Contemporary Music: The Cultural Medium and the Christian Message

Contemporary Music: The Cultural Medium and the Christian Message

On a recent Sunday, I found myself visiting a Protestant megachurch. Entering the "worship center" was eerily similar to being ushered down the aisle of a movie theater: floor lighting, padded chairs, visual effects shown on two large screens, and music over the speaker system.

A band appeared on stage to begin the service with live music. It was dark, and I thought I heard the audience singing along, but it was impossible to tell. And although I was seated in the front row, I sensed that the congregation was almost superfluous to the activity on stage. As in most forms of entertainment, the audience functioned as passive onlookers, participating only in an unseen, intensely personal way.

While the band played, song lyrics flashed across the two big screens, with words like great, God, and high figuring prominently. The musical performance was outstanding, even if the vocabulary was extremely limited. If the songs aimed at an emotional response, they were probably successful, but like so much contemporary worship music, they lacked any element of substantive teaching.

Immediately after the singing, without any announcement, much less Paul's words of institution (1 Cor. 11:23-26), the elements of the Lord's Supper were hurriedly handed around. Again, I was amazed at the blandly efficient nature of this activity. We could have been passing pretzels and soda pop. No one offered any guidance whatsoever on the sharing of this critical ordinance or sacrament. It seemed a strictly vertical encounter between each individual and God.

Next came the sermon, offered by a capable person who worked very hard to relate while teaching some biblical content. A simple outline appeared on the screen so that we could follow the train of thought. So did the relevant Bible passages, lest anyone could not find them in an actual Bible. I noticed that the illustrations came almost solely from popular movies and television. Then the service ended as abruptly as it began, with a few announcements over the speakers and a cordial "thank you" to the congregation. No benediction or closing prayer—not even a person to give it. The house lights came on, and it was time to leave.

Protecting the Pearls

To say that the service was religiously "dumbed down" is not quite right. In fact, I wish that were the case, since the goal of comprehension sometimes demands that complex ideas be simplified. No, it seemed rather that the presentation aimed at finding a theological and cultural lowest common denominator in order to attract and engage the greatest number of people. As a result, there was no need to be a Christian to understand most everything that was said or sung.

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Why We Practice Blended Worship at St. Luke’s

Why We Practice Blended Worship at St. Luke’s

We embrace the best of both the Ancient and the Modern to the Glory of God 

Those who have attended worship at St. Luke’s have no doubt noticed that we make use of both “traditional” and “contemporary” elements in our liturgy.  The most common way of describing this eclectic approach to liturgy is “blended worship.” 

Let me say from the outset that we have no argument with others who choose to be more “traditional” than us, nor do we criticize those who are more “contemporary” than us.  But since I am often asked about our worship style, I thought it might be worthwhile to discuss our practice and our rationale for it.

We Use a Modern Language Liturgy

We admit that there are many good reasons to use a traditional language Prayer Book.  We also acknowledge the foundational nature of the 1549 and 1662 editions of the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England.  They are focal points of our unity.  They instruct and direct our liturgical practice, as they have guided the Reformed Episcopal Church from her founding as an Anglican denomination over 130 years ago.

However, we believe that there is a role to be played by liturgy in the modern idiom.  We believe modern English can be reverential, and instrumental to those who seek to “worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”  In doing so, we state our belief that no era in the development of the church (or of the English language) is uniquely sacred.  So, while honoring the beauty of the language of the foundational formularies, we respectfully support the expression of Elizabethan theology in contemporary English.

We Sing Traditional Hymns

If we are not quite the same as our dear friends who are more strictly “Traditional”, we are also distinct from some who are more exclusively “Contemporary.”  

Just as we would feel that we lost something if we could not make use of hymns and songs composed in the last 100 years, we would also mourn the loss of the great collection of more ancient Christian hymnody and liturgical music.

We Sing Modern Hymns and Songs

Some might ask  “Are there not doctrinal defects or at least theological shallowness in modern church music?”  And of course, the answer is, yes, some modern church music has this problem, but then, older hymnody is not universally immune to it either!  The truth is, diligent, careful Christians must “test all things”.  And we can never really relax that posture.

Since the older a hymn or song might be, the longer the Church has had to test and evaluate it, it might be that it takes more diligence to use contemporary songs than it does to restrict oneself to only traditional hymns.  While there may be some truth to this argument, we find the extra effort worth our while in order to benefit from the “best of every generation of the Church.”

Sometimes we are faced with a false dilemma:  to sing only older hymns or to sing only modern praise choruses, when, of course, we can do both, and we can also avoid any song that is shallow or theologically incorrect. So we sing both hymns and “praise songs.” But, we cannot ignore another significant body of music, namely, the modern hymn.

Modern Hymns are fresh, contemporary compositions that share the essential traits of traditional Christian hymnody while employing new, thoughtful lyrics and/or new melodies.  The hymnal we keep in our pew, Worship and Rejoice (Hope Publishing) is a leader in the publication of such hymns. 

For our purposes, we will consider any lyrics or tunes that postdate the Episcopal 1940 Hymnal to be “modern.”

Examples of traditional lyrics wedded to new tunes would include:

Psalm 103

Tune:  Taize Community

The Beattitudes

Tune:  David Haas, 1985

At the Name of Jesus

Tune:  Michael Brierly, 1960

Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken

Lyrics:  John Newton, 18^th Century

Tune:  “Abbot’s Leigh,”  1942

Examples of new lyrics attached to traditional tunes would include:

Sing Praise to the Father

Lyrics:  M. Clarkson, 1966

Tune: Doane, 1900

Like A Mighty River Flowing

Lyrics:  Michael Perry, 1982

Tune:  Traditional, 14^th Century

We Come O Christ to You

Lyrics:  Clarkson, 1957

Tune:  “Darwell’s 148^th” 18^th Century

Christ is the World’s Light

Lyrics:  Fred Pratt Green, 1969

Tune:  “Christe Sanctorum,” 17^th Century

When Jesus Came to Jordan

Lyrics:  Fred Pratt Green, 1980

Tune:  “Munich,”  17^th Century

Examples of fine hymns with both modern lyrics and tune might well include:

Jesus on the Mountain Peak

Lyrics:  Brian Wren

Tune:  “Mowsley”  1985

I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light

Lyrics:  Kathleen Thomerson, 1970

Tune:  “Houston,”  1970

Name of All Majesty

Lyrics:  Timothy Dudley-Smith, 1984

Tune:  Michael Baughen,  1982

Be Not Afraid

Lyrics & Tune:  Bob Dufford, 1975

In Christ Alone

Lyrics & Tune:  Stuart Townsend, 2002

Jesus is Our King

Sherrell Prebble, Howard Clark, 1978

King of the Nations

Graham Kendrick, 1990

Come and Rejoice

Don Moen & Gerrit Gufstafson, 1989

In conclusion, our guiding principles:

1)        We hold an Ancient-Future faith, thus we seek the best of what every era of the Christian Church has to offer us in terms of music, liturgy and ceremonial practice;

2)       We adhere strictly to the rubrics of the authorized formularies of the Reformed Episcopal Church, and use no liturgy that is not explicitly approved by the appropriate Ecclesiastical Authority (our Bishop or the General Council of the Church);

3)       We are governed by the doctrinal commitments of the Creeds, Ecumenical Councils, and the clear teaching of Holy Scripture in all that we do;

4)       We seek both to preserve the heritage of the past by singing traditional hymns and plainsong settings as well as looking toward the most appropriate modern hymns, songs and liturgical music as adding to this ‘holy repertoire.’

5)       We reject the notion that any century or era in the Church’s History is the ideal or “golden age” that future generations must imitate above all others.  Rather, we believe that the Holy Spirit has worked in every era of the Church, and it is a great privilege to learn from each successive generation of the Body of Christ.

Five Myths About Worship in the Early Church

Although written from a Roman perspective, I think some insights here have application to liturgical studies in the Anglican context:

Five Myths About Worship in the Early Church Michael P. Foley   (Crisis)

As the forthcoming new translation of the Roman Missal debunks the myth that liturgical language must be so banal that even the muppets on Sesame Street can understand it, it’s a good time to examine five other untruths that have been wreaking havoc on the Church’s worship in recent decades.

1. Mass facing the people. After studying free-standing altars in early churches, liturgists in the 1930s concluded that priests once celebrated Mass “facing the people,” and that it was only under the influence of decadent medieval clericalism that they “turned their backs” to them. This myth was much in the drinking water at the time of Vatican II (1962-1965). Later, some scholars began to reexamine the evidence and found that it did not support their thesis at all, and that in fact there had been an unbroken tradition — both East and West — of priest and congregation celebrating the Eucharist in the same direction: eastward.

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Orthodox bridge to the evangelical world

By TERRY MATTINGLY - Scripps Howard News Service   

As point man for Russian Orthodox relations with other faith groups, Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev is used to talking shop with Catholics, Anglicans, leaders in older brands of Protestantism and other world religions.

These duties have long been part of his job description. Meeting with leaders from the world's booming evangelical and Pentecostal flocks?

Not so much.

However, recent ecumenical contacts by this high-profile representative of the Moscow Patriarchate is evidence that times are changing. Time after time, during meetings with evangelical leaders and others here in America, Hilarion has stressed that it is time for Orthodox leaders to cooperate with traditional Catholics, evangelical Protestants and others who are trying to defend ancient moral truths in the public square.

"I am here in order to find friends and in order to find allies in our common combat to defend Christian values," said the 44-year-old archbishop, who became a monk after serving in the Soviet army. He also speaks six languages, holds an Oxford University doctorate in philosophy and is an internationally known composer of classical music.

For too long, Orthodox leaders have remained silent. The goal now, he said, is to find ways to cooperate with other religious groups that want to "keep the traditional lines of Christian moral teaching, who care about the family, who care about such notions as marital fidelity, as giving birth to and bringing up children and in the value of human life from conception until natural death."

On this occasion earlier in the year, Hilarion was preaching from the pulpit of the 5,000-member Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas, a conservative congregation that remains part of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), which recently approved the ordination of noncelibate gays, lesbians and bisexuals.
While in Dallas, Hilarion's public schedule included meetings at Dallas Theological Seminary, a prominent institution among many of America's most conservative evangelical leaders. He has also, this year, met with nationally known evangelical leaders in New York, Washington, D.C., and at Princeton University.
In a recent interview with Christianity Today, one of evangelicalism's flagship publications, the archbishop said it is crucial for all churches -- including Eastern Orthodox churches -- to expand their work into public life, even if this creates controversy in some quarters.

"Very often nowadays our church will publicly express positions on what's happening in the country," he said. "Some people ask, 'Why does the church interfere? It's not their business.' We believe that the church can express its opinion on all aspects of human life. We do not impose our opinions on the people, but we should be free to express them. And people will have to choose whether to follow or not to follow, whether to listen to what we say or to ignore it."

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Cold Fire of the Holy Spirit

Gabriel Torretta, First Things 

 

 

Human efforts all show their fault lines sooner or later—Rome fell, Communism crumbled, and even the flag on the moon will tip over eventually. But Pentecost is the perpetual reminder that the limits of our strength should lead us to hope, not despair. Strength, and it limits, are the obsessions of Asbury Fox, the main character in Flannery O’Connor’s short story “The Enduring Chill.” . . . Continue Reading »

Southern Baptists Report Decline

This should be a humbling wake-up call for us all.  Southern Baptists have long been leaders in church planting, church growth and personal evangelism.., in short, "if it can happen to them, it can happen to any of us..."

By Bob Allen, Associated Baptist Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) – The Southern Baptist Convention reported declines last year in several categories traditionally used as markers of denominational vitality, according to annual statistics released June 9 by LifeWay Christian Resources. The 2010 Annual Church Profile showed dips in baptisms, total church membership, worship attendance and participation in Sunday school and other Christian education programs. Declines were also reported in giving categories, but some of that was attributed to the fact that not all Baptist state conventions asked churches for information in ways that make for year-to-year comparison. Southern Baptists reported 5 percent fewer baptisms in 2010 than in 2009 – 332,321 compared to 349,737. Total membership was counted at 16,136,044, a drop of 0.15 percent and the fourth straight year of membership losses. “I pray that all of us will see the urgency of the moment,” said Thom Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay. “We must make the Great Commission the heart of all we do and say. These latest numbers should be received with a broken spirit and a God-given determination to reach people for Christ.” One area that did show increase was the number of churches, which rose 1.59 percent to 45,727. Rainer said he was encouraged by a church-planting trend that could help stall the membership decline. Read More

Iceberg parables

Pastors face challenge of preaching sermons that pierce rather than just entertain   
By Marvin Olasky  (World Magazine)


After listening to sermons for the 35 years I've been a Christian, I agree with those who say the call to preach is the highest honor there is.

It can also be the most frustrating. Think of the Parable of the Sower:

Three-fourths of the seed lands by the road, or on stony ground, or amid thorns. Three-fourths of the sower's work is wasted. That parable, like so many Jesus presented, is not an icebreaker anecdote, a happy story to put listeners in a cozy, receptive mood. Jesus told iceberg parables, not icebreakers.

An iceberg parable is a story that can sink a ship as big as the Titanic. The Titanic had its first and last voyage across the Atlantic nearly a century ago. It advertised itself as unsinkable. Many non-Christians think of themselves as unsinkable. Many of us who have been Christians for a long time also start thinking of ourselves as unsinkable. I can get prideful and feel like a know-it-all. I need an iceberg parable to penetrate my hull.  Read more...

Bad News for Church Planting in the City

Court Ruling on Schools Could Force City Churches to Find New Homes

Sunday, June 05, 2011

By Beth Fertig     www.wnyc.org

• 

  (Stephen Nessen/WNYC)

Several churches around the city may have to stop holding Sunday services in public schools following a recent court ruling — and it's unclear where they would go.

The ruling by a panel of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals found the city had good reason to bar any religious worship in the schools because it appears to promote a particular faith. The decision followed years of litigation between the city and a small evangelical church called the Bronx Household of Faith, which has been holding Sunday services at PS 15 in the Bronx for about nine years.

The city's law department said it's still going over the ruling, and won't kick out any churches from schools before the end of June.

Churches Now Using Schools
It's not known precisely how many churches use city schools for Sunday services. Love Gospel Assembly Church in the Bronx has been holding Sunday services at a local middle school ever since a fire destroyed its sanctuary last year. Several churches affiliated with the Redeemer Presbyterian Church rely on the public schools, including Park Slope Presbyterian Church, which uses John Jay High in Brooklyn, and Covenant of Grace Presbyterian Church, which uses IS 5 in Queens.
Those that use the schools on Sundays tend to be small, new churches that can't afford commercial space. Like other organizations, they pay no rent to the schools for using their rooms. They merely reimburse them for the cost of security and custodial work.
"In New York City it's either very expensive or in some of the poorer communities, neighborhoods, there's not really a usable facility for meetings except in the public schools," said Jordan Lorence, senior counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund in Arizona which represents the Bronx Household of Faith.

Worship v. Expression
Lorence said New York City is unusual because most big school districts do allow religious services in their public schools. He also denied the city's contention that the churches were getting an advantage — and an impressionable audience of children — by holding services in the schools on Sundays.
The circuit court's decision last week noted that "a worship service is an act of organized religion that consecrates the place in which it is performed, making it a church." But Lorence argued that worship is an act of free expression protected by the U.S. Constitution.

The Bronx Household of Faith said it will ask for stay to prevent the ruling from taking effect and also plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary.

The church lost its original suit against the city's rule against religious worship in the public schools in 1995. But it won its second attempt after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2001 that a Bible club in Milford, New York, had the right to meet in the public school.

In its ruling last week, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals said that case was different because the Bible club's meetings weren't solely about religious worship. It said New York City's ban applied to a form of conduct - worship - and was therefore Constitutional because it didn't impinge on free expression.