Posted on 02/05/2007 8:50:40 AM PST by hiho hiho
Pastors have asked me, "How can you use a secular song in your services? How can you let your team sing a song by Hoobastank? Or Evanescence? Or the Killers?"
Let's talk a little bit about secular music in the church.
First of all, we should clarify terms. There is a big debate in church circles today about what "secular" even means in relation to music. What makes a song secular or Christian? Is it the type? The lyrics? The person singing it? Madeleine L'Engle had an interesting statement in her book, Walking on Water.
She wrote: "To look at a work of art and then to make a judgment as to ... whether or not it is Christian is presumptuous. It is something we cannot know in any conclusive way. We can know only if it speaks within our own hearts and leads us to living more deeply with Christ in God."
Isn't that true? There have been times when I'm in my car with music blaring and God uses the lyrics of a song, written by non-religious people, to speak deeply to my heart.
But for sake of this conversation today, let's agree that secular music refers to popular songs that are written by a mainstream artist without any specific Christ-honoring intent. The song isn't about Jesus or worship or moving toward God. The person singing isn't a known Christian artist.
Here is what I believe: I think it is permissible, and even advisable, to use music in your services that has been written by non-Christians and that doesn't have an obvious Christian message.
How can I make such a statement? How can I encourage you to pull music from the world into your church services, into worship? How can I suggest that a song that was not written for the purpose of pointing anyone toward God could be used to accomplish God's purposes on Sunday morning?
It all has to do with how you view your services. Your service probably contains several elements, including announcements, congregational singing, performance music, perhaps a drama, maybe some video, and a message. You can view these as separate elements that stand alone in accomplishing a purpose, or you can view your service as one seamless experience that builds toward a goal.
If you see it as a seamless experience, then you might use a secular element to open people's hearts to receive a truth that comes later in the service. You might, for example, use a secular drama featuring a married couple fighting about money to prompt people to think about their own lives and prepare them to hear a message about God's plan for financial peace.
Or you might use the song called "Untitled" by Simple Plan to show the pain of messing up and hurting other people in the process. Over and over the song writer proclaims, "How could this have happened to me?" What better way to set up the service, open people's hearts, so when the teaching pastor talks about what to do with your shame, people are ready to hear God's Word. They may already be thinking, "That's me. I've messed up. How could this have happened to me?"
And the next week, when they hear that song on the radio, they may be instantly pulled back to the service. They may remember again about God's plan for them, that he can help them start over. Maybe they will remember a decision they made in that service.
Every element in your service doesn't have to be prescriptive. Yes, you are trying to teach a principle or encourage people to consider a truth, but you can use certain elements to raise questions and other elements to help provide answers. A song can get people thinking about the pain in their relationships, the longing in their souls, or the beauty of a flower – and can be the perfect vehicle to prepare your congregation to hear the message.
It's amazing to me that the same pastors who have never allowed a secular song in their services have quoted secular authors, secular poets, and secular historical figures. They quote these people to make a point, to get people thinking, and to open their hearts. I challenge those pastors to stretch that philosophy to cover your entire service. Look at the entire service as one seamless message comprising different elements, all of which are focused on helping people take their next steps toward Christ.
Paul did this when he quoted from a famous poet of his day (Acts 17:28). He wasn't saying, "I agree with everything this poet wrote." He wasn't saying, "Read all of his poems." He was just using a well-known secular poem to connect with his listeners in order to help make a change in their lives.
Depending on your background, this might seem like radical stuff. But think about it. It's all about speaking the foreign language of our culture in order to reach the people in it. If you view your community as a foreign culture, then you are a cross-cultural missionary. It is your job to learn the language, signs, symbols, and customs of the culture – and then use what you learn to build a bridge back to God.
One God ... many paths ... some less well-traveled
well if one's parish is a place set aside for God it would seem profane to parade about secular nonsense there.
if on the otherhand one's parish is a community center where folks occasionally pray it'd seem just about anything goes...
In that case maybe he'll play "Sympathy for the Devil" next Sunday.
It amazes me he doesn't see the difference. IF there is lyrics to a song that illustrate a problem being addressed in the sermon, the pastor can QUOTE the lyrics in the sermon. But singing the song is a form of entertainment.
If your church service is primarily an entertainment medium, I guess you can do whatever you want.
If your church service is primarily intended to provide worship to God, then all aspects should focus on God and the worship and obedience of his creatures to his eternal greatness.
I think maybe this pastor thinks the primary goal of church is to bring new money into the coffers.
Well, with praise and worship music having gotten to the point where you can't tell if the artist is singing about God or her boyfriend...I suppose it's not too big a stretch to start incorporating music from secular artists where you can' ttell if the artist is singing about God or her boyfriend.
After all, it's all about context, right?
/sarc
The Lord works in mysterious ways ...
Read Acts 17 and see for yourself the difference between Paul's Gospel message to repent and this secular Purpose Driven method...not even close! Please also note that Paul's evangelism was a result of anger due to the many idols present in the city and the worship thereof. Most importantly...NOTICE THAT PAUL WASN'T IN CHURCH CONDUCTING A WORSHIP SERVICE!
The fact that the Toolbox writer referenced the New Age author, L'Engle, who as a librarian at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine is also extremely telling and lacking in discerment (it is also disobedient to a New Testament command to mark false teachers and avoid them). This church is the "mother church" of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. On its website it says that, "it is chartered as a house of prayer for all people and a unifying center of intellectual light and leadership (What about Jesus?...don't worry about it they've got the intellectual light and leadrship). The Cathedral serves the many diverse people of of our City, Nation and World through an array ofliturgical, cultural, and civic events...Our theology supports the values of community, hospitality, witness and stewardship which undergird this mission."
This "church" also houses the The Temple of Understanding, which exists to, "achieve peaceful coexsitence among individuals, communities, and societies through interfaith education. Our programs emphasize experiential knowledge and dialogue as a means of connecting people of all ages across a spectrum of religious traditions." The Temple is a United Nations Non-Governmental Organization.
This "church" houses Shinto and Native American shrines and has displayed a female figure of Christ called "Christa". They perform Tai Chi rituals and Earth masses, among other false worship practices...
I guess when you want to provide support for secular music in the "worship" of God, a New Age occultist is the one to go to.
Birds of a feather...!
"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it." -Matthew 7:13-14
And someone said to Him, "Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?" And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, 'Lord, open up to us!' then He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know where you are from.' Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets'; and He will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.' In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out." -Luke 13:23-28I, however, wouldn't be so sure.
He is officially now over the edge. Failing to differentiate between music as worship, and secular lyrics quoted in a sermon to make a point, is inexcusable!
I think he eliminated the sermon in favor of a 'message'.
It all has to do with how you view your services. Your service probably contains several elements, including announcements, congregational singing, performance music, perhaps a drama, maybe some video, and a message.
"I am THE way, THE truth, and THE life; no one comes to the Father except through Me." John 14:6.
It doesn't sound like there are "many paths" to me.
Uh, no.
Cue "Twilight Zone" music ...
It's interesting that he doesn't mention the Bible's being part of the "service."
"Financial peace" is what their message is addressing....The Bible is not necessary for that (maybe a smattering of out of context quotes from a twisted paraphrase, but not the Bible).
"Financial peace" is an important "felt need" to the unchurched. Per Warren's Purpose Driven Church, anyone can be won to Christ by finding the key to their heart, which Warren says is "felt needs". Once we know what the "felt needs" are, then we can "shape" the "gospel" to meet them.
Shaping the church, the gospel, the music, the worship and etc. to meet the unchurched's "felt needs" is one of the primary engines that drives the Purpose Driven methodology.
Thanks, that was very informative. The whole premise takes me back to my days in marketing class!
This seems backward to me. The last thing the world needs is more people focused on themselves, their feelings, and their needs.
So does the Devil.
I had never heard of L'Engle till she wrote the forward on the Cassie Bernall book. (she was one of the student killed at Columbine High School in 1999)
Financial peace is a phrase Dave Ramsey kinda throws around alot too.
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