Posted on 03/03/2007 9:56:29 AM PST by Alex Murphy
When church music directors lead congregations in singing contemporary Christian music, I often listen stoically with teeth clenched. But one Sunday morning, I cracked. We'd been led through endless repetitions of a meaningless ditty called "Draw Me Close to You," which has zero theological content and could just as easily be sung in any nightclub. When I thought it was finally and mercifully over, the music leader beamed. "Let's sing that again, shall we?" he asked. "No!" I shouted, loudly enough to send heads all around me spinning while my wife, Patty, cringed.
I admit I prefer traditional hymns, but even so, I'm convinced that much of the music being written for the church today reflects an unfortunate trend—slipping across the line from worship to entertainment. Evangelicals are in danger of amusing ourselves to death, to borrow the title of the classic Neil Postman book.
This trend is evident not just in theater-like churches where musicians—with their guitars and bongo drums—often perform at ear-splitting levels. It's also true of Christian radio, historically an important source of serious preaching and teaching. Several stations recently—many acting on the advice of a leading consulting firm—have dropped serious programming in favor of all-music formats. For example, a major station in Baltimore has dropped four talk shows in order to add music. Family Life Radio, a first-class broadcaster, has adopted a new program split of 88 percent music "to appeal to the 35- to 50-year-old demographic." A respected broadcaster recently dropped Focus on the Family on the grounds that it had become too involved in "moral issues." Does anyone really believe the Bible is indifferent to moral questions—or that modern Christians should be?
(Excerpt) Read more at christianitytoday.com ...
Shouldn't we be Praising YHvH.b'shem Yah'shua
|
Draw Me Close To You Draw me close to You, |
one of the points that is always missed in discussions about contemporary vs. traditional music is the role of those performing the music. The rock style encourages egocentric display far beyond even the soprano or bass soloist and certainly beyond the humble choir that welcomes, nay, cajoles "whosoever will may come " to sing. It encourages absolute passivity in the congregation as the houghts are directed to the performance on the stage. I'd like to see the reaction of the band director if a 60 year old slightly overweight "dowager" with an excellent voice volunteered her services. Crushing the democracy of the choir for the exclusivism of the rock band will one day be recognized for the selfish action it is.
Went to a Bebe and Cece Wynan (sp?) concert years ago. Some music was nice but far too much of it was just loud music with Jesus' name thrown in once and awhile so they could call it "Christian Rock". I don't know what they are like today.
A friend of mine recommends worship groups sing behind a curtain.
we are on our way to glory via Disneyland!
Looking at the lyrics, that song could, with absolutely no change, be a love ditty addressed to a boy/girlfriend.
This stuff is in all the churches. The music is horrible and the words are worse. Perhaps most people don't actually listen to the words, or maybe they're just so badly theologically educated they don't care what the song says. I'm Catholic, and we have some songs that make me want to stand up and scream. And when the music publishers do a survey, congregations always say those particular songs are their very, very favorite songs! I think there's a need for some serious education here...
I find this very interesting since the Catholic Church is also going through some soul searching on the new music being sung in churches. Much of it is human-centered rather than Christ-centered.
I know Pope Benedict XVI is concerned about liturgical music and would like to lead a revival of some of the more traditional music with the inspiring words. Christian churches should sing about God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And about sin, redemption, grace, mercy, faith, hope, and charity, etc..
We should not be singing about hugging one another. Such songs belong at the Anna Nicole Smith funeral circus.
My thoughts axactly.
Yeah, traditional music is muscular.
I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.
Refrain
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.
He speaks, and the sound of His voice,
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.
Refrain
I’d stay in the garden with Him
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.
Refrain
I know Pope Benedict XVI is concerned about liturgical music and would like to lead a revival of some of the more traditional music with the inspiring words. Christian churches should sing about God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And about sin, redemption, grace, mercy, faith, hope, and charity, etc..
We should not be singing about hugging one another. Such songs belong at the Anna Nicole Smith funeral circus.
9 posted on 03/03/2007 1:55:45 PM MST by Gumdrop
The Psalms should be enough; and they are already provided. YHvH has given us many songs of praise, it is His Holy Word:
b'shem Yah'shua
The article seems to be more about christian radio stations that have dropped Bible teaching programs for music. That seems to be Mr. Colson's chief beef here. One thing I've noticed is that with the contemporary music replacing traditional music there seems to be less time spent in a worship service praying. That's not always true but in many churches I've been to that seems to be the case.
Except for the first line of the last stanza this could have been an Elizabeth Barret Browning poem from "Sonnets From The Portuguese".
1. O Love, that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in Thee;
I give Thee back the life I owe,
That in Thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.
2. O Light, that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to Thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in Thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.
3. O Joy, that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to Thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain
That morn shall tearless be.
4. O Cross, that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from Thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.
That was written in 1912, probably the beginning of modern worship music era.
I hate Christian music that can allow one to replace their (human) spouse/lover in the place of God. Some songs on the radio remind me of my husband, whom I love dearly, not God. I don't have a problem with contemporary Christian music, but if it's contemporary, we shouldn't have any doubts who we're thinking about when we're humming along in the car!
I for one have never said to my wife, "You're all I need".
That would be idolatry.
God is all I need.
Draw me close to you....indicates humility - I can't come properly on my own.
Never let me go....I can't even stay right - except by your grace and mercy - Who can pluck you out of His hand?
I lay it all down again....Confession of the sin that separates me from Him
To hear you say that I'm your friend....Through the blood of the cross, my relationship with God is restored
I could go on with every line, but in my opinion, those who sing this song and can't get close to God should pray that maybe He will draw them closer to Him.
And maybe they could sing that prayer too.
Interesting that Colson can bash this prayer set to music by Micheal W., when he could not do the same to this extent over Harry Potter.
http://www.seekgod.ca/imagination1.htm
excerpt:
"If your kids do develop a taste for Harry Potter and his wizard friends, this interest might just open them up to an appreciation for other fantasy books with a distinctly Christian worldview," Colson continued. "When your kids finish reading Harry Potter, give them C.S. Lewis' 'Narnia' books and J.R.R. Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy. These books also feature wizards and
witches and magical potions -- but in addition, they inspire the imagination within a Christian framework -- and prepare the hearts of readers for the real-life story of Christ."
Ephesians 5:19
19Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
The command from the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul is to sing psalms AND hymns AND spiritual songs
My guess is that as the Psalms were prayers sung to God from the heart, and then sung to each other as a form of edification and corporate worship, then we too will have our own prayers from the heart to do the same.
I totally agree with you. That is why I call those types of songs "Jesus is my boyfriend" songs. I was out of town just last Sunday and visited a church. It was an inner city church in a large city and most of the 500 there were college - upper 20's. Although the sermon was very good and meaty, the music was awful.
There was one hymn - "Nothing but the blood of Jesus" but it was so jazzed up I could hardly recognize it, much less ever hear myself sing it. Some of the other songs actually weren't bad, but it was so loud you could not even hear yourself sing. The rock band consisted of drums, at least 3 guitars, keyboard, a trumpet, a sax, and a trombone or two. All with mikes, which distort the sound. It was in a hotel conference room, so there was not any need to mike any of the musicians. You couldn't even hear the vocalists it was so loud. sigh..
I'm obviously not again contemporary Christian music, since I just admitted to listening to it, but some of it is rather shallow in the lyrics department.
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