For some time now there has been a serious controversy in the body of Christ over music. It has been going on for years and still divides churches more than any other issue.
Why?
It's not a disagreement over biblical commands. Some try to argue that it is, but it's not. Colossians 3:16-17 commands us to sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Psalm 150 commands us to praise God with a variety of instruments. ...
The Case
"Pastor, we know you've been here only a few weeks, but we would like to work with you in starting a contemporary service. We tried to begin something a few years ago, but the previous pastor and the elders said it was wrong not to use the traditional hymns and liturgy. Since that time a couple of families have lost hope and gone elsewhere. We don't find the present service worshipful and ...
"Pastor, we know you've been here only a few weeks, but we would like to work with you in starting a contemporary service. We tried to begin something a few years ago, but the previous pastor and the elders said it was wrong not to use the traditional hymns and liturgy. Since that time a couple of families have lost hope and gone elsewhere. We don't find the present service worshipful and ...
Some musicians, not to mention church members, find the move to worship choruses in today's churches threatening. I believe we benefit by understanding and occasionally blending the strengths of diverse styles. If we become more comprehensively skilled, we are more valuable instruments for God's kingdom.
Worship choruses won't disappear in the foreseeable future, nor will the call for hymns. Finding ...
Blended worship can be defined in various ways. According to Robert Webber, author of dozens of books on worship including Planning Blended Worship, blended worship is usually defined in terms of music. It's seen as a combination of any kind of older music—ancient hymns, psalms, and traditional gospel songs—with contemporary praise music.
That's a superficial understanding of what blended ...
Blended worship refers to the mixing and blending of both historic and contemporary expressions of worship into a diverse mosaic of praise which encourages the participation of all God's people. In our day, blended worship is staging a comeback as congregations tire of providing multiple choices and dividing the congregation along generational or preferential lines.
I've observed a disturbing trend among our university students. Increasingly, our incoming students—whom I take to be representative of the evangelical population—are ignorant of even the most well-known, historic hymns. My informal survey suggests that college students who have grown up in the church in California are familiar, on average, with about 15–25 hymns today. Only a couple ...
Robert Webber contributed much to the way evangelicals understand and practice worship. He was the author or editor of over 40 books on worship, and he thought deeply about how Christians can practice worship that is biblical, historical, and relevant. He was interviewed here by Emily Brink, a former editor at Reformed Worship magazine and a senior research fellow for the Calvin Institute of Christian ...
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