It's a fallacy to suggest that using music from the 1700s-1901 is the only music appropriate for church. If churches want to reach the minds of people, today, then music should be contemporary. What is wrong with communicating to one another in various ways with music written in the 2000s?
The problems with Traditional-Only:
The word "tradition" is always defined by context. Scripture is clear that the tradition of passing down the TRUTHS of the gospel is key.
Human tradition always replaces devotion to God. The Scripture makes clear that "human traditions," held as equal to the commands of God is wrong. Mark 7:8, Colossians 2.8 Unfortunately, it is human nature to hold human traditions as more important than the sincere worship of God. Hey! Do you realize that the existence of the "fight" on the FFF comes from a reaction against (as well as a defense of) the human traditions found in the fundamentalist leaders of the 1970s.
Human tradition always devolves into a mundane familiarity which creates a mind-numbing repetition. Mindless repetition is what Jesus warned against in our worship. He calls it "babbling like pagans." Matthew 6:7 If you visit a traditional service that sings only the same songs from the early 1900s, you will find boredom and mouths moving to repetitive phrasings that do not connect with the mind. How many of you, having grown up with a strict, old hymn-only church have, decades later realized, "Oh! That is what that song says..."
Human tradition covers a multiplicity of theological errors. Many raise fair and truthful warnings against some contemporary music. Some of it has theological errors and should be avoided. However, human traditionalism overlooks the theological errors of the old hymns. Perhaps it is the mundane repetition that creates a barrier from inspecting the hymns sung in traditional services. Or, human tradition prevents the exclusion of some hymns because they are not supposed to be inspected.
In defense of contemporary music.
Worship has ALWAYS been accompanied by a variety of musical instruments. Traditional churches still do not allow drums, cymbals and tamborines that accompanied the worship.
Worship has ALWAYS had a variety of music. Colossians 3:16. The apostle Paul gives us a look into this variety by noting , hymns, spiritual songs, psalms. There was variety. Have you ever heard the argument that our singing needs to be directed to God and spiritual songs are to be rejected because they are too man-centered? Singing has two directions: uplifting worship to God and admonishing each other.
.... I could go on... but what are your thoughts?
The problems with Traditional-Only:
The word "tradition" is always defined by context. Scripture is clear that the tradition of passing down the TRUTHS of the gospel is key.
Human tradition always replaces devotion to God. The Scripture makes clear that "human traditions," held as equal to the commands of God is wrong. Mark 7:8, Colossians 2.8 Unfortunately, it is human nature to hold human traditions as more important than the sincere worship of God. Hey! Do you realize that the existence of the "fight" on the FFF comes from a reaction against (as well as a defense of) the human traditions found in the fundamentalist leaders of the 1970s.
Human tradition always devolves into a mundane familiarity which creates a mind-numbing repetition. Mindless repetition is what Jesus warned against in our worship. He calls it "babbling like pagans." Matthew 6:7 If you visit a traditional service that sings only the same songs from the early 1900s, you will find boredom and mouths moving to repetitive phrasings that do not connect with the mind. How many of you, having grown up with a strict, old hymn-only church have, decades later realized, "Oh! That is what that song says..."
Human tradition covers a multiplicity of theological errors. Many raise fair and truthful warnings against some contemporary music. Some of it has theological errors and should be avoided. However, human traditionalism overlooks the theological errors of the old hymns. Perhaps it is the mundane repetition that creates a barrier from inspecting the hymns sung in traditional services. Or, human tradition prevents the exclusion of some hymns because they are not supposed to be inspected.
In defense of contemporary music.
Worship has ALWAYS been accompanied by a variety of musical instruments. Traditional churches still do not allow drums, cymbals and tamborines that accompanied the worship.
Worship has ALWAYS had a variety of music. Colossians 3:16. The apostle Paul gives us a look into this variety by noting , hymns, spiritual songs, psalms. There was variety. Have you ever heard the argument that our singing needs to be directed to God and spiritual songs are to be rejected because they are too man-centered? Singing has two directions: uplifting worship to God and admonishing each other.
.... I could go on... but what are your thoughts?
