By: Rev. David Wilson Rogers
In the last 40 years the church has waged a worship war with itself. Buzzwords such as “Contemporary” or “Traditional” have served to polarize and define worshiping communities in powerful and destructive ways. Adding to the religious tension within the church are judgmental accusations of authenticity based on preaching styles, musical focus, and theological perspective. It is hardly the way of Christ!
The problem is understandable. Music matters. There is no denying the fact that one form of music can inspire some while nauseating others. It is human nature that music will often transform and change with the progress of time. One generation’s music will not sound anything like the music of past or future generations. Arguably, this generational effect is accentuated and accelerated as the music business manipulates and musical styles and markets new sounds for profit. (Even though it is very small as compared to secular music, the Christian Music Business remains a multi-million dollar industry that is created and marketed for the purpose of making money.)
Music—as with all quality art—touches a part of our heart and soul like nothing else can. It can motivate and inspire just as quickly as it can offend or disgust. Yet, the relevance of the music to bring joy or grief is not the music itself. Rather, it is the life experience and personal perspective of the listener.
This reality was made painfully clear at a conference of church musicians held many years ago. One of the highly acclaimed church musicians that had been brought in to share his expert wisdom on church music was very condescending and derogatory toward a certain style of music. In his opinion, the music was “worthless” and “lacked the legitimate theological credibility” or “worshipful meaning” that proper church music demanded. As he ranted against the style of music that he clearly not only hated, but that he also found to be a slam against the church music he loved, one woman in the crowd spoke up. What she said changed the whole tone of the conference.
“You have no right!” she cried out with an indignant intensity. “Who are you to condemn that music?” He quickly responded with his academic and professional credentials that he presumed made him an expert on what qualified as good music. To that litany of accolades and arrogance, she responded. “That song that you find to be so ‘trite and worthless’ happens to be the only reason I am still a Christian. It just so happens that when I was a little girl and my alcoholic father would drunkenly molest me at night and there was nothing I could do to stop it, it was that song that kept me going. It was that song that kept me from taking my own life in anguish and shame. It was that song that kept me connected to Christ when the one man who should have led me to Christ was only defiling me with the worst possible evil.” She then looked him in the eye and said, “Don’t you ever condemn Christian music unless you have walked in the shoes of the one it has inspired and saved.”
The encounter serves as a measure for all Christians—not only in regard to Christian music, but in so many aspects of the worship wars that have divided and estranged so many in the Christian family. Music that inspires one should never be held in contempt by another. Preaching styles, faithful understandings of scripture, theological perspectives, and church customs will differ. That is reality! We all belong to the family of God even though we experience and worship God in beautifully diverse and distinctively different ways.
