Does anyone else Hate Christian Contempory Pop Rock type of music ?

nicolelovesjesus

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I completely understand where you're coming from. Though I do really love certain contemporary Christian music. I always listen to KLOVE radio when I'm driving. But there is also something so simply beautiful about old Christian hymns that just flood you with the Holy Spirit, and I think it's less common to experience God's presence like that with a more contemporary song. I attend a Baptist church, and worship includes a mix of old hymns and more modern pop/rock music, which I really like. I think music style definitely depends on the person, but however you're able to worship the best, feel closest to God, is obviously the best style for you, no matter what it is.
 
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Ing Bee

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Hello Sister Hazel-
I am glad that you've found a church family that you feel a stronger connection to. This is a topic that in my experience can be simultaneously personally important and trivial in terms of its relation the Kingdom of God. There's a lot I could talk about, but instead I would like to respond to some of your points.

there is no reverence for God with this ''Pop/Rock'' type of modern contempory worship songs churches seem to be going for these days.
While I can sense the frustration in your tone, you seem to be generalizing from your personal experience. If we say there is "no reverence for God..." in modern ecclesial music , we make ourselves the judge of the human heart. Reverence is a personal response to the glory of God revealed in Christ. That realization can come through a hymn, silence, an encounter with creation, reading a passage of scripture, even through a modern song. It us not the form of the music but the realities they express.

One of my friends became a follower of Jesus explicitly because he walked into a church whose modern music and lyrics, sung by a room of grateful, joyful, and hopeful Christians, were obviously transcendent and beyond anything he had experienced. He is now a pastor who boldly proclaims the beauty and wonder of the Cross of Christ.

I prefer a ''proper'' church service with the Liturgy

I see the scare quotes on the word 'proper' so perhaps this comment is tongue-in-cheek. I have a varied pedigree when it comes to liturgy and music. Every church , even churches that don't have liturgies, have liturgies! You can't escape creating forms of worship in corporate settings. I am thankful to be with the body of Christ wherever I happen to find them and it's a delight to see the unique expressions of worship.

Do you think Contempory worship music with worship bands has any place in the church?
I am of the opinion that churches should be highly creative, including musically. That kind of music will necessarily reflect the unique blend of people who make up each local congregation.

I also think that Christian unity across time and cultures is a beautiful thing. Hymns that have been around for awhile (even if they were 'contemporary' once) help connect us together as the universal body of Christ. I had the opportunity once to sing with some German Christians at a church in Munich. Since I knew the melody I sang along in English and the experience was joyful, emphasizing the unity strangers can have through Christ.

It's not an either/or situation to me; we should have new songs and old songs, general songs and specific songs. Younger believers, in love, should be sensitive to older believers (volume, flashing lights, etc.). Older believers should encourage new expressions of thankfulness to God. Personal preferences and expectations are unimportant to loving one another.

On the other hand, new music must align with biblical truth. Pragmatically speaking, hymnody provides short, easily-grasped and sung melodies that are repeated. My conviction is that songs intended for corporate worship should be singable by the average person and that the words should elicit reflection for those who have not yet picked up the song.

That's not to say that worship songs can't have a greater complexity to them, but in those cases, there is a wise and loving way to introduce those songs over time. MY conviction is that new songs provide an excellent opportunity for biblical teaching and a renewed gospel focus.

Humans are changeable creatures who tend to pendulum swing from one extreme to the other. In the 60's and 70's people rejected what they perceived to be cold and dead forms of music and worship for more spontaneous and exuberant music that stressed the personal realities of the gospel. Now we are seeing the children and grandchildren of those people hungry for something secure in times of deep instability. It shouldn't be a surprise that older forms and structures are becoming more attractive.

I think we should stick to "Love Yahweh your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength" as the defining center of our worship- personal and corporate- seeking to understand, dialogue, learn, and bear with one another in the process growing in love.
 
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timothyu

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The old hymns were practically a sermon in themselves.
I just had a listen to a half hour of contemporary Christian songs online. These songs more match the style today of I'm saved, me me although some did speak to the heart of the lost in saying Jesus is salvation but not one pointed out that their misery was the result of man's world in the first place. All looking at cure, not cause unlike what Jesus taught. Seems to me without cause they'll never know what it really is they are saved from. But I guess that is Christianity of a contemporary church today afraid to step on toes, music parroting what they teach.

Once there were church choirs, today you just hire someone out on the circuit.
 
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I have moved from a local charismatic Baptist church to my local Parish church because I cannot stand churches that have worship bands playing this modern contempory ''Pop/Rock'' Christian worship songs.
I am officially a member of The Church Of England anyway,as I was brought up into it,was ''Christened'' as a baby and later when I came to faith I was ''Confirmed''.The Baptist church were also too over the top for me with their beliefs and they were putting pressure on me to be a member and also wanted me to have a proper Biblical baptism by Full Immersion.That would be wrong as ive been christened as a baby..also there is no reverence for God with this ''Pop/Rock'' type of modern contempory worship songs churches seem to be going for these days.Call me an old fashioned old fogey if you like,but i'm 67 now and I prefer a ''proper'' church service with the Liturgy.. I love the old hymns,the church choir and organ,but the Baptist church say that kind of worship is old fashioned,so ive left after sticking it two years and have gone back ''Home'' to my Traditional local Church Of England church and its so lovely to be back..i felt like I was in a ''Rock Concert'' at the Baptist church as it was all this modern worships songs with drums,guitars,keyboards,flute etc and flashing coloured lights over the stage which would change different colours during worship..i just got fed up of it and didn't feel like i'd been to church at all...so here I am back at my local Cofe church & its great to be back.
Does anyone else feel the same way? & prefers old Traditional hymns and a choir and organ and the Liturgy rather than been in a church which has Rock worship bands that play this modern contempory stuff.Would you rather attend a Church Of England church that has remained Traditional in its worship rather than gone all ''Happy Clappy''or do you like churches that use worship bands playing contempory modern worship songs..churches like Baptist,Pentecostal,Charismatic etc,or are you like me,prefering a liturgical Cofe church with a choir and the organ?
Do you think Contempory worship music with worship bands has any place in the church?
Even Christian radio such as UCB 2 & 1 and Premier play this noisy Christian contempory music so I don't listen to Christian radio..i stick with Angel Vintage or Classic FM,both on dab or online.Surely not EVERYONE likes this so called modern contempory Christian worship music...maybe they use it to attract the young people.
I don't necessarily have a problem with contemporary worship. After all, even traditional hymns were contemporary at one time. The issue that I have is that most of the contemporary music lacks any theological substance. Some are down right heretical. Some of these newer songs sound more like something a Disney princess would sing about their long awaited prince. I had a pastor once describe these songs as "spiritual masturbation" because the songs value our feeling good about ourselves as opposed to bringing worship and praise to God.
 
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My grandparents went to a Church of Christ for decades, and I would stay with them over 2 months every summer growing up, and we'd attend 3 services a week. I guess I attended well over 300 services.

They had no instruments (unless you count the song leader occasionally pulling out a tone device to sound the right key before starting the song).

I wonder if this is why the Church of Christ banned instruments. I always kinda knew it wasn't necessary to ban instruments, but I can understand the fear of any possible avenue of the wrong, and there can be no doubt that sometimes wrong enters churches, and in so many different ways, and musical form could also be a way at times if the words become too far from scripture (no matter the musical form), in addition to the others.

Having very close remembering of the lyrics of our hymns there, such as How Great Thou Art, Amazing Grace, and so many all would recognize as the main mainstream Hymns of most churches, I can testify to you that our contemporary band plays a variety of music forms in our contemporary service (different church, different time, this one Lutheran), but the words are not shallow. And usually, they are direct phrases from scripture one can recognize if they have read fully through the Bible (though one caught me by surprise, as it was from a psalm I had not read in a very long time). So, I hope that's encouraging on that point.

But in contrast there are indeed some songs where it's not clear at all the words are from scripture, or lined up with scripture, but it's not always easy to tell, because of paraphrasing. King and Country has a great song called "The Proof of Your Love", and unless a person knows 1 Cor 13 well, they might wonder if it's just made up stuff, but also if a person knows 1 Cor 13 well, they will realize it's paraphrase also. It's a good example of contemporary music that is pretty deep, but if you listened also to King and Country on another song like "It's not Over Yet", would it seem deep?

In case someone wants to hear it (or one can just search up the lyrics alone):
lyrics:
If I sing but don't have love
I waste my breath with every song
I bring an empty voice, a hollow noise
If I speak with a silver tongue
Convince a crowd but don't have love
I leave a bitter taste with every word I say
So let my life be the proof,
The proof of your love
Let my love look like You and what You're made of
How You lived, how You died
Love is sacrifice
So let my life be the proof,
The proof of Your love
If I give
To a needy soul but don't have love then who is poor?
It seems all the poverty is found in me
So let my life be the proof,
The proof of Your love
Let my love look like You and what You're made of
How You lived, how You died
Love is sacrifice
Oh, let my life be the proof,
The proof of Your love
When it's all said and done
When we sing our final song
Only love remains
Only love remains
Let my life be the proof,
The proof of Your love
Let my love look like You and what You're made of
How You lived, how You died
Love is sacrifice
So let my life be the proof,
The proof of Your love"
Lyrics, Proof of Your Love, King and Country

Compare with
1 Corinthians 13 NIV


In contrast:
This song is like a lot of contemporary music on the radio: encouraging, but not complex, and only partly recognizable as a paraphrase (of Paul saying run till the race is done).
The Lyrics might sound good and expressive of a desire toward God, but it is not worship. It is a prayer arising out of a concern for the writer's own spiritual state with God. The song is about "me" not God. This emphasizes my point about the subtle change of what is expressed in worship-song lyrics. It somehow tends toward New Age mentality that says "I want to be a better person", "I want to improve myself". In New Age liberal Christianity it is "I want to be a more spiritual, more holy person in myself". "I want to improve my relationship and my spiritual state with you."

These sentiments are not New Testament Christianity. New Testament Christianity says that we are already accepted into the beloved. We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places. We have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, and have unbroken fellowship with the Father and with Jesus Christ. All this says that we don't have to worry about our standing with God, because we are already there, and we are as close to God as we are going to get.

But the New Age spirits will say, "You need to be closer to God", you need to improve yourself before God will fully accept you." This causes a person who is unaware of what the New Testament says about himself in relation to God, to believe that he has to try and be a better person in order to move closer to God. But this is not faith; rather it is quest to feel closer to God, therefore the faith is not in God's Word but in a certain sensory emotion or feeling.

This is what a lot of contemporary "worship" music intends to promote: "I want to feel closer to You, God". George Harrison put it in a nutshell: "I want to see you Lord; I want to feel you Lord, My sweet Lord". But he is not talking about Jesus, but the Eastern Mystical counterfeit god who is real Lord.
 
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You must have missed the 60's
I became a Christian in 1966, before "christian music" changed into New Age type emotion seeking music.
 
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I would say both sides presented above miss out on what we are to do for fellow man.
There have been some great hymns and music written by genuinely converted believers. Also many great contemporary songs and music has been written glorifying Christ, directing worship to God and the great Person He is and the wonderful things He has done for us, and invitation to believe the gospel and receive Christ as Saviour.
 
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Earth18

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I love Rap and R&B Christian music. I used to listen to secular music many years ago before I was saved and enjoy listening to music about Christ with a style of music I like. I don't think there's a right or wrong when it comes to preference. It is great for those who are beginning to learn about God to have something to listen to with a positive Christian message. Just depends on the person I guess. I can't stand hymns. Not my thing. But I am not in the UK if that matters so maybe a cultural thing too. I tend to not like "pop" type music though that sounds like Britney Spears. That's not my thing either.
 
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timothyu

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There have been some great hymns and music written by genuinely converted believers. Also many great contemporary songs and music has been written glorifying Christ, directing worship to God and the great Person He is and the wonderful things He has done for us, and invitation to believe the gospel and receive Christ as Saviour.
Yes but again, there was no mention about what Jesus said we are to do for fellow man.
 
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Halbhh

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The Lyrics might sound good and expressive of a desire toward God, but it is not worship. It is a prayer arising out of a concern for the writer's own spiritual state with God. The song is about "me" not God. This emphasizes my point about the subtle change of what is expressed in worship-song lyrics. It somehow tends toward New Age mentality that says "I want to be a better person", "I want to improve myself". In New Age liberal Christianity it is "I want to be a more spiritual, more holy person in myself". "I want to improve my relationship and my spiritual state with you."

These sentiments are not New Testament Christianity. New Testament Christianity says that we are already accepted into the beloved. We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places. We have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, and have unbroken fellowship with the Father and with Jesus Christ. All this says that we don't have to worry about our standing with God, because we are already there, and we are as close to God as we are going to get.

But the New Age spirits will say, "You need to be closer to God", you need to improve yourself before God will fully accept you." This causes a person who is unaware of what the New Testament says about himself in relation to God, to believe that he has to try and be a better person in order to move closer to God. But this is not faith; rather it is quest to feel closer to God, therefore the faith is not in God's Word but in a certain sensory emotion or feeling.

This is what a lot of contemporary "worship" music intends to promote: "I want to feel closer to You, God". George Harrison put it in a nutshell: "I want to see you Lord; I want to feel you Lord, My sweet Lord". But he is not talking about Jesus, but the Eastern Mystical counterfeit god who is real Lord.
Have you read Philippians through? When you write:"All this says that we don't have to worry about our standing with God, because we are already there, and we are as close to God as we are going to get." I thought wait a second, that's the opposite wording of what Paul wrote in Philippians. But I take it for granted people don't always write clearly nor understand what others are aiming to say. ( We can indeed have assurance though if we follow as Christ said in Mathew 7:24-27. ) For me, it is all about scripture, read through fully. Contemporary Christian music has some gems that are very scriptural and that's why I like them. I am constantly changing stations if I listen to the radio though, because most of the songs aren't already sifted like those in a hymnal.
 
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Neogaia777

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I have moved from a local charismatic Baptist church to my local Parish church because I cannot stand churches that have worship bands playing this modern contempory ''Pop/Rock'' Christian worship songs.
I am officially a member of The Church Of England anyway,as I was brought up into it,was ''Christened'' as a baby and later when I came to faith I was ''Confirmed''.The Baptist church were also too over the top for me with their beliefs and they were putting pressure on me to be a member and also wanted me to have a proper Biblical baptism by Full Immersion.That would be wrong as ive been christened as a baby..also there is no reverence for God with this ''Pop/Rock'' type of modern contempory worship songs churches seem to be going for these days.Call me an old fashioned old fogey if you like,but i'm 67 now and I prefer a ''proper'' church service with the Liturgy.. I love the old hymns,the church choir and organ,but the Baptist church say that kind of worship is old fashioned,so ive left after sticking it two years and have gone back ''Home'' to my Traditional local Church Of England church and its so lovely to be back..i felt like I was in a ''Rock Concert'' at the Baptist church as it was all this modern worships songs with drums,guitars,keyboards,flute etc and flashing coloured lights over the stage which would change different colours during worship..i just got fed up of it and didn't feel like i'd been to church at all...so here I am back at my local Cofe church & its great to be back.
Does anyone else feel the same way? & prefers old Traditional hymns and a choir and organ and the Liturgy rather than been in a church which has Rock worship bands that play this modern contempory stuff.Would you rather attend a Church Of England church that has remained Traditional in its worship rather than gone all ''Happy Clappy''or do you like churches that use worship bands playing contempory modern worship songs..churches like Baptist,Pentecostal,Charismatic etc,or are you like me,prefering a liturgical Cofe church with a choir and the organ?
Do you think Contempory worship music with worship bands has any place in the church?
Even Christian radio such as UCB 2 & 1 and Premier play this noisy Christian contempory music so I don't listen to Christian radio..i stick with Angel Vintage or Classic FM,both on dab or online.Surely not EVERYONE likes this so called modern contempory Christian worship music...maybe they use it to attract the young people.
To each his or her own...

God Bless!
 
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Neogaia777

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Have you read Philippians through? When you write:"All this says that we don't have to worry about our standing with God, because we are already there, and we are as close to God as we are going to get." I thought wait a second, that's the opposite wording of what Paul wrote in Philippians. But I take it for granted people don't always write clearly nor understand what others are aiming to say. ( We can indeed have assurance though if we follow as Christ said in Mathew 7:24-27. ) For me, it is all about scripture, read through fully. Contemporary Christian music has some gems that are very scriptural and that's why I like them. I am constantly changing stations if I listen to the radio though, because most of the songs aren't already sifted like those in a hymnal.
By "sifted" do you mean "censored"...?
 
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mama2one

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child and I listen to our local Christian radio station when I drive her to and from school
we both have our favorites and each sing along to them

we attend more than one church
occasionally, they'll play a song we know from the radio but mostly don't know the church songs played as they're always different
 
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DamianWarS

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I have moved from a local charismatic Baptist church to my local Parish church because I cannot stand churches that have worship bands playing this modern contempory ''Pop/Rock'' Christian worship songs.
I am officially a member of The Church Of England anyway,as I was brought up into it,was ''Christened'' as a baby and later when I came to faith I was ''Confirmed''.The Baptist church were also too over the top for me with their beliefs and they were putting pressure on me to be a member and also wanted me to have a proper Biblical baptism by Full Immersion.That would be wrong as ive been christened as a baby..also there is no reverence for God with this ''Pop/Rock'' type of modern contempory worship songs churches seem to be going for these days.Call me an old fashioned old fogey if you like,but i'm 67 now and I prefer a ''proper'' church service with the Liturgy.. I love the old hymns,the church choir and organ,but the Baptist church say that kind of worship is old fashioned,so ive left after sticking it two years and have gone back ''Home'' to my Traditional local Church Of England church and its so lovely to be back..i felt like I was in a ''Rock Concert'' at the Baptist church as it was all this modern worships songs with drums,guitars,keyboards,flute etc and flashing coloured lights over the stage which would change different colours during worship..i just got fed up of it and didn't feel like i'd been to church at all...so here I am back at my local Cofe church & its great to be back.
Does anyone else feel the same way? & prefers old Traditional hymns and a choir and organ and the Liturgy rather than been in a church which has Rock worship bands that play this modern contempory stuff.Would you rather attend a Church Of England church that has remained Traditional in its worship rather than gone all ''Happy Clappy''or do you like churches that use worship bands playing contempory modern worship songs..churches like Baptist,Pentecostal,Charismatic etc,or are you like me,prefering a liturgical Cofe church with a choir and the organ?
Do you think Contempory worship music with worship bands has any place in the church?
Even Christian radio such as UCB 2 & 1 and Premier play this noisy Christian contempory music so I don't listen to Christian radio..i stick with Angel Vintage or Classic FM,both on dab or online.Surely not EVERYONE likes this so called modern contempory Christian worship music...maybe they use it to attract the young people.
Worship is a personal thing and what is important is the heart of the worshiper but the form of worship is more fluid. Christianity doesn't really have a set form of worship with the exception of observing the Lord's supper. You may worship kneeling in quiet but you may also worship to an upbeat song that makes you clap your hands or move a little. In both examples, if your heart is not worshipful than worship does not happen. Jesus highlights an analogous example with the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. In the example, the Pharisee shows more orthodox worship and the tax collector is more contrite but controversial. Jesus tells us however it is the Tax Collector that was justified in the end but this has less to do with what is proper and what is improper, it is about the posture of the heart.

We worship for the expressed purpose of giving glory to God by adoration and reverence reserved uniquely for God. So because of this, some feel worship must not look like anything else. Worship can exist in this space and although it can be healthy it's not limited to this space. Because cultural gaps exist pretty much everyone 10 years now if you're 60 you may not find you worship the same as someone who is 25, or 35 or 45 or someone who is 85. If God is being glorified then how can we disagree? a millennial probably doesn't like hymns or anything from a songbook. Who's problem is this? the millennial's or the people looking down upon the millennial? They like what they like and why take this away from them so long as it's in that space that glorifies God.
 
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The old hymns were designed so they could be sung in large groups using a melody and phrasing that is simple to follow. Too many modern songs are designed to be sung by soloists, full of syncopation and repetition which can often sound very awkward and clumsy when sung as a congregation - unless they know the song very well.

I recently looked at a poll of some of the most popular hymns and worship songs here in the UK. Some of the most popular modern worship songs were written by writers such as Kristyn Getty and Stuart Townend. "How Deep the Father's Love for Us", "See What a Morning" and "In Christ Alone" follow a classic hymnody which makes it very easy to be understood and sung by congregations.
 
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lso there is no reverence for God with this ''Pop/Rock'' type of modern contempory worship songs churches seem to be going for these days.

This started in the 1980s and possibly before that. When I was younger I thought that sort of thing was cool and didn't care for liturgy, but that greatly changed. Anyway "the Church Growth" movement has really pushed this sort of thing. I remember reading "the Purpose Driven Church" of Rick Warren, that was when he just started to get famous, and that was his first "Purpose Driven" book. Anyway in that book like other similar writings he advocates a Utilitarian view of Church and the Gospel. I nickname this Ecclesiology, "Independent Contractors for Christ". Warren and many other Protestants really believe there is nothing inherently sacred about the Church and its ways (including worship). Sure the church should "follow the Bible", "preach the Bible", treat other people like Jesus etc. but the Church largely is just God's nonprofit organization that preaches or markets the Gospel for the Whole World to hear, and in doing that you have a great deal of leeway, meaning that and almost any style of worship services is OK, ;because, in his mind the Bible doesn't really make any specifications for that for the NT Church.


In his book Warren recommended that church's attempt to reach a niche audience much how radio stations and TV does. So he and his worship team had their church geared for Baby Boomers and the younger generation X. They featured Rock Style music for the main services, and I think other genres for the other times.


Later on, a year and half later after reading "The Purpose Driven Church" I was led into Orthodoxy (summer of 1997). When I read "Becoming Orthodox" by Peter Quilquist I realized the folly of that type of thinking. Being a Christian isn't just about "What you do" as in preaching the Gospel, but about other things like "Who you are", and "How you do it", and "Why you do it".

In reading that book I was made aware of the origins of the Mass and Divine Liturgy, that they came directly from the liturgy of the synagogue and temple. The basic premise that the Bible does not specify worship is false. The only worship that God ordained on this earth was that of the tabernacle and temple. Even though the earthly temple may have been destroyed that worship still goes on, because the worship of heaven as it is depicted in the heavenly visions of the OT prophets and the book of Revelation very much as a temple liturgy. It's interesting that many non-liturgical non-sacramentalists talk about worshiping "in spirit and truth" (and mean something different than this) but this actually is worshiping God on Earth as He is worshiped in Heaven.

Anyway I did reach the same conclusions you did years ago, take care!
 
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