A rant about worship songs

Where does the Bible say to put gas in your car? There are many things in the OT that are repeated.

 

You make some good points early on.

Sorry you have to encounter that.

I'm in a church that has both a contemporary and more traditional service.

I can honestly say, we've avoided the "worship wars" so many others seem to have had. Furthermore, we don't abandon great hymns of the faith--even in a contemporary setting. Nor do we forget to "sing to the Lord a new song" with our more traditional crowd.

Through it all, God has ben honored...and both worship services are growing. People are coming to Christ. Good times.

 

Ah, yes, Hymn #206 in the 1991 Baptist Hymnal: "Blessed be the name of the Lord."

That would be 4-32 song. Four words repeated 32 times. (really)

But--being as I've read the Psalms and noted their repetitive nature...I think I'll just leave this one alone for a while...

But how bout some consistency, hm?

 

I find that a number of college students who are alive for Jesus are singing a mixture of hymns and praise songs on the campuses of America. All anyone needs to do is to visit some meetings of the on campus groups. My personal opinion is that a number of young people (especially those who have been in a nominal church most of their life until coming to college) are tired of worshipless "worship" and want to experience and know genuine Christianity.

 

What in life is consistent other than God?

People age.
People die.
People are born.
People gain weight if they eat the same as when they were younger.
People are changing everyday. Some are losing their memory.
Some are gaining in knowledge.
Some are foolish.
Some are wise.

 

You're right.

My point was that if repetitiveness is a problem, then use the same measuring stick on any and all sacred music--whether choruses, worship songs, hymns, new, old, etc.

The "it's repetitive!" criticism seems to never be applied to hymnody. Let's not do the double standard.

That was my point.

(repetitiveness isn't a big deal to me...so I'm fine with it; in humns and choruses)

 

I agree. We need to remember the preaching some of the old folks heard when they were younger and what they were told. If they were dead pew sitters then they are most likely the complainers today. I cannot remember one time ever hearing old people who were winning people to Jesus and making disciples be the complainers about the music in church. Recently I read a book and the author basically stated that the instruments used in church today are the same instruments they played when they were younger.

Gee I wonder where that sacred piano was played when they were younger. I remember when I was a kid that I knew a man who played an organ and piano in a bar.

In 1974 I worked with a man in his middle 20s who played the organ for the church he attended. (About 1000 attended the church). At one of the services he decided to have a little fun and play "The Three Blind Mice" real slow and see what would happen. He told me that after the service one elderly lady came up to him and laughed. She thought it was funny. Essentially only one person even paid attention.

 

GB, you might not have intended to, but your statement could be construed to mean only hymns provide one participation in "genuine christianity." My worship leader does a great job with the hymns. What he does is rewrites the music to a certain degree to sound like today's music, but keeps the words for the most part. Thus, our congregation sings modern songs and hymns right along side each other and no one is worse the wear.

 

That is not what I mean by a repetitive song. I love that song.

 

Can you give an example of a repetitive song just so I can know where you're coming from?

 

That was my point. However I am convinced that the majority in the congregation think that worship is accompanied by music. One cannot worship without serving God. When I was in a class in seminary the professor had us tell about the most worshipful time we can remember. Only 2 out of about 60 students named what we would typically call worship in a church service.

So my question is, "Does the worship leader really lead in worship?"

 

Ok, let's not not pick over the definition of the word "Worship." The Worship pastor leads our congregation in worshiping God through our musical praise of him. Yes, we have a full time missions pastor that leads us in worshipping God through serving in that capacity. Our children ministry and youth ministry are all "parent-driven," meaning parents, working along-side the youth pastor and children's pastor, worship God through serving in these ministries. So, the worship pastor does what is commonly accepted and referred to as "worship," or "praise". But that doesn't mean all forms of "worship" are not encouraged and enhanced in our church.

 

Do they lead if people do not serve and worship God but just mouth words in an effort to reach an ecstatic state and call that worship? What would happen if instead of having music you had prayer instead?

 

To have a properly theology of worship one must understand what genuine worship is.

 

Agreed...and I agree there are a lot of shallow church groups out there that don't completely engage in what well-rounded worship is. But our church does that. The impression I get from you is you are making a blanket statement that any church that has a worship pastor doesn't know what true worship is. That's assumptive and wrong.

 

Regarding your previous post and question of prayer instead, I believe our particular church family would embrace it. This something we have done. Not on a Sunday morning, but during a Sunday evening "family gathering" as we call them. Our church doesn't have church on Sunday nights, but does once a month have our family gatherings where we discuss issues of import to the church and pray over matters. I believe this is scriptural and worship.

Regarding the Sunday mornings services, there will always be people who, because they are not saved or are at a place in their lives where they are far from God, they genuinely are just mouthing the words. I have been there myself. But, there is no test to give people to determine if they're just mouthing the words or genuinely attempting to tell God how they feel through song. Because of this, frankly, it's pointless to worry about what other people are doing in worship. Our only concern should be ourselves in that regard.

 

My point is that you cannot lead people who will not be led or will not follow. That is something I learned when trying to pastor some people who did not want to follow, but chose to accommodate the Mormon bishop. I was shocked, :BangHead: and even more shocked :BangHead::BangHead: when the denomination at the state and local level had known about it for over 20 years.

 

It sounds as if your issue (and I'm not familiar with it) is a bit different than what we're discussing on this thread.

 

gb brings up the Mormon bishop up quite often and likes to ask a lot of off the wall questions in an attempt to get you to think. Most of the time all I can do is say "huh?" Anyway, I agree with the point "I think" he is trying to make. Many make music the focus of worship and if it doesn't create a certain feeling or they don't have some type of preconceived experience then to them it is not worship and they blame the music. They don't understand that if one has not worshiped (served God, sought God, obeyed God) through out the week then there will be no true worship on Sunday even if Michael W. Smith leads the music. It's not a music problem as much as it is a problem with the heart.