[rodgersorgan] Re: Organs & Praise Bands -
- From: "Richard Wildhirt" <rwildhirt@xxxxxxx>
- To: rodgersorgan@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2003 17:47:17 +0000
Noel, it's insteresting that this note should come across the wire at this
moment.
Some diehard Lutherans in my church and I were conversing about this very
subject, in light of our hiring eight months ago our first non-Lutheran and
non-liturgical music director. He comes from a fundamental Baptist
background, and we've had to do a lot of babysitting and spoon-feeding.
We have four services every weekend, and only one uses the organ. The big
push in recent years has been for the contemporary idiom. Not surprisingly,
our one traditional service is on the short end of the stick. I and several
others are getting frustrated that we've had to do so much backtracking to
help our new minister understand basic liturgics, the Lutheran way of doing
things in worship, and common hymnody. It really came to light this past
Easter weekend that he is still having trouble getting the hang of things.
If we would've hired someone with a more classical background, as our
previous music minister had, we would be in this pickle now, and the
traditional service would be getting its fair shake.
I have felt like the proverbial liturgical and doctrinal watchdog, doing a
lot of barking recently, having to really watch the sloppy theology and
syruppy texts of these praise songs that he's brought in. What's more is
that we're singing them so often, that it's becoming monotonous and shallow.
Attendance is down at those other three services.
I shake my head in disgust and pitty, but I know that perseverance will
eventually pay off. Either that, or I'll just have to find someplace else
toworship.
Richard Wildhirt
Federal Way, WA
St. Luke's Lutheran Church
Rodgers 940/PR-300S >From: noel jones >Reply-To: rodgersorgan@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>To: rodgersorgan@xxxxxxxxxxxxx >Subject: [rodgersorgan] Organs &Praise
Bands- >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
onthe >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
emphasison 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
hisOrgelbuechlein. >>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
playedfor 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 >------------------------------- >frog music press,
publishing MIDI music >moderator, rodgers organ users group >at
www.frogmusic.com
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