Legalism As It Pertains To...Music

Before you think this is going to be a diatribe against those who prefer hymns and believe anything more modern than that is evil, STOP. This is not about preferred styles of music, be they for worship or otherwise. Rather, it's about pushing your particular preference on everyone else and feeling they are wrong if they don't agree with you.

Here's what I like. I prefer guitar-driven (preferably electric) worship music with a full band consisting of more guitars, keyboard/piano, bass and drums. I don't like horns and I can't stand the organ. I like my worship music to be upbeat when it should be and slow when it should be and if the worship leader can work in a hymn every week or two, even with a new arrangement, I think that'd be great.

Do I get that where I attend? Not even close. I had it at our church in Texas, but that's really the only time it's occurred. If I attend a church that is "traditional"--although, I don't know how we ever determined that singing hymns with only a piano/organ combo is traditional--I can take it for a little bit but then I become bored. And if it's led by organ only, forget it. I just can't do it because the sound of an organ grinds on my ears.

Now, given my strong propensity toward modern worship with an alternative or rock-driven edge, does that give a traditionalist the right to say I'm wrong? Does it give me the right to say they are wrong because they can't see the value in the newer music? The answer on both accounts is a solid "NO".

Look, we have many different churches with many different styles of worship. Why do you suppose that is? I suspect it has to do with each of us being such unique individuals and desiring different things from our Sunday experience. So there is something out there for everyone, but what if you don't want to move? What if your church was traditional and is now more "contemporary"?

Well, you can stay and live with the change or you can move on to another church. Staying and complaining and not adapting is an incorrect option. It's not your job to try to force others to believe as you do any more than it's mine to try to make a traditional church more modern in its worship style. Now, if I'm a worship leader and I've been hired to update things a bit, obviously I'll go with the newer stuff. However, I would caution worship leaders to think about who is worshiping with them.

The music isn't just about what you think is right as a worship leader. It's about what's right for the church you are a part of and for the people that reside within it. This likely means making a few concessions to meet more in the middle on a few things. For example, tossing in a hymn here and there is welcomed not only by the more traditional attenders but by those of us who enjoy new music as well. And please, please, please, don't just slow everything down thinking somehow that makes the concession and also makes it more worshipful. It doesn't. Slowing everything down just takes a good song and makes it slower and, generally, worse. Trust in the music and the people will follow or, if they don't, God will lead them elsewhere.

At my church in Texas, we had a large number of senior citizens in the congregation, probably about 20% in this church of 1700 were over sixty, I would say. Do you think the music changed to accommodate them? Nope. In fact, last year during a "40 Days of Purpose" series, a member of the worship team sang "Crashed" by Daughtry. Look it up if you don't know it and see how shocked you are at how rockin' this song is. It was awesome! In fact, I'm told the guy even jumped off the stage while performing it second service!

But as progressive as we were, the worship leader still did a great job of incorporating hymns into our worship experience. He recognized you could do the modern stuff as long as you did it correctly, with passion and the way it was written, but you could also add in older stuff. Bringing in the older stuff made everyone happy.

So the next time you think you've got the corner on what music is correct in God's eyes, especially when it comes to instrumentation and style, I challenge you to look it up. Find out where in the Bible it tells you leading with a guitar is not allowed. Find out where in the Bible it's made clear that rock music is sin. You won't find it, so stop trying. If you don't like what you hear, ask God to open your heart to hearing what He has. If that leads you elsewhere, and perhaps it will, that's OK; it really is.

And this goes for all of us, not just those who prefer one style over another. We have to examine our hearts every time we consider pressing forward on something we feel convicted about to assure it's Biblical and not just our feeling on it. Music has fallen into that category probably throughout the ages. We've just been in our current "battle" for a few decades now and I'm sure it will continue with the next generation of music as well. Enjoy it. It's fun!