Have Evangelicals Been Listening To Table Talk Radio!?!
Well, this is encouraging!
If I didn't know better, I'd say that Evangelicals have been listening to the "Praise Song Cruncher" segments from Table Talk Radio.
Praise the Lord! Evangelicals calling out their own is no small thing, my dear friends. I mean, even Corrie Mitchell's opening line is spot on: "Some of the most popular songs churches use each Sunday aren't worth singing."
Now let's bring it home for us Lutherans, because a piece like that is also an Incredible Hulk-sized kick to the "Contemporary Worship" gut if you ask me!
My local LCMS church is guilty of singing 8 of the songs from that list of 10 on any given week -- yes, a total of 8! Not so good.
What always gets me though is the repetition in these types of songs -- I can't stand it and will actually stop singing if the song and/or Worship Leader/Praise Band goes on for too long!
What always gets me though is the repetition in these types of songs -- I can't stand it and will actually stop singing if the song and/or Worship Leader/Praise Band goes on for too long!
What always gets me though is the repetition in these types of songs -- I can't stand it and will actually stop singing if the song and/or Worship Leader/Praise Band goes on for too long!
What always gets me though is the repetition in these types of songs -- I can't stand it and will actually stop singing if the song and/or Worship Leader/Praise Band goes on for too long!
What always gets me though is the repetition in these types of songs -- I can't stand it and will actually stop singing if the song and/or Worship Leader/Praise Band goes on for too long!
Ok, I'm sure you get the point.
Reminds me of that parody of our modern church services. Haha! Remember that one?
Funny, because it's so true.
And who could forget the "Me Worship Album" for those who regularly attend the "Me Church" too?
Again, hilarious, but only because it's the sad truth.
The problem, in many cases, is that our churches think that just because a song shows up on Christian Radio, then it must be "good" theologically and, therefore, worthy of our use in church each week during the Worship Service.
In reality, taking the popular Christian songs you hear on the radio and singing them in church is doing nothing except creating shallow Christians with no substance (remember the Pollyannas and Peter Pans?).
As one person put it...
I tend to agree and have witnessed this firsthand in my own private life let alone within the church I've attended for the past 3-4 years now.
Here's Pastor Tim Rossow's response to the topic...
Back to that article. Look, I realize that it's not a complete list. I also realize that some of the reasons given for why we should stop singing these songs may be up for debate, according to some of you.
However, as far as I can tell, this is an American Evangelical who wrote this piece (or, at the very least, someone who may be Non-Denominational even) and so this was a bold and courageous move for this young woman. In fact, just take a look at the kinds of responses she's received on her Twitter page. See what I mean?
We've said it before and it needs to be repeated: Doctrine informs practice. What we sing in church does matter since it's actually a confession of our faith. The words we sing informs and reinforces our beliefs too.
In a Lutheran layman's terms, there are many legitimate reasons why we need to ditch the "Contemporary Worship Service" once-and-for-all and I hope a commentary like Ms. Mitchell's simply serves as another prime example of why that is the case (and it's all from a non-Lutheran point of view).
For additional resources about this topic, be sure to check out the following:
NOTE: I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or a Christian, Candy-Making, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast. To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this note, I'm also a newly converted Confessional Lutheran who recently escaped American Evangelicalism a little over a year ago. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you believe that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with our Confessions and Lutheran doctrine (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and point us back to) so that I can correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1). Finally, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier pieces I wrote on this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that category since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). In addition, there are some entries that are a little "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavy influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because we now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6). Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse notes from my Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I defer to what other Lutheran Pastors have already preached and taught about such passages since they are the called and ordained shepherds of our souls here on earth. Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries. I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a dude's diary in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#trending" at the time, but is instead all the things that I'm studying myself at the moment. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Grace and peace to you and yours!
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If I didn't know better, I'd say that Evangelicals have been listening to the "Praise Song Cruncher" segments from Table Talk Radio.
Let's Stop Singing These 10 Worship Songs
Praise the Lord! Evangelicals calling out their own is no small thing, my dear friends. I mean, even Corrie Mitchell's opening line is spot on: "Some of the most popular songs churches use each Sunday aren't worth singing."
Now let's bring it home for us Lutherans, because a piece like that is also an Incredible Hulk-sized kick to the "Contemporary Worship" gut if you ask me!
My local LCMS church is guilty of singing 8 of the songs from that list of 10 on any given week -- yes, a total of 8! Not so good.
What always gets me though is the repetition in these types of songs -- I can't stand it and will actually stop singing if the song and/or Worship Leader/Praise Band goes on for too long!
What always gets me though is the repetition in these types of songs -- I can't stand it and will actually stop singing if the song and/or Worship Leader/Praise Band goes on for too long!
What always gets me though is the repetition in these types of songs -- I can't stand it and will actually stop singing if the song and/or Worship Leader/Praise Band goes on for too long!
What always gets me though is the repetition in these types of songs -- I can't stand it and will actually stop singing if the song and/or Worship Leader/Praise Band goes on for too long!
What always gets me though is the repetition in these types of songs -- I can't stand it and will actually stop singing if the song and/or Worship Leader/Praise Band goes on for too long!
Ok, I'm sure you get the point.
Reminds me of that parody of our modern church services. Haha! Remember that one?
Funny, because it's so true.
And who could forget the "Me Worship Album" for those who regularly attend the "Me Church" too?
Again, hilarious, but only because it's the sad truth.
The problem, in many cases, is that our churches think that just because a song shows up on Christian Radio, then it must be "good" theologically and, therefore, worthy of our use in church each week during the Worship Service.
In reality, taking the popular Christian songs you hear on the radio and singing them in church is doing nothing except creating shallow Christians with no substance (remember the Pollyannas and Peter Pans?).
As one person put it...
The poor theology found in the songs on Christian Radio can really screw up your faith and your concept of the Triune God. It would take a heavy dose of Lutheran liturgy and songs out the the hymnal to get back on track again. Dumb theology makes dumb Christians.
I tend to agree and have witnessed this firsthand in my own private life let alone within the church I've attended for the past 3-4 years now.
Here's Pastor Tim Rossow's response to the topic...
I listened to contemporary Christian music for years (from age 16 to almost age 40) but gave it up when my Biblical discernment for good doctrine finally overcame my desire for a pleasing musical sound with semi-biblical lyrics. My answer to Richard is this. When you get beat up by the law all the time by Contemporary Christian music, which almost to a performance, demonstrates no proper distinction between Law and Gospel, you will start performing good works and give the appearance of a super Christian. (What is a “super Christian?”) The pharisees are not the liturgical folks, although there are certainly Pharisaical liturgical types. The pharisees are the ones doing the good works by motivation of the constant droning of the law in Contemporary Christian music and doing the pseudo good works of home schooling and shutting down those bad people like Abba, Chicago and The Who.
Back to that article. Look, I realize that it's not a complete list. I also realize that some of the reasons given for why we should stop singing these songs may be up for debate, according to some of you.
However, as far as I can tell, this is an American Evangelical who wrote this piece (or, at the very least, someone who may be Non-Denominational even) and so this was a bold and courageous move for this young woman. In fact, just take a look at the kinds of responses she's received on her Twitter page. See what I mean?
We've said it before and it needs to be repeated: Doctrine informs practice. What we sing in church does matter since it's actually a confession of our faith. The words we sing informs and reinforces our beliefs too.
In a Lutheran layman's terms, there are many legitimate reasons why we need to ditch the "Contemporary Worship Service" once-and-for-all and I hope a commentary like Ms. Mitchell's simply serves as another prime example of why that is the case (and it's all from a non-Lutheran point of view).
For additional resources about this topic, be sure to check out the following:
AUDIO: The Sources of Contemporary Church Music
AUDIO: The Current State of The Contemporary Christian Music Industry (CCM)
AUDIO: In Defense of Historical Worship – From A Former Advocate of Contemporary Worship
'Lutheran' Contemporary Worship As A Gateway Drug
Debunking A Myth: Contemporary Worship Is Not 'Inclusive'
Why Are Those Who Listen To Contemporary Christian Music Bolder In Their Faith?
Writing Contemporary Worship Music: A Webinar
Analysis: Contemporary vs. Traditional Worship
Anywhere, Anything: On Worship And Hyperbole
My Journey Away From Contemporary Worship Music
NOTE: I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or a Christian, Candy-Making, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast. To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this note, I'm also a newly converted Confessional Lutheran who recently escaped American Evangelicalism a little over a year ago. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you believe that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with our Confessions and Lutheran doctrine (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and point us back to) so that I can correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1). Finally, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier pieces I wrote on this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that category since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). In addition, there are some entries that are a little "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavy influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because we now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6). Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse notes from my Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I defer to what other Lutheran Pastors have already preached and taught about such passages since they are the called and ordained shepherds of our souls here on earth. Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries. I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a dude's diary in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#trending" at the time, but is instead all the things that I'm studying myself at the moment. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Grace and peace to you and yours!
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This will be a good series for us to follow in light of the content of this post I think...
ReplyDelete"10 Earnest Pleas For LCMS Congregations That Use 'Praise Bands' - Part 1" by Miguel Ruiz
http://steadfastlutherans.org/?p=39928
Grace And Peace,
Jeff