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DISCUSSYour Guide to Contemporary Christian Music
06/19/2008
By Dale Peterson
Thank you for choosing to worship with us today. If you are from a church that uses traditional hymns, you may be confused. Please take a moment to read through this guide to contemporary Christian music.
In our church you will not hear "How Great Thou Art," "Wonderful Grace of Jesus," or "Like a River Glorious." (Generally, hymns that have words like “Thou” are not used. They are too archaic and are normally replaced by words like “awesome” and “miry clay”). Yes, okay, we may do "Amazing Grace" or "Peace Like a River" at some point, but as a general rule we avoid songs with too many different verses or those that can't be played easily on guitar and drums.
If you are new to worship here, you may wish to know the reasons for this. One is that deep theological concepts do not belong in contemporary Christian worship. We frown on songs that change more than one or two words for each verse. For example, our version of "Holy is the Lord" consists of repeating that phrase six times per verse and then changing "Holy" to "Worthy," "Mighty," "Jesus" and finally changing "the" to "my." Isn’t that much simpler to sing and easier to remember? The twin goals here are a) repetition and b) chanting quality. We don’t focus on what we’re singing, but how we’re singing it. The main thing is to get that kind of tingly, "olive oily" feeling. Don't worry if you don't get this right away. It will come as you learn to disengage your intellect. Just free yourself. Immerse yourself. Relax.
Nevertheless, a traditional hymn may sometimes be used. For example, we’re not averse to "Holy, Holy, Holy." You may be tempted to sing this as you would have in your former church, but please note that it is sung here with changes, mainly the fact that we repeat it several times and try to sing as slowly as possible, thereby emphasizing the funereal nature of the verse.
Repetition is very important in contemporary Christian music. We repeat: Repetition is very important in contemporary Christian music. Just because a song may have one verse and one chorus does not mean that you only sing it through once. Old hymns have several verses, each of which introduces a new theological concept, and are meant to be sung once followed by "Amen." This is no longer how it’s done. The correct procedure is to sing the identical verse and chorus at least three times. Often it is preferable to repeat the verse two times initially before moving on to the chorus.
Also the worship leader may want to repeat a verse or chorus found in the middle of the song. This is signaled by “calling an audible." When this occurs, the worship leader will say the first few words of the verse or chorus he will be singing next. Sometimes, due to the similarity of the verses, this may be confusing and the overhead projector may flash several pages of text until the correct one is arrived at. Don't panic, this is normal. Just continue singing as though you know the words and soon either the correct slide will appear or a new chorus will begin.
After the verse and chorus are sung at least three times, it is permissible for the song to end. However, the chorus must first be repeated in its entirety, then the last paragraph, then the last line. When singing the last line it is important to slow down a little and look upward. Raising a hand is permissible and often done at this time. This may take a little getting used to but don't worry, if you just join in, in a short time you won't even notice and soon you will forget that you ever did it any other way.
We are just really glad you chose to share the worship experience with us today. Thank you and we hope to see you again soon.
Thank you and we hope to see you again soon. Thank you. Thank.
I think that in the Christian world it's so easy to be a singer of the Lord, as people like everythin that praises the God! And how many themes there are especially for this type of music! I hope this kind of art will never die!
"And Can It Be"....
The ultimate hymn....
Not sung by modern congregations because of it's extreme pitch range...
But still an awesome song. One of these days I'll post an mp3 of my punk rock/Hillsong version of the song.
I can't get enough of Wesley's songwriting.
To think I'm a Calvinist. Isn't that strange?
I attribute it to the lack of quality songwriting these days.
Gone are the days when the enduring songs were written by Men who exemplified the faith in all areas of life.
Instead we popularize whatever junk comes off the top of the heads of our favorite evangelical religious superstars.
Official end of rant. Thanks.
One of the main problems with pop music in general, and CCM music is for the most part no exception, is the lack of compositional understanding. The 1-4-5 or 1-5-2-4 chord formats are used add nauseum. the songs have the musical depth of say Joan Baez who basically uses G-C and D in all her writting. I am moved by some of the words by some of the more thought full song writers, Rich Mullins for example. There are many more. My problem as a real musician is their lack of ability to construct a song musically.
And worse now are the use of "power Chords" which basically means
2 or 3 note chords played using overdrive effects. While I like
all kinds of music, it seems like CCM is just another dummied down
format to showcase the modern 3 chord wizards. Most of these musicians would not know a major 7th flat 5th, or a 13th or 16th chord. If its not made by barring all the strings on the neck it just dosn't exist for them. If you are going to use the 1-4-5- format try blues, warning you have to have soul and depth to do blues. A minor blues would be good for say a topic like the Crucifixion but you can't sound like a 13 year old white boy trying to sing it. And don't use the word awesome.
Um... There is absolutely no such thing as a 16th chord?
After the 13th you have officially used all the notes in the scale.
Pretty sure, anyways... I only have a B.A. in music and I got a "C" in theory.
But amen about the chord progressions. I think we should ask ourselves, instead of, "What style of music will fill the pews"
we should be saying, "How can we do the highest quality music that best uses the gifts God gave us?"
Sad fact of the matter is, that the easy songs are the answer to that question for many churches. Maybe the problem is the the public education system's lack of prioritizing music, and the Church is merely reflecting that.
I bet no one will read this, I know I stopped reading after about 10 comments of dribble, but maybe Dale will? I feel like he needs an explanation of the value of repetition. Speaking objectively, I think I'm smarter than just about anyone. But I'll tell you, I don't understand the words I'm singing. Or at least not fully. Let's take for example "You are Holy." Simple, right? Mindless to repeat? Well, aside from the fact that the Bible says that's what we'll be repeating all eternity, it's clear that we don't fully understand this concept. Does anyone really get that? I mean, really get it. God is Holy! He is perfectly set apart from us! Nothing we could ever do would allow us to compare to Him!
Now I can explore this theme in simple or complicated lyrics. So there is nothing I have against hymns. But if you cannot be moved by the simple statement "He is Holy," I would submit to you sir that you are in trouble.
We are shown what works/is profitable in the singing of 'psalms, hymns, AND spiritual songs (Eph 5:19.) True emotion is good, while emotionalism is a brain dead crutch. Psalms like 'As a deer panteth o'er the waters' mixed with a spiritual song 'This is the day that the Lord has made' plus hymns which have depth of theology, are a balance. A farmer has three basic fertilizer ingredients; if he only uses only one, the crop suffers. Churches that don't follow the blend the balance their members suffer. When we are in the world we need a song in our heart, but modern CCM musicians seem more interested in exhibiting their skills and coolness than creating long lasting effect in the congregation. The world sees us as shallow, and for the most part our music reinforces that thought. So sad, but GREAT articles and comments- love it!
All of this contemporary whooey is a joke. Stages. Rock bands. Big screens. Its all irrelevant to historic, biblical, creedal, Christianity.
From the very beginning Christian worship centred around offering the prayers of The Eucharist (the Holy Communion). It was THE reason to gather on Sunday with, originally, one of the 12 celebrating. It was all based on Jewish worship and was therefore liturgical, formal, reverent, and done while fasting.
Luke records that the calling of Paul and Barnabas was the work of the Holy Spirit, and that it took place during the "liturgy". The text reads, "as they were 'liturgizing' (leitourgounton) before the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul to the work to which I have called them'"(Acts 13:2). Luke was a physician and well educated. He must have understood what he meant to say about worship: namely, that the community was together in formal and ritual worship, accompanied by fasting, when the Holy Spirit spoke. So in A.D. 46, this early church was worshiping in a liturgical manner using a Christian form carried over from the synagogue. And this was within sixteen years of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The continuity of worship between the Old and New Covenants is very evident.
This is NOT evident on STAGE where musical entertainment that gives me a warm feeling is the goal. Contemporary Christianity has seriously erred and devolved in the last 100 years. If you really want to know what the Early Church did, start reading the first three or four hundred years of the writings and history of the church. You will have a whole new outlook on what and why the apostles wrote what the did in the Bible.
Do I really have to be sarcastic or satirical to post a comment - it's such hard work?
Regarding this (back on page 1 of comments):
"...I would suggest that it is neither the style, nor the repetition that is the cause, but the spirit of the worshipper that makes it vain... or not. Scripture says avoid vain repetition, not repetition. We know that all of our actions are to be done corum Deo, as worship - so if you cannot in good conscience praise God with contemporary simplicity, then don't. If you can't satirize or read satire with good conscience, in Love...then don't."
I just have one thing to say: wow. wow. wow. seriously. :)
OK - I have more to say:
Disengaging the mind to worship - is that such a bad thing? I mean, sometimes it's my mind that gets in the way of "seeing" and praising God (this is a biblical thought).
And sometimes - sometimes my mind helps me to see God (this, too, is a biblical thought).
So, I guess what I'm saying is sometimes I feel like a nut (I'd rather have Jesus) and sometimes I don't (Revelation Song).
My beef with CCM today is simple. It is creeping into our worship services at churches all over America, it all sounds the same and to me has no melodic value to it whatsoever. I personally enjoy the old hymns of the church and it is funny how when the church I went to used the old Hymnals during worship service, we saw some radical and miraculous moves of God in church. I'm just not buying this "idea" that the old Hymns are dead and un-annointed simply because Christians of today grip e that they are "traditional" and you can't have "religious tradition" in the church or God won't move. That is one reason I do not go to that church anymore. I am so tired and fed up with this "new thing" in the church where you have to be "Radial" you have to be "Extreme," you have to be "different," to be a "last-day" christian. God is just as much in a Billy Grahm service with singing, "Just As I Am," as he is in a modern day church using a Petra song like "No Doubt" as an altar call song. Just don't tell me that the old way is outdated and wrong!
A Disgruntled Christian
So so true. I love this so much.
So so true. I love this so much.
Oh you guys, lighten up. I go to a contemporary service and enjoy it very much, but I most definitely chuckled at the satire, because really, it's true. I'm forwarding it to my husband, who runs the sound board for our church band, and to my son, who plays the guitar. They'll get a kick out of it.
If it brings people to Christ, I'm not bothered about it. And heaven knows that it's kept more than a few straying youth in church and brought some troubled ones back to the straight and narrow. Traditional hyms do that, too, and hooray for them! That's the bottom line, bringing people to Christ, right?
haha this is awesome. i lead worship at my church and deal with this odd schism that is happening within music. they are some kickin' new worship songs but i do agree hymns have a place in worship music. they are so raw and blunt.....think we are missing that from the majority of music today
Nothing like Christian music to create an emotional response! But let me add fuel to the fire
First I would say that there are many churches today where there is more good theology in the hymnal than in the pulpit. And this from a pastor/theologian who has preached and taught for over 60 years The new music is called :Praise chorouses" he very title limits the scope of the message. Even pagans will praise God. There are many hymns in hymn books that are hundreds of years and have weathered the storms of time. Today we put the words on a screen and the hymn books get disposed of. I think much of today's music is motivated by publishers who know that few of these chorouses last, and it calls for a new productl. I believe in the joy of the Lord, but I have the emotional response to a good deal of today's music that it is superficial, and there are a lot of old songs that reverberate in my heart from days long pat. And at my age, I believe LONG is accurate. My children and grand children have the same love for the music of the past. God help us to preserve it.
I think it is petty and ridiculous to actually focus or make fun of something like this. Worship is worship, and usually worship is what YOU make of it. Quit focusing on the world around you and how "fake" other people worshiping might me, because obviously that means that you're taking the time to notice what other people are doing instead of being in communion with God.
As far as worship being redundant, I see it [sometimes] necessary. After all, a whole lot of the bible repeats itself and it is extremely necessary.
Going back to my statement of "worship is worship".....Yes, old hymns are lyrically better and contemporary christian can be a little painful to listen to....but if it's meant to glorify the Lord My God and lead me into communion with Him, then it is more beautiful than anything else. It doesn't matter if it's an old hymn, or contemporary christian.
Worrying about the way some things sound is important, however to let it get in the way of your time of getting into His presence is a little silly. Don't blame it on the worship, blame it on yourself getting in the way.
There are some great old hymns. There are some great newer worship songs. There are some really lame old hymns (just look through any hymnal). There are some really lame new songs. I've been in "high church" situations where the worship was dead and lifeless and where it was very meaningful and instructive. I've been in "contemporary settings" where worship was dull and repetitive, and where it was uplifting and God-exalting. Seems to me the point of worship is to honor God. It involves emotion and truth. "I will sing with my spirit but I will also sing with my mind. I will pray with my spirit but I will also pray with my mind." (1 Cor. 14:15). I have had meaningful times of worship in one room of 20 people with one acoustic guitar, with thousands in an arena, with hundreds in a "contemporary" setting. Seems like many of you just want to criticize anything "new" without considering that the Holy Spirit is at work in the lives of those believers that are taking part in any kind of worship. What attitude do you bring to worship? And how does worship enter your life? To just throw stones at others that do things in a more "contemporary" way is shallow and judgmental.
I love the words (some taken from Amos) of Jon Foreman's song "Instead of a Show" (no, it's not a "praise" song).
Of course it's probably too "repetitive" for some of you.
Like those pesky seraphim in Isaiah 6.
I hate all your show and pretense
the hypocrisy of your praise
the hypocrisy of your festivals
I hate all your show
Away with your noisy worship
Away with your noisy hymns
I stop up my ears when your singing ‘em
I hate all your show
Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show
your eyes are closed when you’re praying
you sing right along with the band
you shine up your shoes for services
but there’s blood on your hands
you turned your back on the homeless
and the ones that don’t fit in your plans
quit playing religion games
there’s blood on your hands
Ah! let’s argue this out
if your sins are blood red
let’s argue this out
you’ll be white as the clouds
let’s argue this out
quit fooling around
give love to the ones who can’t love at all
give hope to the ones who got no hope at all
stand up for the ones who can’t stand up at all
instead of a show
I hate all your show
This entire diatribe sounds strikingly secular, sans f-bombs. They will know us by our love for each other. Let it be that way.
Hey guys and gals,
dling some religous satire at revengeofthedoor.wordpress.com. check it out, submit stuff, comment, etc.
I do agree that praise is to be given to the One that died for us. But it is not up to us to determine how that praise is to be given to Him. That is the work of the Holy Spirit in each individual heart. That is the secret of true praise. If that is in traditional hymns and songs and etc.......then for that individual that is true praise. If that is in contemporary christian music and etc.......then for that individual that is true praise. We must be careful throwing out what we deem as proper praise to be given to God it is not for us to determine. I for one choose not to make that choice for others. I only want what His will is and nothing else.
Hey check out MC Yogi. He rocks over any of these guys.
Namaste
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