Sing About Jesus, Not About You: Rejecting Self-centered Church Music
In a previous essay, I discussed the increasing individualistic approach to music in our modern society. Now I want to focus on how this trend has affected our church music, both on the level of individual songs and on the level of our approach to church music in general. An examination of lyrics, style, and setting can inform us of how we should sing and how we have missed the mark. Lyrics Perhaps the most basic element of our church...
2019 National Convention: A Brief Recap
Over 4,400 Free Will Baptists gathered in Cincinnati, Ohio, three weeks ago for our 83rd National Association meeting. Seven of eight Forum contributors were able to attend. Like most delegates and attendees, we kept busy attending business, competition, giving seminars, working booths in the Exhibit Hall, and enjoying fellowship with old friends. This year’s Convention post will be slightly different from previous years as we will...
Moving Beyond the Worship Wars
The worship wars seem far from over. While they don’t occupy the front page of current Christian magazines, and public disputes seem to have decreased, a quick meeting with your local pastor or music minister will show you how prevalent these concerns still are. Congregants have strong stances, and rightfully so. Decades after the rise of contemporary Christian music (CCM), local churches continue to wrestle with how musical style and...
Church Music and Insomnia
by Daniel Webster Weekly since I was sixteen years old, I have stood before Christ’s church and led music within the worship service. Needless to say, while in this position, I have been learning throughout the process as much as I have been leading. I have said lately that many of the decisions I’ve made through the years in the area of music have caused me to lose sleep. While such a statement may actually be an overstatement, there...
An Introduction to the Regulative Principle
Throughout both Old and New Testaments, Scripture make clear that God cares about how we worship. It’s not something He has left to us; rather, He has given us principles to follow. From the beginning God has been interested in how we worship Him. The first Scriptural occasion in which worship is mentioned is the Cain and Abel narrative. Abel’s worship was pleasing to God, but Cain’s was not. Perhaps the most explicit Old Testament...
Recent Comments