Of course, it is perfectly appropriate to feel powerful emotions during Gods worship, but we must take care that these emotions truly are a Spirit-wrought response to who God is and what he has done, and not strong but shallow feelings wrought by musical performance. Your link has been automatically embedded.
If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Everyone else was holding song books so I am sure the people who saw me just had a silent kids these days gripe. The only way to know if youve made a mistake, though, is to give CCM a fair listen again.
"There's a new name written up in glory, and it's mine (and it's mine), oh yes it's mine (oh yes it's mine)", "I'll fly away, oh glory iiiii'lll fly away.
They know that most churches don't have skilled musicians leading worship, so they make the songs easy enough that any random person who's learned a few chords can play them. Set slide - active. I was just browsing a thread about Sufjan Stevens on Reddit (mainly asking if atheists were bothered by Sufjans Christian influences and references) and found a powerful quote from an atheist that made me come back and find this article, and post the quote; Most christian music makes me glad to be atheist; Sufjans stuff (particularly Seven Swans) made me wish I was christian. Reddit User. I am convinced with a little more repetition the singers will devolve into Pokemon. You cannot paste images directly. Singing along to CCM felt like some weird existential experiencestanding outside myself applauding my own deep seated faith and many spiritual victories..
One of my priceless memories. I agree with Drew in the topic of CCM usually being theologically shallow; but I have also listened to the current CCM and have to agree with most of the replys; the message has gotten better. Though admittedly some of the stuff is rather repetitive. Jesus in Disguise by Brandon Heathsimple lyrics, theologically deep, and (personally) very convicting. I must have read a hundred of these why I quit CCM essays by now. Introduce friends & colleagues to the CAPC world with a gift membership. So moving to a Pentecostal church with a band and lively music was like a dream for a young teen! That is a huge difference with the former focused on individualized religion and sometimes looking towards Jesus when the latter is about the two greatest commandments, to love God and love others. Terry Taylor (and his various projects) challenged the Churchs hypocrisy and silence, as well as addressing the heartbreak of loss (while yet exuding hopequite a feat!) I will own the pretentious labelI am well aware that most people do not share my taste in music. While those defending contemporary worship against its detractors tend to minimize or negate this idea, Lim and Ruth own it, celebrate it, and present it repeatedly, speaking of a well-designed worship set as a journey of being ushered into the presence of God (18).
Maybe Im crazy, but they stopped playing it, for a while at least!
He'd say "let's see if we can get 7 powers in there this time!"
These songs were written by stoned out college students who were trying to serenade some shallow girl who was completely enamored because her talentless boyfriend is an "artist" for being able to play 4 whole cords on an acoustic guitar. I dont want to be, but perhaps its true. Well, long story short, Im going to school one morning and Divin In comes on. Ill echo Daniel a bit; I dont listen to KLOVE, but when Im in one of the area Christian bookstores Ill sample some of the demos and I frequently find some worthwhile stuff Audrey Assad and Ginny Owens, to name-drop a couple. I used to sing along until they would get to the parts where they would repeat four words 5, 6, 8(!)
It was around the end of my high school days that I had begun to rethink this starting with Guitar Hero, of all things.
CCM has encouraged me, so I will continue to listen to it, but if it doesnt do much to someone, its not for them.
Get our weekly recap email for the latest from CAPC, delivered straight to your inbox. The Pentecostal larger gatherings would drone on and on singing repetitiously for 2-3 hoursBEFORE any talking/preaching/teaching even started. Great web site. I listen to CCM, and I have heard a lot of songs that fit your description, but I have also heard a lot that present an honest view of Christianity. But I think that underneath that criticism is an assumption that CCM artists try to appear to have it all togetherand Id really like to know WHICH artists are making that claim, because I havent encountered them. so it suprises me that Relient K is called an exception. (Glenda Schales, Craig Roberts, Some of these people have written a lot of new music in the last 20 or so years that's well done both musically and lyrically, but they know how to get to you emotionally.
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It suffers from repetition too but at least it feels like the song was written by someone having fun and has a nice folk sound to it.
You are either incredibly pretentious or incredibly worldly. Josh Garrels (folk/acoustic/hip-hop/r&b) This guy's got some soul. Add to that the 77s or The Choirshallow and derivative are not words Id use to describe them. While I have written on this subject on a number of occasions, I have never been fully pleased with my arguments against contemporary worship music. Rich Mullins Hold Me Jesus is quite honest. A couple of months ago I wrote a review of the book Lovin on Jesus: A Concise History of Contemporary Worship by Swee Hong Lim and Lester Ruth, which was published on the White Horse Inn/Modern Reformation blog. Oh! Maybe the Problem with Contemporary Worship MusicIsnt theMusic, Lovin on Jesus: A Concise History of Contemporary Worship, Due North Complete PerformanceRecordings, Preparing for College and UniversityAuditions, American School Band Directors Association, Stepping Stones for Bass Trombone, Vol.
It's just insane! Comments are now closed for this article. I've got more, but it's getting late (or should I say early).
Because the coming of Jesus is nothing to be trifled with, and categorical statements about everyone being set free as opposed to being lost to the darknessthe urgency in my heart that every heart actually be set free by relationship with Jesus spurred me to call. Would love to see more Christian blues/lament music.
I absolutely HATE it, and I am not taking about Relient K or anything, because they've become a little more secular since the beginning, but i digress. I like Days of Elijah. And why are you punishing the congregation by forcing them to sing all 5 verses!". I haven't listened to Relient K since Two Lefts Don't Make a Right (but three do) because I realized all their music sounded the same. To be completely fair, I dont hate ALL contemporary. Some have told us This is what I wish Christian radio sounded like. We call it gourmet music. Its a 1-hr weekly show, and I think anybody looking for more quality craftsmanship by Christian songwriters will feel right at home (www.radarradio.net).
U2 is not oldies, geezer.
I just turned 73 and it was only a few years ago that I began listening to oldies rock & roll.
Especially if you include the listener.
The New Testamentwhich speaks very little about music in worshipassigns to music a role having to do primarily with instruction (cf. The problem was that my life was not filled with an endless chain of spiritual victories. There are a lot of them.
They've just been around since before jesus. But (I may have told this story before) after going to a singing school one year and feeling the intense emotion (partly due to exhaustion from lack of sleep in a college dorm with poor air conditioning), I really got burned out. There is a great Q talk on this topic by Josh Jackson (co-founder of Paste magazine) on how CCM record companies encourage musicians to created watered-down music which is safe for the whole family. http://qideas.org/video/signs-of-life.aspx I want to know how we got to this point where we are sanitizing the gospel to make it squeaky clean. I know what some of you are thinking: I am either incredibly pretentious or incredibly worldly. The Bible nowhere treats music as a sacrament.
I actually got burned out on all music. Not because were wonderful and conquering warriors, but because of His faithfulness. It was an older form of the song the ox and ass are bleating At the terminal I couldve done a quick edit but not in remote. Like I said, in another context I would like much of that music just fine. If you have any good gems please reply to this! Some sang out loud and bold ASS! Others dropped to a barely audible mumble. Some things are made for others.
After years of subjection, contemporary is just abysmal and I cant tell the difference between songs half the time.
Cant Take The Pain is one thats awesome.
You can post now and register later. This isnt a hate against you; I agree to what to said to some extent. It makes his "Meteor Shower" that much more meaningful. But come the day of the special, all my trainees, kids, were in the program too!
guitar-centric." When I converted to Christianity and started listening to CCM in the early 2000s, I certainly noticed that a great number of CCM songs spoke of Jesus as a cosmic boyfriend come to fix all our earthly problems and consequently seemed to lack a biblical understanding of justification, sanctification, and glorification. Tell us who got your goat so completely that you decided to write off the genre.
The lead singer David Bazan became an agnostic atheist, but his music still worth checking out. Vengeance Rising (Old school Thrash/Death Metal).
YMMV, of course, I dont know your own experience, except what you wrote here.
the evil that I do not want to do, that I keep on doing (Romans 7:18-19)? Umm How could you miss mewithouYou.
Third Day has several songs that speak of the struggles that come with our faith. To further complicate matters, in other contexts I very much enjoy many of the styles of musicand in some cases even the same songsthat I do not prefer to have present in the worship service. Courage and contentment also found by those looking for them. I stopped listening to CCM because the majority of it did not compute with my experience as a Christian.
Good balance of cheese and heavy, for when you want to pull up to a large group of people too show off you're awesome blown out speakers. But like a steady diet of fast food, your pallet becomes numb to quality, and you become lulled into actually desiring anything that tastes like fast food (see KLove and The Fish). The idea that you cannot find authentic Christian music that deals with struggles, doubt, frustration is mind boggling. Hands down. Ill go with pretentious. I do not claim to be the ultimate arbiter of truth anymore. if they were alternative artists who werent going to get airplay on the adult contemporary stations anyway. All the Christian singers I was listening to seemed to have it all together. At least some music is upbeat.
:).
But if my opposition to contemporary worship is simply a matter of personal taste, that is not a valid argument against it and should be ignored. From one pretentious sinner to another, Drew. The only we get where I live are Way-FM (which plays songs from 20 years ago and claims to have a great ministry when it only plays music that 40-something Christians want to listen to), The Fish (a little better than Way-FM, but still not there yet), and the worst of them all K-Love. If so, who or what? Saint (Classic Heavy Metal) Reminds me of Judas Priest.
And great point on Laura Storys song Blessings.
All around good band. And obviously, thank you in your effort!
Pretentiousness should never be confused with this; the first is posturing and the second is the way we grow in the love that Jesus commands us to share with others. Pasted as rich text. Theyve been around 15 years, where have you been? ", One of the churches my dad pastored had a music minister who thought it was fun to have the congregation put a bunch of "powers" in "power in the blood". If you're looking for Poetry this will do it. But no, let's not mince words kiddos, it's musical cancer. BUT, their 2-3 hours of repetition singing hypnotizing and putting people in trances making it easier to brainwash and manipulate themwas Ok ?? But even that era, there was quality CCM that even got a lot of airtime. Good. The music swelled,the crowd stirred and I remember thinking, Oh. I have over 2500 songs on my phone and I still occasionally buy something (some Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie recently). 7th Angel (Thrash) Some Proper British Thrash \m/. JGivens (Rap/Hip-hop) Laid back. But I still stand by my rant. They are being stirred up by the music itself. Oh my self, the old hymns are awful!! I listen to and sing lots of Christian music. While many books on contemporary worship are written to either attack or defend these practices, Lim and Ruth simply present the development of contemporary worship as it happened and is happening. If I hear another song that i can replace Jesus/god with "baby" and it makes sense. I grew up in a mainstream coC that sung only hymns, and they sung them completely wrong.I could read music, and no one else in the congregation could. Where are the Christians who will join with Psalmist in expressing their frustrations and doubts openly? It was Mark Schultzs Love Has Come, which discusses an eschatology (Every heart set free) that I found great problem with. Support our work: Become a member and get exclusive membership perks.
In the mid-90's the lead singer had leukemia.
EDIT Had to add this: listener (Spoken Word/Ambient/Folk) This some of the most interesting music(?) Still it could be because Im a pretentious music snob (or so some have said). I dont have that kind of experience, so I cant relate, and that song is pointless to me. I also listen to plenty of music made by Christians in my free time. I am, at the very least, striving for self awareness.
Now I'm into Journey, U2, The Rolling Stones, ACDC, Led Zeppelin, Foreigner and stuff like that that I used to tell my kids was junk.
It's just SATB notation. Occasional thoughts about music, brass playing, the Bible, and theology. (Personally, I dont care for the musical style of this song, but I dont find the message shallow, inauthentic or lacking in humility.). But my mother guilted me into it (she wanted video of dad and I signing together). Beeker didnt fall asleep in time and we got an amazing cry from a transparent heart out of it.
I dont think its fair to judge all of CCM as a whole, but like many said, to point out specific artists. By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines. 1, University of North Carolina at Greensboro. That doesnt mean that all CCM is devoid of honesty, but it does, at the very least, present CCM artists with particular temptation to sell a certain type of spirituality.
I heard some excellent, awesome music, but nearly the same as what I had heard already. Andrew Peterson (folk/light rock) His songs are very well written, and the composition is beautiful. I've previously written on this board about attending a service at York Minster, one of the largest cathedrals in northern Europe. SO SHOULD YOU!" If there was an ExC award for the best rant of the year, I'd vote for yours. No offense intended, but for me personally, the traditional old time religious music is boring to the point I want to cover my ears and scream, "In the name of God please stop singing and playing these somgs! He wrote it one night because he was waiting for his friend Beeker to fall asleep where he could see what was on the hotel tv that he knew he didnt need to see. It irks me how a good station shows up, or a christian radio broadcasters union has a conference about changing the content of their music they play so that they can reach the new generation, and nothing ever happens. Im not commenting a lot in defense of CCM, but just to present my view, and im commenting this for anyone who wants to know a good inspirational artist: KJ-52.
Yes! times and I would just sigh, roll my eyes and wait for it to end. I think enough, people have experienced first hand what I am talking about in this article to show that my complaints at the very least represent something of a problem in the world of CCM. BtwI am going to see Sufjan sing Christmas songs in NovemberCANNOT WAIT!
There was, however, a time in my life when I parted ways with Christian Contemporary Music and have more or less never returned to it.
I find it odd that the secular media has picked up on the popularity of reformed rappers and Christian metals popularity, but you write a sour piece as if your only choice is Amy Grant!!
Cant Take The Pain is one thats awesome. Worship songwriters keep it simple on purpose. Rich Mullins Hold Me Jesus is quite honest. Clear editor.
He also writes about videogames for, http://qideas.org/video/signs-of-life.aspx. All are welcome to participate. However, neither of these two criticisms get to the heart of why I quit listening. I am sorry that time does not allow me to thoroughly and thoughfullly interact with them. The music is super cheesy but the lyrics explore a lot of the things that Drew brought up in his story.
Their plain presentation is helpful and refreshing, and hasperhaps ironicallybrought me to understand more clearly just what troubles me about so much of contemporary worship, especially with regard to music. To add, Yes, just because something is under the label Christian, (PODs I Am) doesnt mean its good, and actually there are a lot of CCM songs that deal with personal struggles. The CCM band RED said in an interview that that was the point of their band. I appreciate your call to Christians to be self-aware, as long as that means humbly coming before the Lord so that He can reveal to us the places in our lives, hearts, and minds where His healing power hasnt touched yet so that we can open those places to Him. Five Iron Frenzy Project 86 Disciple Underoath Impellitteri Brave Saint Saturn - From the guys at Five Iron Frenzy, but a completely different sound.
If I mustlisten to religious music I much prefer today's contemporary songs & music. Not thinking completely clearly this morning and Im typing fast, but hopefully you get my drift. It was maddening. I started listening to a lot of independent musicmade by all types of people, Christians included.
The first reasons observations that you accepted as true, but not as your reasons for not listening to CCM: The most common critiques leveled at CCM by my contemporaries is that it is theologically shallow and stylistically derivative of successfulsecular musicians. Im not sure when I had an entirely similar epiphany, but my storys a little different. It is almost as if we are spouting a semi-pelagian view that Christians are without sin in this life now that they have Christ. Was the computer not considered an instrument? Sorry, this might annoy some of you. and are broadcasting it Worldwide.most of it is unbearable to listen to. .
I dont think Christians should be married to anything in pop culture just because that thing is identified as Christian.. Not everyone needs to follow my example in this area of lifethus I felt my many disclaimers necessary. I believe you! Most of it is terrible. The image of these artists is pretty redundant, with the good looking guys and soft spoken lead singer that wears a scarf and a haircut straight from an A&F catalog. Such problems, however, are the exception and not the rule when we have listened to CCM, which is frequently. I will occasionally put on an LP on Saturday, or if I've played all of my podcast episodes I might play some music in the car.
These and similar concerns are valid, but can be (and in some cases have been) overcome by better contemporary songwriters, and certainly one can present examples of more traditional hymnody with the same problems. Sacrament (Thrash Metal) Similar vocals to slayer. That was me, again admitting my own pretenses. If you mean it sounds like Amazing Grace (Was blind but now I see), that would not be self-congratulation so much as thanking God for His redemption. They thought you had sing and worship until you were hoarse, mind numbingly braindeadand exhausted toCONJURE UPthe presence of the Holy Spirit, God and Jesus.
Theres Christian hard rockers from Project 86, Disciple, Red and Christian rappers from Lecrae, Tedashii, to Beautiful Eulogy & Propaganda. Now my favorites are Andrew Peterson, Josh Garrels, Sara Groves, The Vespers, Eric Peters, Jenny & Tyler, Derek Webb, Waterdeep, and so many more. Pedro The Lion Not around anymore but good still. Frankly, I think that pointing that out is not only a criticism of an improper view of God, but also an improper view of love itself. So would I, the only Xmas music I really listen to anymore are the British and Austrian boys choirs. They were always freaked out about and strongly against meditation mantra chanting.
Josh Garrels! This is not to say that there are no theological problems with CCM; my wife went so far as to call a radio station to explain to them the problem with one song she heard (this was a couple of years agoIm afraid I dont remember what song she was complaining about).
Still have any Gods? Now that there are no devote Christians to report me to my church or my family, I HATE CONTEMPORARY WORSHIP SONGS!!!
Thank you for your comments. I was pretentious and still am, but I was looking for authenticitysomething that the Scriptures seem to value more than modern evangelicalism does. There was some that I liked, but man there was a bunch of lousy garbage to wade through to find the few that actually sounded good. This was introduced to us but this 87-year-old revival minister who was was always jumping and dancing on stage. We are commanded to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves. This is a command and our eternal destination is at stake, according to evangelicals.
Christian musicians have little to NO talent.. Sorry if I repetitiously rant sometimes. I would rather hear Christian musicCCM, Gospel, choruses or whateverin the context of worship, not of entertainment. Call To Glory (Punk Rock similar to Social D). It was the funniest thing to hear the congregation stumble on that word. Pretty much anything there is full of substance. Without speaking to the human condition we pretend that Christians are always living in victory and never struggle with anything.
Even when I was a Christian, I didn't care for much that was on worship albums.
Abandon Kansas (Rock) Real Thoughtful lyrics. ExChristian.Net Why call into question your integrity by suggesting you might be posturing? I thought CCM was dead,, Ill give it a go! Anything outside of the bubble, so to speak, was considered an evil version of the music I was listening to at the time (Christian metal, hip-hop, etc). There are also great songs that I sing in worship, such as Lecraes Tell the World, TobyMacs All In, and Third Days Offerings. Here I was stuck for quite a long time, with an uneasy feeling about contemporary worship music but having few good arguments against it, and not even a clear way to understand and articulate why I had this uneasy feeling. 6:1).
Especially in the largerservices and the more well known ministries. He can spit. If I am looking for fear and anxiety, Ill always find them. Plain horrible.
Display as a link instead, So we were doing a Christmas special one year and I was asked to be in the choir.
We may not always feel that victory, as you were unable to ten years ago, but that doesnt mean that the victory is not actually there. To sing victory when we are in a pit is an act of faith, an act of claiming promises that God says are ours by virtue of being His children. Not quite as punchy. Songs are very poetic and intense. I had been raised as a Christian, and as a result hadnt known any other kind of music. Holy hell in a hurricane, batman!
The recurring theme which drew me was separating the truth from tradition and the failure in being human.
On a side note, I also discovered that the holy spirit cannot fully move upon the church unless it is preceded by a major key change.
Beeker didnt fall asleep in time and we got an amazing cry from a transparent heart out of it.
I just turned 73 and it was only a few years ago that I began listening to oldies rock & roll. I don't think, "I LOVE GOD.
Import lyrics and queue. I simply wanted to point out how I have been fine without CCM. the cuts I heard of mmhmm sounded even more generic. Just whiney mopey drudges of insipid trite! What can I say,taste changes with age. Dont automatically take for fact that all CCM is limited in depth and spirituality; try listening to some songs before making judgement P.P.S.
I have think music, like life, is something that we get out of it what we are looking to get. Project 86 just released their new CD this week, that is phenomenal, and far from bland. Even in my most devout days I couldn't stomach some of these and would look around at the congregation, standing, singing away like drones, words to a song that has absolutely no relation to modern syle and vernacular. They put on the best show I've ever been to. The title of this article is not entirely fair. Well, Matt, the 80s and 90s did give us Carman, who was kitsch personified but theres some stuff from the 70s that might give him a run for his money.
I could sing of your love forever? YES!