Is music taking over the church?

[LifeUncommon]

I remember from my youth that everyone sang in church - the church body sang. Now there are mini-concerts where the congregation is invited to join if they know the words or can keep up on the screen, but the main focus is a performance.

And the music goes on and on and on for at LEAST an hour, sometimes much more.

I know David had minstrels, but we aren't David and I don't recall their purpose being to fill time or perform for people.

[Truthseeker]

I think a lot of it is just fleshly entertainment like a rock concert.

[OnTheFritz]

I actually agree with this. I think it's excessive. I also think it's more about the performance and it becomes a mini-concert, as you say.

[Razlin]

I remember one service we were singing and praising Jesus in music and songs, The spirit fell and the paster never even preached. It went for hours. It was Crazy

[Farfel]

Originally Posted by Razlin

I remember one service we were singing and praising Jesus in music and songs, The spirit fell and the paster never even preached. It went for hours. It was Crazy

There are times when my pastor doesn't get to preach because of the moving of the Spirit.

I'm a really big advocate for music, but I have been to churches where the musicians are trying to carry an "image," and where it is really more entertainment than anything.

[Razlin]

Originally Posted by Farfel

There are times when my pastor doesn't get to preach because of the moving of the Spirit.

I'm a really big advocate for music, but I have been to churches where the musicians are trying to carry an "image," and where it is really more entertainment than anything.

yea ive seen that too.

[Esaias]

Too bad prayer isn't taking over the church.

[n david]

Originally Posted by LifeUncommon

I remember from my youth that everyone sang in church - the church body sang. Now there are mini-concerts where the congregation is invited to join if they know the words or can keep up on the screen, but the main focus is a performance.

And the music goes on and on and on for at LEAST an hour, sometimes much more.

I know David had minstrels, but we aren't David and I don't recall their purpose being to fill time or perform for people.

My Pastor just had a great online discussion with those of us in the music department about this. There's a good article we read, "Why Men Have Stopped Singing In Church."

SOURCE LINK

Before the Reformation, laypersons were not allowed to sing in church. They were expected to stand mute as sacred music was performed by professionals (priests and cantors), played on complex instruments (pipe organs), and sung in an obscure language (Latin).

Reformers gave worship back to the people in the form of congregational singing. They composed simple tunes that were easy to sing, and mated them with theologically rich lyrics. Since most people were illiterate in the 16th century, singing became an effective form of catechism. Congregants learned about God as they sang about God.

A technological advance – the printing press – led to an explosion of congregational singing. The first hymnal was printed in 1532, and soon a few dozen hymns became standards across Christendom. Hymnals slowly grew over the next four centuries. By the mid 20th century every Protestant church had a hymnal of about 1000 songs, 250 of which were regularly sung. In the church of my youth, everyone picked up a hymnal and sang every verse of every song.

It goes on to say now we have projectors and digital lyrics, and we have a library of 250,000 songs that no one knows, instead of the 250 hymns that everyone knew. There are so many great songs we hear and want to do that sometimes we have to be reminded that it's not a concert, it's not meant for us to entertain to congregation; but it's a time for everyone to sing and praise God together.

There has been a sad shift from congregational singing to this one-man vocal, band-led concert type of "worship." Several non-denomination churches I've visited in the past few years have extravagant light shows and fog while the band is singing. The main lights are off, while strobes, gobos and color washes light the band on stage.

In many of the churches, there's no presence of God in the place. It's a rock concert, complete with some guy in skinny jeans that are too high, boots and either a tattered button up shirt or some t-shirt.

Worship leaders have to be cognizant of the congregation and their role as that of including everyone in songs of praise.

[Originalist]

I must confess that this is an area that I struggle with. I have even been tempted to leave traditional church because it grieves me so.

Please allow me to repeat what I wrote on another thread concerning this very subject.

David Wilkerson warned many years ago about music taking over the churches. He was right. I remember about 15 years ago when I looked around and it hit me....where had the true "congregational singing" gone? Instead of a worship leader and a couple of people backing him/her up, suddenly there were 10 or 15 of a so called "praise team" up there singing. You really can't tell half the time if you're supposed to be singing or listening. I suddenly found myself asking "Is this supposed to be a special ensemble number, or one the whole church is supposed to be singing?"

And then on a so called "congregational song", one of the praise singers always feels the need to break into a solo. And please don't get me started on the shallowness of the words to these songs! We need to stop getting our so called "praise music" from the local FM Contemporary Christian radio stations and get back to singing songs that truly magnify the majesty of God, but are written for the untrained singer to sing, and not just the professional on the platform.

About three years ago someone sent me a video by Jack Hayford. In just a few minutes Hayford articulated what I had been having a hard time putting into words. i posted this video on my Facebook page and was immediately attacked, even though I had no one particular person in mind at the time. But boy did it cause a stir!!! Please keep in mind while viewing that Hayford made these observations in 1995. How right on he was then!! We are now seeing the horrible fruit of what he predicted then concerning music in the church.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zr8PUk3HiIA

[KeptByTheWord]

God created music with angelic beings to sing to His glory. When those angelic beings became lifted up, a third of them were cast out of heaven. Music was part of Satan's downfall, according to what we know from scripture.

I believe any music/singing which purpose and intent is to glorify God, and God alone, is acceptable to the Lord. Anything that somehow elevates, and lifts up the one singing/playing is not acceptable to God, and His glory will not stick around.