TOPIC II
CHURCH MUSIC
DOCTRINAL CONSIDERATIONS
To follow up on the first concept of Church Music and its current problems, there are a few points that do have a doctrinal component and should be addressed.
Item I.
This will be covered more thoroughly in a section on Public Prayer, but has an application on the subject of church music. Many of the short phrase choruses are prayers in that they speak to God in the second person. A few phrases later, they speak of God in the third person. I personally, would not risk God's displeasure by interjecting sermonettes among requests or thanksgivings being made to Him directly.
Item II.
In the 6th chapter of Matt, JESUS instructed His disciples, "When you pray, do not use vain repetition as the heathen do, for they think they will be heard for their much speaking". Singing repetitious phrases addressed to God seems to fit that category. Jesus explains that God knows ahead of time what we will say.
Also: Jesus told His disciples, in Jn 16: that they should no longer ask Him for anything, but should ask the Father in His name (Jesus name). Many of todays songs address Jesus directly, in contradiction of His specific instructions.
Lastly, the practice of lifting hands above the head when God is mentioned in a song has me baffled. The Greekidiom of "uplifted hands" refers to being ready to work. Don't ask God for something and then sit back and watch God oerform it. Paul's admonition is to be ready to do your job when He gives you one, especially when you have asked HIM for help. Heb 12:12
Item III
Finally, Cols: 3:16 and Eph 5:19 Paul instructs us to "teach and admonish" each other with our songs. Perhaps we all should sing more for another's benefit than for our own. It would seem that a majority of the things that Christians 'know' have come from a hymnal instead of the Bible. Never underestimate the power of music, sometimes for good, and sometimes for evil.
Constructive criticism is invited!
I agree totaly with the comments on Ed's blog.
ReplyDeleteAs a "hand-lifter," I'd like to explain that I don't lift my hands because the lyrics tell me to, although when we sing about lifting holy hands to God it does seem silly to stand there with arms not lifted. Primarily, I lift my hands as a testimony that I agree that what I'm singing is true. I would liken it to a court room where you raise your hand to give your oath of honesty. For instance, this morning during corporate worship we sang that God is holy. I lifted my hands as a sort of affirmation that I believe that and also as a way of giving thanks and honor to God for that holiness. Sometimes lifting hands can be emotionally driven, which I don't always think is a bad thing. God's attributes SHOULD elicit both an emotional and intellectual response from us. He created us as both physical and emotional beings, and as such, we should honor him with both our bodies and our emotions. Psalm 141:2 compares lifting of hands to the evening sacrifice, a sort of soothing aroma before the Lord as Leviticus reminds us, which also parallels the incense and the prayers of the saints before the Lord. This would be seen also in 1 Timothy 2:8 when Paul instructs the lifting of hands in prayer. An emotional plea for mercy is accompanied by the lifting of hands in Psalm 28:2. In Nehemiah 8:6, we see affirmation and praise in the lifting of hands. As in all things of corporate worship, self-control and order prevail, so we must be careful to keep our emotions in check and therefore not be a hindrance to the worship or instruction of others. Knowing why your lifting your hands is important, as opposed to just lifting them because the Spirit "carried you along" or because everyone else was doing it.
ReplyDeleteI understand that nonhand-lifters are often uncomfortable with the practice, which I would argue has more to do with tradition and personal comfort than it does anything else. Clearly, scripture does not prohibit hand-lifting and in fact seems to proscribe it in some cases.
And I do totally agree that our music should be more about teaching and instruction others than it should be about us. If we were to take away the sermon and just have the music, what would the lyrics teach? Would they present the gospel? Would they tell of a God big enough to worship? Or would they center on me and my works and my feelings?
There is a movement within the worship "industry" to produce songs that are more doctrinally sound and God-centered. It, of course, comes out of the Reformed camp, but that's a whole other topic for discussion. You can check it out at sovereigngraceministries.org.