Now Let's Sing the Gathering Song!

Welcome to the blog! If you are reading this either you listened to the podcast and were left desiring more (you just can’t wait another two weeks), you followed a link from some other page to this blog, or you intended to go somewhere else and now are deeply saddened by the lack of scantly clothed women.

Regardless, you are here so keep reading, you might find it worth your while.

In our first podcast we talked about Contemporary Christian Music, starting with Stryper. Something that we did not directly address was the purpose of music in worship. Here are my two cents (actually my 10-15 cents at least).

Music not only gives the individual a way to articulate a powerful experience, but also joins an individual with a community in articulating that experience. It is one of the few times in a worship service when individual’s actions are shared with others at a powerful and profound level. If you have ever heard the monotone, robotic reading of a congregation during unison or responsive prayers, you know that just because everyone does something together they are not experiencing together. Music, however, demands a physical involvement through the breathing, the singing, and pushes the individual to an emotional, mystical, spiritual experience. I am sure that there are those who sing with no emotion, but that is because they are as cold as ice and are willing to sacrifice...

In singing and sharing and articulating an emotional experience, people are embracing, to a certain level, values of the community (see Amazing Grace, or It is Well for hymns that embrace specific Christian values). This is where the type of music is important. If the hymn is not written well, the values offered will be weak and will not help in making good Christians. This is part of my (Jonathan’s) beef with Christian Contemporary Music. The individualistic emphasis on me and Jesus leaves out those around me, those outside the walls of the church, and does not call for growth. Good hymnody is important, as Charley emphatically stated in the podcast.

Now the fun thing about a blog is that I can throw out something loaded like this, unpack it a little, and then leave it for the reader to chew on. Ha!

Feel free to leave comments and Charley or I might respond, or e-mail us at 12ecast@gmail.com