“For: The Institute Of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt”
This is the first week for the course Essentials blue Studies in Worship Theology and Biblical Worldview. It has been many years since I was in college course. It has been an eye opening beginning. I have enjoyed the readings but have been overwhelmed with the amount. My daughter who is a senior at Cedarville College said “Welcome back to college, Mom.” I am looking forward to this journey.
I find Brenton Brown’s comments in his video interesting. I have always believed that music has huge effect on our worship. Music can enhance worship or destroy it. But the thought that people remember what is sung before they remember the sermon had not really occurred to me. Or rather I should say I’ve never really thought about it. Therefore, I agree that worship leaders must look at the message and theology we are presenting to our people.
I was at a worship committee meeting at my church this week and the devotional that was read was about this very same subject. It spoke of the power of music in our worship services. The music of David soothed Saul and our music can teach and help our people draw near to God. Music can reach people for Christ when sometimes nothing else can.
I have always looked to link our musical message with the message of the sermon. But I must say I have never really delved too deeply into the theology behind the words. But I think without realizing it I am conscious of it. There have been songs that just didn’t sit well with me and I didn’t always know why.
There is a new song out that I love the theme and everything about it points to God except the 3rd line of the bridge. “We will over come by the blood of the Lamb (absolutely the only way) and the word of our testimony”. It is this last part that troubles me. What was the intention of this phrase? Because it is not our testimonies that will help us overcome. I feel it in my bones that they were not trying to covey that our testimonies will do anything for us. I have heard and done music from this church in the past and have been blessed. I know they went through a very difficult time in their church. They had a shooting one Sunday and some of their people were killed. And their pastor had just resigned after some very troubling headlines came out about him. This song was birth during this very low time in their church. I know it is very important to check the theology of our songs but we need to be careful to look for the true meaning behind the words.
I recently heard the same comments about a Paul Baloche song. They pulled one line out of it and said it was incorrect theology. I was stunned because I had never felt that about that song. I apologize I don’t remember the song or who said this. It was an on-line posting that I was reading.
So, I guess through my ramblings what I am trying to say is I’m excited to awaken a more intentional theological eye for the music I select. I think it has always lain dormant within me and at time like that “hidden stream”, which N.T. Wright talked about in his book Simply Christian (1), it has burst through to the surface.
(1) N.T. Wright, Simply Christian. (New York: HarperOne, 2006) pg 20
