Sep
14
2009
Against Music*
[Editor's Note: From time-to-time we at TGC want to "resurrect" excellent, gospel-centered content that may have had too short a life span on the Internet. Unfortunately in this new media age thoughtful commentary may be featured for a day and then buried under the avalanche of new posts that come at the speed of click. The following piece by Greg Gilbert is worthy of a second run. Therefore as a service to our users we're featuring it here, trusting that it will be helpful as you consider the role of music in the worship of your church.]
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I think the entire evangelical world ought to put a moratorium on any kind of instrumental music, and just chant psalms in their worship services–for the next ten years.*
I’ve been amazed since becoming an elder in a local church just how dependent many Christians are on a certain style of music, or certain level of excellence in music. How many times have you heard someone say, for example, “I just can’t worship in that church.”? Or “I just don’t feel like I’m connecting with God there.”
Of course there can be a lot going on there, but I think that many times if you press in on statements like that, what you find behind it all is not very far removed from “I don’t like the music there.” People don’t put it that starkly, mainly because if you do it sounds silly. But I think that’s a lot of what people mean when they say, “I can’t worship there.” The reality is that a single flat-back piano just doesn’t gig their emotions as much as a full electric band does. They don’t get that “transcendent feeling,” so they get discouraged and end up saying they “can’t worship.”
I wonder if the whole “excellence in praise and worship music” phenomenon we’ve seen over the past few years–for all the good it’s done–hasn’t also had some less-than-desirable effects on young Christians. I wonder if it hasn’t created a generation of functional mystics who gauge their relationship with God by emotional experience rather than the objective reality of redemption.
When I was a sophomore and junior in college, I went to a few of the Passion conferences when they were held in Texas. Those were formative and amazing experiences for me. John Piper “Reformed” me in one earth-shaking sermon from Romans 3, and that has–in one way or another–shaped the trajectory of my life ever since. And the music was excellent–truly wonderful in every way. We sang loud, hands in the air, eyes closed and full of tears sometimes, and I believe I worshipped God through it all.
But then I went back to New Haven, Connecticut. The praise bands were gone, I didn’t have a group of people who’d gone with me and shared that experience, and the churches had a piano and thirty people singing Isaac Watts hymns. That forced me to learn how to stoke the fires of worship with truths and words, and not just with excellent music. I’ve learned how to be emotionally affected by the excellent words of hymns whether they’re played and sung “excellently” or not.
There’s a whole generation of young people out there now, though, who aren’t emotionally affected by words, whose fires are only stoked when those words are accompanied by great rhythms, skilled instrumentation, and a certain well-recognizable mood that typically accompanies Christian “praise-and-worship.” And the result is that you have young people church-hopping around town, and one of the main criteria of their shopping is “the worship,” by which more often than not they mean “the music.” You have young Christians feeling discouraged because–despite the fact that they sit under faithful preaching of the word Sunday after Sunday–they say they haven’t “felt close to God” in so long. Maybe there’s something important going on there. But there’s also a good chance, I’d argue, that they just haven’t had a good endorphin rush since the last conference they attended.
I am really afraid that we’ve managed to create a generation of anemic Christians who are spiritually dependent on excellent music. Their sense of spiritual well-being is based on feeling“close to God,” their feeling close to God is based on their “ability to worship,” and being able to worship depends on big crowds singing great music.
Just as bad, think about how many church fights and divisions are rooted in disagreements about music. People leave churches because they don’t like the music. Christians who believe exactly the same things about Jesus worship in different buildings next door to each other because they can’t countenance one another’s musical style. Churches split because one faction wants “contemporary” music and another wants “traditional” music. It’s not the words that are at issue; it’s how the words are sung, and to what instrumentation. The thing even has its own name–the “Worship Wars,” which when translated with a little honesty is really “the Music Wars.”
The bottom line, I suppose, is that it would do every Christian well to do some honest heart-searching about what makes them feel “close to God.” Can you feel close to God just by reading or saying the words, “In Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”? Would you be able to function in a church that’s great in every way except the music? If not, you probably need to give some thought to whether your spiritual life is dependent on something it should not be dependent on.
*I’m being facetious with the title of this article and the call for a moratorium on music, of course. The Bible tells us to sing. God gave us music precisely because it affects our hearts and emotion, and that is a good thing. But every good thing can be and will be misused by sinful humans. My sense is that “excellent music” has become something of an idol. No, we don’t worship it. But a lot of people need it to worship, and that may be just as bad. Music is a part of our lives as humans; in a certain way we’ll always depend on it. But as I see it, there’s ample anecdotal evidence out there to suggest that for many Christians, the dependence has become unhealthy.
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Greg Gilbert is senior pastoral assistant at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. and contributing writer at 9Marks Ministries and the 9Marks blog, Church Matters. After graduating from Yale University, Gilbert earned his Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary where he served as the director of research for the president’s office.
©9Marks, 2008. Used with permission.
8 Comments
It is so important to distinguish between generating emotions in order to “feel” the Holy Spirit, and to feel emotions engendered by the moving of the Holy Spirit.
This article makes a vital point that needed to be made – because the question is : what happens when the music stops?
Saint Augustin said, “He who sings well, prays twice.”
The psalmist recognised the value of instruments in praise.
Christ himself sang with the apostles!
I am sure that many young people feel attracted to and uplifted by good “music”. But you can see the same enthusiasm and uplifted arms and tears of adoration at a Britney Spears concert. That should perhaps tell us something. (I have nothing at all against Britney Spears – it was just an example.)
Thank you for this timely reminder, Greg.
And thank you TGC for bringing it to our attention again.
[...] Mr. Gilbert raises some good questions that should spur some healthy thinking. I’d love it if you’d go and read the whole article. [...]
All good points, but this cuts both ways, such as when you say: ‘The reality is that a single flat-back piano just doesn’t gig their emotions as much as a full electric band does. They don’t get that “transcendent feeling,” so they get discouraged and end up saying they “can’t worship.”’
I’ve had this discussion several times with people in my church and we all share frustration with the mindset that says, “I need a certain style of music to worship well.” Nonetheless we must be fair. What if the tables were turned? What if you *did* pull the piano and put up the worship band? Now the other segment of the church would be the ones saying, “I just can’t worship to that music!”
People are wired in different ways and respond to different things. Some forms of music *will* help people better experience worship, just as some forms of music are more or less appropriate for worship. A great way of illustrating all this is to look at missionaries. Do they carry western songs and western music to other cultures, simply translating the words, or do they adapt the music to what communicates to the new culture? Culture in the west has shifted and there is a gap in the tastes and expectations of older and younger generations. Some of that shift has been quite detrimental but some of it is neither good nor bad, just different. The question is how can we best communicate the gospel in ways that fully display the glory of God before all people. Quite a challenge!
Good article to start a meaningful discussion. I have a blog dedicated to much of what was written. Here’s a link to my first blog post (http://sounddoxology.blogspot.com/2009/02/whats-real-issue.html)
If anyone is interested, the rest of the post’s are more or less related to the bulk of this article…
I’m concerned about what is being called “excellent” music.
As one who grew up in the loud electronic music era, I must insist
that everything with guitars, loud music and vague lyrics is
not necessarily “excellent”, in fact usually not. Having been to
many churches with “contemporary” music– most of it is FAR from
“excellent”. The singers and instrumentalists in many cases
are far from being considered anything above poor-average.
I admit that many churches that sing acappela psalms and/or
piano-and-organ-accompanied hymns could not be considered
excellent in their particular talents, but at least what they
are singing is the word of God, and/or (usually) doctrinally
sound lyrics. Yes, there are lots of beautiful modern hymns
being sung. I often say– read the words of a psalm, hymn, or
song as you would prose or poetry. Its content and beauty
will strongly determine its worthiness to be used in the
worship of the true God of the universe, as the Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit.
I certainly agree with the premise of the article. The lack of
“excellence” in psalms, hymns and songs, as well as our
instrumentation speaks more of our lack of dedication to
the worship of God in which we would use our talents to the
fullest. How many homes are centers of singing practice,
voice training and musical instruments??? No time for that–
soccer practice and TV , you know.
Our lack of desire for Bible-based lyrics that teach doctrinal
truths and the word of God, is due to our total lack of
Bible study. Again, we just don’t have the time to study
God’s word diligently– mustn’t miss my e-mail messages, etc.
I’m speaking of our lack of maturity as Christians–
grandparents, parents, yes, and elders, deacons, pardon me–
I’ve been to your Sunday School Classes–….
And so our young people have no idea what it means to be
a Christian. They have no idea what is going on around the
world in the lives of other Christians. Youth know nothing
of church history, and have read zero biographies of great
men and women of the faith. They’ve been told that Christianity
is a big party. Join in. Have fun. Pizza. Great coffee.
Lots of rock music. P.S. No need to dress up… God loves
you just the way you are. We don’t have to show any special
reverence.. He just wants you to enjoy yourself.
And so I’m done. Thanks for listening. We have a lot of work
to do.
By the way– go to countries around the world– a service of
Baptism in Africa, Asia, etc. What are they singing??
Popular tunes from their former pagan culture with new
words about “Jesus” substituted? No– they like to sing
Amazing Grace (original words and tune).
Looking back at the article I must add one more IMPORTANT
point– which should have been my first.
How we worship God is all about HOW GOD WANTS US TO WORSHIP
HIM. We are to pray, preach and sing HIS WORDS BACK TO HIM.
If we worship God in a way that honors Him, we will feel close to
God. When the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all worshiped
in an appropriate way– we are guaranteed a nearness to
God that no rock music or self-centered service can give.
Pray for the church. Pray for the young people who perish for
lack of knowledge. It’s our job to continue the reformation.
We’re the ones who need the prayer, and may our young people
forgive us for our failures.
[...] Gilbert over at The Gospel Coalition Blog is wondering if the modern praise and worship movement hasn’t had unintended [...]
[...] a comment » Greg Gilbert makes some helpfully unsubtle points regarding our tendency to be moved emotionally by the music to which we sing truth rather than the [...]
[...] to return to regular posting. This week I thought I would pass on an outstanding blogpost from The Gospel Coalition website. It’s written by Greg Gilbert of Capitol Hill Baptist Church and it is [...]