Friday, April 19, 2013
Worship Music
I came downstairs this morning to hear the Christian radio station on the TV. Mom had turned it on to relax the dogs. I was sitting there petting Hunter, and thinking about the music. To me, it seems like worship music is like a genre now. It's like when you hear a song and you think, "This is a heavy metal song," or "This is a punk song." I could easily hear a song and think, "This is a worship song." Now, I don't know how others might feel about this, but it really perturbs me. I believe we can worship God with any genre of music, not just the typical kind. Personally, I generally use heavier music to worship when I'm alone. I don't always, but that's my preference. I'm not suggesting we do a lot of heavy music either, and I realize that some may have the preference of the "worship style." I merely think it would be great for us to use various genres in church and at church events! After all, God loves every genre as long as we're singing and playing for Him, right? Maybe I'm the only one who thinks this way, but I really think it could be wonderful if we tried it.
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You raise a lot of good questions that could lead to good discussion. For what it's worth, here's my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteAs far as labeling something "worship music", you are right about it becoming a genre of it's own. Yet that's not a bad thing. People who like that genre have a way to search for it because it's labeled that way. It's rather like looking for music we label as Christian music..you can find Christian messages from a lot of artists, but there are some who specifically want to write to draw people to God. That is what you will find if you look for Christian music.
Or consider something else: I can draw closer to God through Rachmaninoff, for example, but I would never expect to find his works under the label "worship music". That's ok. I know that if I want to find his music or similar music, I can look under classical. That's why labels can be a good thing.
And yes, you can worship God through everything! It's so good that you find God in various types of music.
Should you have more heavy metal at church events? I would suggest it depends on the event, so certainly it might be open to being a possibility.
As far as music that you worship with on Sundays, I guess I would have to say "that depends," though I completely understand your point.
When we worship together, we need music that draws us together, to worship as a body. Sunday worship is community worship. So while I would not say to never use heavy metal, I would suggest that a church remain rather consistent in style and even in songs, so that people can all join in. Note that I am not implying that you have a certain amount of songs and never add any; I just recommend you stay with something rather familiar that the majority can worship with every week.
It is good to stay consistent in style because some people find it difficult to worship with heavy metal, just as others don't worship well with traditional hymns. If your particular worship community at First Free worships well (and my understanding is that they do), then maybe it is good to stay with it as it is. Or try a little heavy metal, just a little, and see what the reaction is. If people still sing and praise together well, then maybe it could be something that's added.
Yet some churches are liturgical in nature. You won't hear heavy metal there, and shouldn't. I can explain it best with the Catholic Mass. We have separate parts of the Mass that all call for appropriate music. Heavy metal would not suit it. I can try to explain more later if you want, but this is getting long already.
In the Mass it is also important for all of us to be able to sing as a body, and I can assure you that my 90-something-year-old friend, nor my 87-year-old mother-in-law will be able to sing to heavy metal. We have music that both the young and old enjoy, and that makes us worship better as a community.
I think you ask good questions. Did what I say make any sense? It's a good conversation to have.
Keep writing!