways you can phrase or sing those b1tches. It’s almost endless!
Some more modern pop songs lend themselves quite easily to a worship service - I always liked the song “Day By Day” from the Broadway play “Godspell” - it’s easy and the chord progression falls into the church’s “acceptable” category.
Day by day
Day by day
Oh dear Lord
Three things I pray
To see thee more clearly
Love thee more dearly
Follow thee more nearly
Day by day
They don’t call it “Christian country”, because the two are often not that different anyway. Unlike “Christian rock”, which they have to specify so that you know it’s that, and otherwise might have missed. But the modern urban country stuff, however, is not the same. It’s all going downhill as you say. To the ducks. Down to the fishies in the deep blue sea. Give me that old time Gospel music.
Guess Christian Hiphop would be a no then, too...
Even with the bad words censored?
Modern Christain music is written in a single fashion today. It is written for people to sing along, with extended verses repeating over and over. Many churches have replaced their worship with music. They are music ministries. It’s popular, feel good, and the pastors can steer clear of today’s issues or politics. Another popular thing is being the wine and bread portion of service every Sunday, which again allows the music to be played while people wait in line to get their grape juice and bread. Everything is designed to participate with the exception of announcements.
There are literally no Christian songs popularized on the radio today that were not designed for extended worship service. K-Love Industry has resulted in Chruches and music ministries that essentially every amature musician in the community shows up to be a part of service to play or sing.
It is an amazing phenomenon to see evolve.
I dont believe Satan could write Biblicaly sound music. It could contains some or much truth but there would always be a lie designed to harm the listener. Satan comes to deceive kill and destroy.
Only God cannot lie.
Amen! Preach on! I hate both the "praise music" and the insipid contemporary "songs" (for some reason, they are no longer called hymns) that dominate Christian worship today.
Hymn-writing has become a lost art. Once upon a time, hundreds of great hymns would come out each year, but for some reason, hymn-writing went into decline aftet World War I. In my opinion, the last great hymn that was ever written was Each Step I Take, composed in 1953.
If you could teach whooping cranes to play the oboe, would you pay koalas to tapdance?
Our church has a wonderful balance. No “production”, no smoke and lights, but our music guy sets Psalms to music. Simple, guitar and piano. Absolutely beautiful.
Did Jesus ever sing a solo? He did sing a hymn with the apostles.
I have a problem changing the worship service where everyone sings equally into one where those onstage account for 50% or more of the singing volume. At that point, it seems to end being worship and changes into a performance. Look at how good I can sing. Not sure that is a worship service.
Years ago at church the little kids did a song in rap form.
I mentioned to an older gal afterwards that I couldn’t stand rap, but the kids have fun with it.
“Well - it was the same way when I was a child. My parents couldn’t stand my music.”
“Um - what?”
“They only allowed classical music in the house. But I liked the big band music. Dad said the horns in the music was from the Devil.”
Precious Hiding Place--The Old Fashioned Revival Hour Chorus Choir (1952)
There was a South Park episode where they are trying to form a rock group but they are terrible and nobody will hire them. “Hey - we’ll do Christen Rock instead!”
That said, I listen to some of what my kids listen to (Christian Rock) and it is okay. My son used to listen to Christian “Screamo” music. I gave him a hard time about that in a joking matter.
“Yeah - I like how they balance the staccato bass and drum death metal and the shrill screaming voice with the lyrics about the love of Jesus.”
I mentioned to my pastor once about the repetitive nature of the modern songs. He agreed that it was repetitive. And that there was a reason. “You know how growing up you did the repetitive, rote responses between the preacher and the congregation? Well, we don't have that anymore.”
It is in the song. I can't remember precisely why he said that repetition is important. But he said what he does (and what I now do make the songs bearable) is to focus on God. Every time the verse repeats about how God is good, full of grace or whatever, focus on an individual way that God is “good” (or whatever) each time that word is sung. I've found that very helpful and worthwhile.
I see very little scripture being used on this thread.
“You get them in the door, and then you use the opportunity to share the word of God with them.“
I get what you’re saying, but non-believers do NOT go to church to hear a good band. The world has PLENTY of WAY better ones.
Any non-believer who takes that step into a church -is looking for something deep. Something to change ‘things’..
Good friends of ours (Mormon) invited us to their son’s baptism. We hemmed and hawwed about it, but figured we wouldn’t view it as worshiping - but as supporting our Mormon friends.
It was fine, except for singing one of the hymns. It had the same melody as a familiar hymn, and IIRC familiar words. “By his blood we are saved, we are set free...” type stuff.
Until it got to some later verse where it went something like “Surely Joseph Smith doth died for me....” (We quit singing!)
“..our music guy sets Psalms to music.“
THERE ya go! - singing God’s Word to Him - in song.
I believe that this brings Him joy.
130 years ago the Salvation Army took old saloon piano tunes and wrote new words to them, then played them on the streets. Caused quite a scandal at that time.
When asked why they did this the answer was..”Why should the Devil have all the best tunes?”
Many of those same tunes are in churches today.
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