Worship Music

The magazine Christianity Today this month has a follow-up pair of articles on worship music. The issue arose with a set of five article in the March 2011 issue. I have found the whole discussion quite helpful in refining my thinking on the function of music in worship and how it's selected.

The series began with John Koessler's article giving a helpful corrective by asserting that the whole point of worship is not about satisfying the individual's needs for a particular style of liturgy or music, but in our need to acclaim God and and God's sovereignty. Penny-ante "wars" over worship and music have no place in the context of what we are truly to be about when we worship.

We think of worship as something that originates with us, our gift to God. Perhaps this is why so many of us are conflicted about it. We consider worship to be an expression of our personal devotion. So when the musical style or some expression gets in the way, we don't feel like it is our worship at all.

Several years ago I read Thomas Day's book Why Catholics can't sing. T. David Gordon seems to have followed-up with a Protestant version of the thesis with Why Johnny can't sing hymns. An insightful interview with him is part of this collection in the March issue of CT. His beef is with a perceived idolatry of that-which-is-contemporary in our worship, especially the fleeting trends in contemporary church music. The interview was a helpful reminder of the sin inherent in jettisoning everything old from our worship.

Another of the 5 articles explores the handful of hymns that keep appearing in published hymnals generation after generation; it was quite revealing and interesting.

The June issue (not available on line yet) has two follow-up articles offered somewhat in response to the first series. Both were helpful. Lawrence Mumford is a composer, teacher and worship leader in CA; his article is a sort of primer in what distinguishes pop worship music from traditional worship music. As an important aside he notes that young listeners hear symphonic music quite a bit when they watch even the newest film releases; that arena is one of the last in which a symphonic composer can make a career. His main point may be that the emotional depth called for by the experience of worship calls for an equally deep (or wide) pool of worship music. D.H. Williams sends a cautionary shot across the bow of worship planners who mimic too closely the entertainment field. I don't think person involved in planning contemporary worship and music have this (entertainment value) as a goal, but it's possible for me to see where such could influence worship/music design and planning where due diligence is not exercised.

CT promises that the discussion of the issue of worship style and music-for-worship style will continue in upcoming issues.