A journey away from contemporary worship

[MarkBelosa]

reminds me of my younger days when I would try to sing scriptures... I have one for 2Chron 7:14... i will try to record it later. :-)

[houston]

Originally Posted by Michael The Disciple

Yes!

http://www.scripturesongs.net/mp3/ss...gUntoJesus.mp3

Picture this. A living room full of people singing along with this. People raising their hands in praise some with tears streaming down their faces.

Now you know what the 70's and 80's Charismatic meetings were like.

That was cool. You learn scripture and a song.

[n david]

Originally Posted by Michael The Disciple

Speaking of Psalms. This group does Psalms only last I knew.

Sons Of Korah

"Sons of Korah?" Sorry, but why would a Christian group want to be named for a dude who rebelled against God and was swallowed up in an earthquake?

[n david]

I've thought about resigning from leading worship more than a few times because of these music wars. It gets tiring hearing complaints about the songs.

I love old hymns. I love that they're rich and each stanza is full of meaning. But before we have a contemporary song burning, consider the times in which those hymns were written, then compare the language used then to the language used today.

People gripe about the shallowness of contemporary songs, yet should understand it's just a reflection of the times in which we live. For decades, there has been a dumbing down of the English language. We may have achieved great scientific, medicinal, technological and other advances, but we have regressed in language.

Words are shallow these days. Slang has replaced true speech. Words are no long defined by Oxford or Mirriam Webster; instead they are defined by www.urbandictionary.com.

This is why modern worship songs seem more shallow when compared to hymns. Bluntly, most of today's society is too stupid to understand, write or even sing words like the old hymns.

But the good news is even though many of today's modern worship songs are shallow, compared to the old hymns; people are still blessed and touched when sung with anointing.

[MarkBelosa]

Originally Posted by n david

"Sons of Korah?" Sorry, but why would a Christian group want to be named for a dude who rebelled against God and was swallowed up in an earthquake?

http://www.gotquestions.org/sons-of-Korah.html

[n david]

Originally Posted by MarkBelosa

http://www.gotquestions.org/sons-of-Korah.html

I should have known this. I had to write about this in Bible school. #embarrassing

[MarkBelosa]

Does anyone have any thoughts about the frequent mention of singing a "new song" in the Bible? Why do you think did the psalmists say that?

I have a lot of respect for the old hymns but I don't think it is healthy to generalize that old is better or vice versa. There are many contemporary songs with scriptural and meaningful lyrics, not to mention, beautiful melodies. Just saying. :-)

[mfblume]

Originally Posted by MarkBelosa

Does anyone have any thoughts about the frequent mention of singing a "new song?" Why do you think did the psalmists say that?

I think he meant that something just learned about God that one never experienced before, like something He recently did.

I have a lot of respect for the old hymns but I don't think it is healthy to generalize that old is better or vice versa. There are many contemporary songs with scriptural and meaningful lyrics, not to mention, beautiful melodies. Just saying. :-)

VERY WISE WORDS!

[Esaias]

It IS healthy to generalize and say older is better when the truth is the newer music is shallow and sensuous and not spiritual. Being "blessed" nowadays is Christian slang for being happily entertained. Music has become almost just a tool for catharsis in many churches. Sure there are modern songs that are good. And like I said before there are many MANY old hymns that suck eggs. But music IN THE CHURCH is not for catharsis only but instruction, praise tp God as an offering, admonition and teaching, prayer and supplication, etc. We have to MAKE CERTAIN everyone understands it ain't a concert or music show put on for OUR entertainment.

Antiquarianism for its own sake is not the proper way, but neither is self-centered focusing on what entertains today's masses.

A major stumbling point is the fact that most if not all of the average church's meetings are designed as evangelistic meetings. Thus the music is designed to "win hearts and minds". We want visitors to like the music so they'll come back. We want members to like the music so they'll stay. In short, we think of music as offering an "experience" and we want it to be a good one. As a result we get redirected in our focus from where it ought to be. And thus the music wars.

If however we adjust our paradigm to put evangelism where it belongs - out there in the highways and byways - and we return to understand the CHURCH SERVICE is primarily the saints worshipping God, with HIM as the primary audience, the music wars would become more irrelevent.

As for today's dumbed down general population the church should TEACH through music. After all we are commanded to teach one another in song. Most good hymns are not so archaic people can't learn. Has anyone known someone who was member of a hymn singing church who said "I have never figured out what in the world we're singing"?

I mean is Amazing Grace really too hard to understand? And suppose most people became completely illiterate... should we go to strictly instrumental music with no words? Obviously not. So we have a challenge, to ELEVATE people, not dumb down the church.

[Esaias]

By the way, if you just cast your view across the religious landscape you will see a growing dussatisfaction with shallow, me centered worship experiences. I believe God is priming the population for a return to serious Christianity.