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

[usexpat97]

If an atheist, Muslim, Buddhist, Jew, Mormon, and Jehovah's Witness can listen to the song and not feel offended, it isn't a Christian song.

By that standard, half the songs on South Park are Christian. They also offend Canadians for good measure. It's ok--those French-loving Trudoans probably deserved it eh?

 

[All4Christ]

A good guideline for music in corporate worship:

• If an atheist, Muslim, Buddhist, Jew, Mormon, and Jehovah's Witness can listen to the song and not feel offended, it isn't a Christian song.
• If it fits the criteria that determines it to be a Christian song, but the song is focused more on ourselves and our feelings, it is not to be used for corporate worship.

Well...I don’t consider the first to be an definitive measure of whether a song is or is not Christian, especially considering that Jews, Mormons, Muslims and Jehovah Witnesses all believe the Psalms are Scripture. That would mean that all hymns based on the Psalms aren’t acceptable for Christian worship (since Jews, Mormons, Muslims and Jehovah Witnesses don’t have issues with it). Most Atheists I know also wouldn’t be offended - they just wouldn’t agree with religious aspects.

 

[(° ͡ ͜ ͡ʖ ͡ °) (ᵔᴥᵔʋ)]

Well...I don’t consider the first to be an accurate measure of whether a song is or is not Christian, especially considering that Jews, Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses all believe the Psalms are Scripture. That would mean that all hymns based on the Psalms aren’t acceptable for Christian worship (since Jews, Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses don’t have issues with it).

I understand what you are saying. However, such a song would not be uniquely "Christian".

 

[All4Christ]

I understand what you are saying. However, such a song would not be uniquely "Christian".

Psalms certainly are candidates for corporate worship in the Christian Church - and they certainly are Christian, albeit others also hold to the Psalms.

My point is that we can’t use that primary standard to determine what is or is not acceptable in corporate worship, for reasons as shown above. You are right, however, that the Psalms are not unique to Christians.

 

[thecolorsblend]

A good guideline for music in corporate worship:

• If an atheist, Muslim, Buddhist, Jew, Mormon, and Jehovah's Witness can listen to the song and not feel offended, it isn't a Christian song.
• If it fits the criteria that determines it to be a Christian song, but the song is focused more on ourselves and our feelings, it is not to be used for corporate worship.

Where does Amazing Grace fit in with those two bullet points?

 

[All4Christ]

An example of Psalms in corporate worship:

 

[All4Christ]

I’ve memorized more scripture long-term through song than I have other ways. It’s a great way to learn Scripture.

 

[Sandra Lee]

I taught Sunday School in the Baptist Church for over 37 years and was raised in the Baptist Church all of my growing up years except for 5 or 6 years as a Methodist when I moved to another state and my Father said he would go with us as a family if we went to the Methodist Church. I have been around several types of praise music and I was thrilled when the radio stations began playing music of Casting Crowns, Michael Smith, Amy Grant, King and Country...and so on. The youth of our church are so in tune to praising God, playing drums, guitars, keyboards etc. that they make me proud. They have learned to conduct church services, helping others, writing music with true heart felt words and praise and many other things that are Biblical. One of our young men who is a Senior is getting a scholarship to college because of his drumming capabilities, another young man, also a Senior this year is getting a scholarship because of his piano, keyboarding, and singing capabilities. These two would not have been able to afford college if not for their talents they are using for God. We all have different likes and dislikes because of the way we were raised and true, there are some of the new supposedly praise songs that come into question, but most of the new music are truly praise and Biblical verses put to music. Some need to look into the singer's life and learn the reason behind the song (for instance the song "I Can Only Imagine" or Steven Curtis Chapman's song "Cinderella", or his song "The Glorious Unfolding"), and there are so many more. Please know that some bands, at a concert, such a Casting Crowns, go out before a performance and pray over each seat for the person that will be sitting in it. I would rather the youth listen to the words being sung by artists such as these than ninety percent of the pop songs' trashy words that youth are being bombarded by today that are so non-Christian. Many youth are being brought to Christ because of these non traditional songs. I do love all of the old Hymns also but any song can be ruined even the ones that have good wording. "Amazing Grace" and "How Great Thou Art" have been redone this year by some of these new Christian Artist and are very good and the "Eye of The Storm" absolutely makes me cry and praise God all over the place each time I hear and sing it. God loves the true praises of His people and He knows our hearts.

 

[RDKirk]

I enjoy rock and roll as well, and it is the music that gets my foot tapping. When I was teaching elementary school, I used to do Elvis impersonations and had a lot of fun. 10 years later I met a pupil (now 20 years old) who didn't remember anything I taught him, but he remembered the Elvis impersonations and how much he enjoyed them! (What does that say about my teaching??)

When I teach the guitar, I use 50s rock and roll songs to extend their skills.

I went to a Seekers concert in Auckland a couple of years ago and enjoyed every minute of it, but it was for entertainment.

My daughter likes Queens of the Stone Age. I tell her that it is all head-banging stuff to me designed to give one a migraine! I have a local FM stations that plays 50s-80s music which I enjoy as I drive along, but when my daughter comes home for a weekend, she changes the radio to the head banging stuff. But that's what she enjoys.

But there is a vast difference to listening to a range of music for leisure and relaxation, and the type of music we use for worshiping God. We go to church to worship God and hear the word preached, not to be entertained. But there are many churches where the congregation sits passive and views the "performance" from the front, and so there is an entertainment aspect to churches like that. But in churches where 1 Corinthians 14:26 is the rule of practice, the entertainment factor diminishes as every member shares what God has given him or her for the building up of the church.

All music that a Christian with the gift of exhortation devoted to music might write is not necessarily going to be for congregational worship. That might be a problem people are having here.

Not all of the Psalms are for congregational worship. Many of them (maybe most--I'd have to count them) are intensely personal one-on-one interactions between an individual and God. Yet, for us today they resonate with our spirits when we are in the same emotional position, and say to the Lord what we would like to say to the Lord. Psalm 56 is one like that.

And people write songs like that. Or it may be a song that does what Psalm 139 does, speaking of personal courage and confidence given by the Lord.

But such songs are also valid for Christians to write and sing and listen to, even if they are not appropriate for congregational worship.

 

[RDKirk]

"Eye of The Storm" absolutely makes me cry and praise God all over the place each time I hear and sing it. God loves the true praises of His people and He knows our hearts.

Eye of the Storm is a modern Psalm.

 

[Sandra Lee]

I think I like "the Eye of the Storm" so much because it reminds me of "The Anchor Holds". Some of the lyrics: I have been young but I'm older now....And there has been beauty these eyes have seen...But it was in the night, through the storms of my life...Oh, that's where God proved His love for me...! Of course all of the song's lyrics speak to me as does the lyrics of the other one. Both songs seem to go together and both touch the heart. Our congregation sing both and all ages are touched yet they were and are of different time periods as are the scriptures. They are for all ages and all types of people.

 

[nonaeroterraqueous]

everyone on stage is singing even if only one or two are mic'd for part of the song.

I play lead guitar, and I've got to admit that people have questioned why I don't sing while I play. They used to give me a mic in the hope that I'd learn to use it, but I never did. When I was in the congregation, before my musician days, I did not sing much, either. I just don't like the sound of my own voice, but I love to sing through my guitar. Aside from that, I hear my own voice a little too loudly in one ear, and it almost hurts to sing. But give me an electric guitar, and I'm expressing myself with freedom. I never loved worship services before I started playing.

If it weren't for the contemporary worship service, I'd have no opportunity. I don't play an organ. I could never get the hang of a piano. I'd rather scrape myself with a putty knife than sing.

Seeing people complain is rather grating to me. I've never really been a big fan of whiners. It's not my mission in life to entertain. I'm not up there to play to the congregation. I'm just playing to God, and though I'd like to have them join me in worship, and although I am doing it for their benefit, I'm mostly unconscious of the crowd facing me. These people will say that hymns are better, or chants, or silence (which, arguably, is the best thing they could be doing in this situation), and that's fine. They can go find a church that does that stuff, but when they criticize me for doing my worship my way, lacing their talk with all kinds of condescension, I know, now, what David must have felt when his own wife criticized the way he worshiped God. I see so much of this kind of talk everywhere I go, and it's symptomatic of a people who completely miss the point.

Just today, I heard a voice from the front-right corner of the congregation, belting out the song very loudly and off-tune. It was musically misshapen, and it was such a wonderful sound. It was the joyful noise of Psalm 98:4. ...make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Let any who would criticize the honest worship of God be silent.

 

[HatGuy]

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.

My take: hymns and liturgy have their place, the modern worship music has its place. Cool lighting etc. has its place.

Personally I don't like Christian contemporary music because most of it is artistically boring and shallow.

I also do think that trying to create a rock concert at a church is not wrong per se, it's just not very effective. Young people may be attracted to it, but it doesn't last long. Rather let a rock concert be a rock concert, and let the music at church be simpler.

I'm not a big fan of the organ and old-fashioned hymns. Honestly, I think music is a wonderful thing, but I do think our churches place so much emphasis on something that has decidedly less emphasis in the New Testament.

And this is coming from a lead guitar player and "worship leader" and guy who was in several rock bands for many years and loves music.

 

[HatGuy]

If you study the types of rhythm that exists in African paganism and Voodoo ceremonies, you will see that these are the same basic rhythms found in much of rock music. Rock music, whether secular or Christian caters for the soul more than it does to the spirit.

David Wilkerson handles the subject in his article "Driven to Darkness"
"Driven To Darkness" by David Wilkerson, founding pastor of Times Square Church, New York City - August 3, 1987

You'll need to tell Wilkerson that this strikes Amazing Grace off the list. I'm not sure if he's still alive, though.

Amazing Grace is a definitive blues-based song. It is based on the pentatonic scale, which is what all Blues is based on and where Rock comes from. Blues came from those darn African pagans and their evil rhythms.

Such a pity Amazing Grace is evil. I really liked that song.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

You'll need to tell Wilkerson that this strikes Amazing Grace off the list. I'm not sure if he's still alive, though.

Amazing Grace is a definitive blues-based song. It is based on the pentatonic scale, which is what all Blues is based on and where Rock comes from. Blues came from those darn African pagans and their evil rhythms.

Such a pity Amazing Grace is evil. I really liked that song.

This is one of those hymns that the lyrics overrule the style of music and gives force to Charles Wesley's question, "Why should the devil have all the best tunes?"

I really don't think that you believe that Amazing Grace is actually evil. It may be one of those comments that support the saying, "sarcasm is the lowest form of wit!"

 

[WolfGate]

I play lead guitar, and I've got to admit that people have questioned why I don't sing while I play. They used to give me a mic in the hope that I'd learn to use it, but I never did. When I was in the congregation, before my musician days, I did not sing much, either. I just don't like the sound of my own voice, but I love to sing through my guitar. Aside from that, I hear my own voice a little too loudly in one ear, and it almost hurts to sing. But give me an electric guitar, and I'm expressing myself with freedom. I never loved worship services before I started playing.

If it weren't for the contemporary worship service, I'd have no opportunity. I don't play an organ. I could never get the hang of a piano. I'd rather scrape myself with a putty knife than sing.

Seeing people complain is rather grating to me. I've never really been a big fan of whiners. It's not my mission in life to entertain. I'm not up there to play to the congregation. I'm just playing to God, and though I'd like to have them join me in worship, and although I am doing it for their benefit, I'm mostly unconscious of the crowd facing me. These people will say that hymns are better, or chants, or silence (which, arguably, is the best thing they could be doing in this situation), and that's fine. They can go find a church that does that stuff, but when they criticize me for doing my worship my way, lacing their talk with all kinds of condescension, I know, now, what David must have felt when his own wife criticized the way he worshiped God. I see so much of this kind of talk everywhere I go, and it's symptomatic of a people who completely miss the point.

Just today, I heard a voice from the front-right corner of the congregation, belting out the song very loudly and off-tune. It was musically misshapen, and it was such a wonderful sound. It was the joyful noise of Psalm 98:4. ...make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Let any who would criticize the honest worship of God be silent.

All that makes sense. My only additional thought is we take the view that everyone on stage is there to help lead the congregation into freely participating in worship of our God and Savior. Visual cues do matter - if everyone on stage is moving their lips (even though they are not heard) that is a key part in helping the congregation join in with singing. So, were you on our worship team, I would ask you to consider perhaps not actually singing, but instead saying the words silently where you could for that purpose. I would not insist however. That is what our backup singers with mics do when the song is at a part where only one or two are supposed to be singing. They lip sync or sing very softly during that time a few steps from the mic.

Agree that the congregant made a joyful noise! I had an uncle who was Pastor of a small church in a beach resort area. During the summer they would be packed with vacationers, most of who were a little reserved because they were visiting and unsure of church norms. He would often tell them, very tongue in cheek and with a smile, before the first song (they did all traditional hymns) "if God gave you a beautiful voice sing loud to praise Him. And if He gave you a bad voice, sing loud to pay Him back!"

 

[HatGuy]

This is one of those hymns that the lyrics overrule the style of music and gives force to Charles Wesley's question, "Why should the devil have all the best tunes?"

I really don't think that you believe that Amazing Grace is actually evil. It may be one of those comments that support the saying, "sarcasm is the lowest form of wit!"

There's also another old saying, "Having your cake and eating it too."

If Amazing Grace gets a free pass because of lyrics, then why can't other songs with good lyrics in a rock / blues style also get a free pass?

 

[WannaWitness]

I consider the following link one of my favorite commentaries as it covers a lot when it comes to the issue of music, whether in worship or for casual listening. It is from the perspective of a music minister, and presented in what I feel to be a fairly balanced (not to be confused with "wishy-washy") viewpoint. I did not post this to attempt to change anyone's mind on how they honestly feel convicted. If anything, this is good reading, no matter where one sits on the spectrum of this topic. I know I have posted this link before in other threads, but I don't see as it hurts to post it again, if anything, for the sake of different people who come to the forum at different times, and therefore, may not have yet seen it.

Okay, here it is:

Musings on Church Music

(This is a bit on the lengthy side so it may be a good idea to bookmark it and/or save it, then read it in sections at one's own leisure.)

As with anything I post, I am well aware some here will disagree, whether in part or in full. However, please do so respectfully as one Christian to another, knowing that we as believers will have an eternity to spend together, and at that time, none of these little issues in the realm of Christianity that were argued about here on this very mortal earth going to matter one bit. We'll be too busy worshipping the very creator of all things, the Lord God Himself!

I wish not to debate.

God bless you all!

 

[☦Marius☦]

You'll need to tell Wilkerson that this strikes Amazing Grace off the list. I'm not sure if he's still alive, though.

Amazing Grace is a definitive blues-based song. It is based on the pentatonic scale, which is what all Blues is based on and where Rock comes from. Blues came from those darn African pagans and their evil rhythms.

Such a pity Amazing Grace is evil. I really liked that song.

The original hymn Amazing Grace was made long before blues even existed.

 

[HatGuy]

The original hymn Amazing Grace was made long before blues even existed.

You're not reading my comment in its entirety.

Blues comes from pentatonic based music, and so does rock and roll. Pentatonic based music comes out of Africa. Just Google search the origins of Blues.

Amazing Grace is a classic pentatonic based song. It is one of the easiest to learn and many music schools will teach it as an introduction to the pentatonic scale, which then leads into lessons in the Blues.

And that Amazing Grace was written from a tune the African slaves sang is a matter of common known history.

The point is that someone slated African music for having pagan roots, whereas one of the oldest and most well loved hymns in history has roots in so-called paganistic African music.

You can do your own objective research and see it's all there.