Listen to any song of any genre and try not to feel even the slightest emotion. Spotify understands the subjectivity of music, as it hosts over 6,000 different genres listed in its database. That's because of 640 million users worldwide, each with a separate and firm opinion about "what makes good music."
Among its many genres are various styles of "worship." Regretfully, few things have become as divisive in church as contemporary worship.
Ask any churchgoer about their favorite song on Sundays. Some are fast and full of instruments. Others are solemn and near acapella. All praise the Lord, and few appeal to 100 percent of those singing in attendance. That's just how it is for the service's first 30 to 90 minutes, depending on where you go to church.
Many denominations have "traditional" and "contemporary" services to keep members happy without searching for another church home. It's not about preaching in Latin and English; it's about traditional or contemporary worship. Why? Music can't be objective because it connects with emotions.
Praise and worship have one goal–to extol the name of Jesus and prepare your heart for the sharing of God's Word. Some churches prefer the Old Rugged Cross, reading from hymnals and appreciating the words to songs engraved on their hearts. Others like the songs with a more progressive twist and sound like something you could hear on the radio blaring in the car with the windows down.
And that may be the righteous rub to this debate: Are we banking on the entertainment level at church to reach the lost, or does the entertainment help the Holy Spirit tug on someone's heartstrings? Do the lights need to dazzle, speakers need to boom, and projection screens need to glitter to keep people in their seats and change their lives? Again, it depends on where you go to church.
Is the difference in worship styles that drastic?
In a word? Yes! Back in the day, a choir dawned in robes and held hymnals. There was a good music section or orchestra and even a pipe organ. Songs have filled the halls of high cathedral ceilings since the 3rd Century AD, and Gregorian chants in monasteries. But turn on a Christian TV network now and see something completely different.
The stage is full of musicians and vocalists dressed like they went thrifting before church. Everyone looks good jumping on the stage to the beat of a spectacular light show, which enhances the mood. There are solos by musicians to create extra emphasis. The massive widescreens feature backgrounds, lyrics, and crowd shots with a boom camera or even a drone (yes, that's happening). The sanctuary ignites as people come in for a concert. In many churches, that is what's expected.
It's a show. No doubt. But is that a bad thing?
The Holy Spirit can fill an arena or someone's heart with the same intensity. You can sing "How Great Thou Art" (traditional worship), "I'll Fly Away" (Gospel), "The Blessing" (contemporary worship), or "There Is a River" (southern Gospel) on any Sunday. It doesn't matter. God will move! And, if you're into the music, so will you.
Some believers prefer quieter, more serene worship. Others enjoy raucous, active praise that shakes a building. Despite the drastic differences in genre, what's happening must lift Jesus–not the pastor, the music leaders, or the star vocalist. It must move us into a state of mind focused on God and put our worries on the shelf.
Acclaimed author and theologian A.W. Tozer once wrote, "I can safely say, on the authority of all that is revealed in the Word of God, that any man or woman on this earth who is bored and turned off by worship is not ready for heaven." Worship should enter us into heaven, not make us want to exit the building.
The author of Hebrews wrote, "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:28-29 NIV)
Have you ever been on fire? You may run in place and shout or cry and fall to your knees. See? Reactions are personal amid a consuming fire, but the flames are the same.
Should the focus be on the message, not the music?
An isolated vantage point can't answer that question. Of course, the music's words stir our souls, but the music helps us usher in the Spirit. But what if you don't know the words?
Is it a good thing when you are standing there worshiping God, eyes closed, hands raised (maybe), mouth open, and then, you have to play peek-a-boo with the screen because they're singing–yet again–another new song you had no idea
Some worship teams are making albums, looking for buys, and want the popular music streaming service to feature them for downloads. What's the purpose? Are they expanding horizons for new ways to approach God's throne? Or are they doing that at the risk of losing half the crowd who want to sing a song they know and can karaoke in the pew?
It's a show here, too. No doubt. But is that a good thing?
There probably isn't a single worship song written that doesn't have lyrics magnifying God's Name. Some songs even seem to have the same six lines on repeat for 20 minutes. Even those have edifying lyrics and energizing music. None of that does any good for the person searching for a touch from the Lord if they have to look up because the melody is off or the words are unknown.
Churches are places of worship but also structures of business. Think like a consumer for a moment. What happens if you walk into a store and see nothing you like? You leave, take your money, and possibly tell a few people you know about your negative experience. Pastors with any responsibility think like business owners. They don't want you to leave. They have things to sell, and a Savior awaits an introduction. Your review matters because your soul is in the balance. And they want you to tell everybody!
Sometimes, the trendsetting items are sold and can't stay on the shelves. Yet, there is a reason those stores keep the "oldies but goodies" there too. That's a comfort buy, befitting an impulse or something to keep in rotation.
"...Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." (Ephesians 5:18b-19 NKJV)
During any worship service and time to exalt our praises to God, the cutting-edge music may perk our ears and gain our interest, but the tried-and-true message permanently seals the deal.
Is it entertainment or Evangelism?
Today, it's both, and nothing is wrong with that. All those music genres are known for a reason. Everyone has contextual opinions, different tastes, cultural preferences, and diverse musical interests. People tend to drift toward what they like, and that's okay.
When Moses and Miriam wrote the first worship song noted in the Bible (Exodus 15:1-18), they weren't concerned about stage setup, reverberation on the microphones, and if Aaron singing on backup clapped on two and four. They wrote what was on their heart, shared it with the Israelites, and sang to the Lord.
"Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you–majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?" (Exodus 15:11 NIV)
Those words are worship. That is evangelism. If you wander the desert for several days and the man leading the charge asks you to gather at the campfire for a sing-along, that's also entertainment. Whether Moses, Aaron, and Miriam should become the next hot trio in contemporary worship traveling from city to city is another question entirely.
Suffice it to say that the only people who would buy tickets to their concerts would be those who resonate with the songs they wrote and the words they sang. The person on the microphone can whoop and holler onstage until they are blue in the face. No one will care if the Holy Spirit isn't invited into the building through the music. Church people are different that way.
Some people appreciate the entertainment, and others don't. Arm wrestle about that opinion until your elbow hurts. When Sunday morning comes, and we are in church, if the focus of the worship is on anyone but God, the music won't matter anyway.
Our deepest affection. Our highest praise. Our whole being. That, and only that, is worship.
