[rodgersorgan] Organs & Praise Bands -
- From: noel jones <gedeckt@xxxxxxxx>
- To: rodgersorgan@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2003 09:35:54 -0400
Forwarded from another list:
The problem with "praise music" is not so much with the instruments or the
style of the music, but rather the theology that is driving the entire
contemporary music movement. Instead of putting the focus on Christ and
what He has done for us, this "entertainment music" puts the emphasis on the
performers and what they can do to move the emotions of the listeners. This
false theology -- which is not really theology at all, but humanism -- has
afflicted so many churches today, even many of those with solid "classical"
music programs.
When church musicians place the emphasis on themselves, their choirs, their
instrumental groups, and their performance rather than on Christ, they are
abandoning what should be the mission statement of every church music
program: "To the glory of God, and for the edification of my neighbor," as
Bach stated in the dedication of his Orgelbuechlein.
The notion of "entertainment music" during a worship service is a heresy,
and, like all heresies, this one is not new to the Christian church. The
Lutheran pastor Conrad Dietrich in 1624 preached against ORGANISTS who were
bringing in all kinds of worldly music into the worship service. "Not only
do organists and other instrumentalists profane and desecrate worship when
they play courantes, passamezzos, dances, and other unsuitable melodies,
their behavior in the organ loft is also scandalous." This was not an
objection to musical style, but rather musical motivation. What do dances
have to do with divine worship!? They were played for entertainment, not
spiritual edification, and certainly not for the glory of God. Dietrich
suggested that organists "remain with the old customary, serious church
pieces and not make an entertainment organ out of a church organ." (Quotes
taken from December 1999 issue of Choral Journal)
We would all do well to heed his instruction, and remember why we are in
church in the first place!
Certainly, contemporary musical forms can be, and are, used quite well in
some churches, but we must always ask, "What is the motivation behind our
music?"
Best regards,
Michael Nieminen
Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
--
noel jones, aago
athens, tennessee, usa
423 887-7594
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