Over the years I’ve heard a number of people refer to a particular style of music and say, “I can REALLY worship to THAT!” The spectrum of worship music is so very broad. For example, my congregation offers four service formats from liturgical to what I call “upbeat contemporary”. For some, the operative word is reverence. For others, the key word is freedom. No one seems to be neutral on the subject of worship music. For some time I’ve speculated that there might be musical sounds that we create that are pleasing to God, and some that…well…are not. I’ll just dive right in.
So, how do we sort out what kind of sound is pleasing to God? My thoughts center on one primary assumption the intent behind our choice of music. Though it may seem obvious that there’s only one intent that fuels our worship, [to lift up Jesus Christ as resurrected savior of the world!], experience has taught me that it’s very easy to cross the line into performance and entertainment. This can happen regardless of musical style. Whether a pipe organ in the back of the sanctuary or the artistic expression of a vocalist on the worship platform, people regularly walk away from worship having missed the point because the musical leaders drew attention to themselves. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10.31:
“Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God”
What I find remarkable about the context of this passage is that it’s a discussion of eating meat that had been used in a pagan ritual. Later, Paul says in 1 Timothy 4:4-5,
“For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God.”
The central issue is not what other people did with the meat, but whether it was received with thanksgiving to the true and living God. Does this mean that we can borrow musical sounds from other cultures? Apparently so, but there’s a catch. If it violates the conscience of our brothers and sisters, we need to surrender our freedom for their sake. Love and concern for others guides us. And so, this leads me back to the core of the matter: all things set apart for the expressed purpose of glorifying Jesus Christ, including music, are sanctified by this intent.
Clanging gongs and banging cymbals. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul tells us that without love everything we do is noise. Most commentators agree that he was referring to the banging, clanging and wailing that came from pagan temples in the city of Corinth. What made these rituals pagan was not the banging and clanging, but the lack of true love that can only be imparted by the True God (John 4.7-8). The Israelites also sent up quite a din of trumpets and yelling while they walked around Jericho…but for a Godly purpose. Recently, I heard a band that called their style “old-school punk worship.” What made up my mind was that the volume buried the message. I and all the people seated around me had absolutely no idea what they were singing about. It failed to lead us into worship, and led several people to the door. Sometimes we mistake the punch and power of music for worship. It may well be a spiritual experience-but not from the Holy Spirit. The message of worship must be louder than the music.
Reading Between the lines. Also important is what the musical sound brings to mind. In other words, the music can have a message apart from lyrics, and sometimes the two don’t match up. Even as I say this, I realize that some have used this argument to prop up a very narrow view of what constitutes proper worship music. In my view, if you prefer classical music, then simply own your preference without trying to make it into a theological issue. Nonetheless, certain soundscapes point to specific landscapes in the heart. The emotive quality in music is obvious, and requires no explanation. The rock genre popularly referred to as “death metal” is an extreme case in point. The music simply sounds violent. The question is whether the sound conflicts with the message or supports it. In light of the many places musical sounds can take us, we need to constantly wrestle with music as in end in itself, or as a vehicle given by God to help usher us into worship. Arguing for or against style is a slippery slope that can lead to the worship of a worship form.
“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things”
