Monday 19 November 2018

Binning the church's musical heritage

What happens when a church isolates itself from history; when in its desire to be uber relevant, it cuts all ties to the history of the Christian church, to its doctrine and worship? These thoughts were prompted by a local church publishing its playlist of worship songs on the streaming service Spotify. Of the twenty four songs that were sung in its services from September to November only one song was more than two years old, with that particular song, 'Sinking Deep' by Hillsong Young and Free, being released just five years ago. At five years old it is hardly outdated, yet in the world of seeker sensitive churches it is likely to be on the verge of becoming so. Of the twenty three other songs on the list eight were released this year, seven last year, and a further eight in 2016. A similar trend was evident in August; of the thirty songs on their playlist at that time, only five had been released more than two years ago (ranging from 2013 to 2015). In both playlists the groups behind the songs would cause great concern, with the like of Hillsong and Bethel Music featuring prominently, however our focus here is rather on the issue of exclusively singing newly released songs in public worship.
 
In considering this issue we do recognise that there is another extreme to be avoided; where anything deemed modern is automatically rejected. Whilst much of today's contemporary Christian music needs to be rejected, a particular song is not wrong because it is modern any more than one may be good because it is old. Let us not be found worshiping at the idol of tradition. At the time they were written William Cowper's 'There is a fountain filled with blood' and John Newton's 'Amazing Grace' were modern songs. That said, the practice of singing exclusively modern songs in many churches gives greater cause for concern than that of only singing 'old hymns'.

Although we do recognise that there are modern songs which are biblically sound, it is also the case that the old hymns are generally better. The shallow repetitive nature of much of today's worship music pales in comparison with the theological depth that is found in the great hymns of Isaac Watts, John Newton and William Cowper. It is chronological snobbery which turns up its nose at these old hymns, believing them to be dull and boring with nothing to offer, having the attitude that the current generation is more knowledgeable and advanced than any which have gone before it. The old hymns have depth, they are profound, they have nuance, they are not the same four lines repeated ten times. A worship song does not become more profound by adding the words 'O Lord' to a line you have already repeated a dozen times. It is difficult to argue against the fact that much of today's modern worship is overly simplistic, theologically shallow and mind numbingly repetitive. Yet if we are going to jettison the rich musical heritage of the church in favour of a 'Top of the Pops' approach to worship then this is what we are going to be left with.

This approach to worship also has great implications for the multigenerational nature of the church. The church is not to tailor its services to attract the young, as many would suggest. Neither is it to purely seek to please the elderly. The church of Christ is made up of all ages and the regular services in the local church are for young and old to worship together. What is there for an elderly believer in a place where the great hymns they love are replaced wholesale with this month's latest releases. How can they join the public singing of God's praise when they consistently do not know any of the pieces. By the time they have learnt them the never ending pursuit of relevance will have replaced them with something new. Of course the booming music and strobe lights found in most seeker sensitive churches do not exactly lend themselves to Bliss's 'Man of Sorrows' or Wesley's 'Love Divine All Loves Excelling'. To conduct worship (loosely so called) in that manner necessitates abandoning the old hymns of the church. But can the young not come to appreciate the great hymns of the past also? Can they not worship God without smoke machines and a nightclub atmosphere? If you cannot worship God without these distractions then the reality is that you are not truly worshipping him in Spirit. Perhaps the reason so many believers need the church to sound like the pop concert is because they have not left the world behind. Their children also are growing up saturated with the offerings of MTV, rather than being sheltered from it, so that the musical offerings of the church now seem dull in comparison. The response of the seeker sensitive movement is that the church must continually evolve in its worship in order to suit a new generation, regardless of whether the previous generation is left behind in the process.

An exclusively modern playlist in a church very often goes hand in hand with a rejection of any historic definition of Christianity. The church in question which prompted this post appears to have no defined position on any doctrinal matter, but rather it is church as you would like it to be. The idea that church should be done the way you like it, whether that be in regard to the music, the message or the various activities that are offered, is simply wrong. The church is to be conducted according to the revealed Word of God, and Christianity is to be defined in the terms that God defines it. Whether we consider it theologically, morally, musically or any other way, the church does not exist in a chronological bubble, unaware and unconcerned with what has gone before it. It learns from history, and benefits from it, and that includes the benefit that is found in singing the old hymns as well as the new.

Martyn Lloyd Jones said 'If only modern people would read a little history, I think many of their foolish ideas and notions would soon be corrected'. We say that if only people would continue to sing the great hymns of the church their worship would be greatly improved. 


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