Bible Question:
Please help me. I attend many contemporary Christian worship services. I often have difficulty understanding the lyrics. Some examples: 1. "Let the river flow" 2. "Let your fire fall" 3. "Dance with me Jesus" I don't understand the lyrics to these songs and it makes my worship experience less than optimal. I finally put my foot down with the "Dance with me Jesus" worship song and now I have the Pastor and elders in conflict over the spiritual accuracy of asking Jesus to dance with us...not what I had intended at all! Does anyone else have difficulty over the spiriual accuracy of these songs? Do I really want Jesus to dance with me? Can I stop the river's flow? Isn't the fire falling from God a symbol of His judgment? Do I want any of these things aspart of my worship experiences? Please advise. Blessings! Bud Greenberg PSALM 133 |
Bible Answer: Bud, while I make some weak attempt to be eclectic in my musical tastes, and this includes church music, by and large I hold with the old. I'll take Bach over rock any old day. "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" does seem to have an edge over "Dance With Me, Jesus" Who wrote that distinguished lyric, Dr. Seuss or the Beatles? I don't blame you for putting your foot down........ It's a fact that "Christian Music" is Big Business these days, and they who churn out the merchandise push hard to vend a never-ceasing flow of new songs, the bulk of which are barely mediocre and some are pure junk. Occasionally I'll come across a list of the week's Top Ten Gospel Songs, or some such thing. Is this supposed to be God's Hit Parade? The idea is particularly distasteful..... This country is obsessed with a distressing mentality that what's new is what's best. The Madison Avenue ad boys have done a marvelous job in selling us a bill of goods. We simply must have that new car, new house, new computer, new clothing, new Bible and new music. Candidates for public office have been elected by telling us "it's time for change" without bothering to tell us why...... I'm not entirely in disfavor with all modern hymns, but at the same time I register a keen displeasure in seeing a wholesale disposal of the church's classical musical treasures in order to make way for every new smash hit that comes along. --Hank |