Now that I am 70 years old, I can look back on a lot of changes in the church.  I have tried to look at these changes with an eye on Scriptural principles to see if we have drifted away from our foundation in Christ.

Styles of music do not bother me so much, although I have my own preferences as to what appeals to me and what I cannot stand.  I try to be respectful of all the different genres around Christendom today.

Being a guitar player, I originally took to the contemporary Christian music scene very quickly.  However, after fifteen years of playing, singing, and worshiping with it, I am seeing some major concerns that bother me.

You can call me old fashioned, but I was raised during the fifties rock and roll craze that started the whole change in music.  I liked the beat and simple lyrics.

One of the big differences I noticed was the change in public acceptance of less than adequate vocalists.  Rock and roll followed an era of great voices like Frank Sinatra, Julius Larose, Perry Como, Patty Page, Eddie Fisher, and many many more.  They were all great vocalists with great voices.

When rock and roll came along, the general public was more tuned in to the beat than the vocalists.  Although I have to admit, Elvis had an outstanding voice, but he was the exception.  Most had coarse voices, were pitchy, had no resonance and were second rate singers. But the big record companies banked on selling this new music with its worldly beat and they made millions because people accepted substandard music.

You may or may not agree with me, but that’s what I saw happening.

Now, I say all that to bring us through many years to the church today and its music.  I personally pushed for this new contemporary music.  I thought it would be attractive to people and they would want to come to church more often and feel at home.  However, I have a few problems with some of the contemporary music today.

My first question is, “Are we trying to entice people to come to church through our music?”  Secondly, “Do the words of the music lift up and exalt God Almighty and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ?”

To answer the first question, we have to consider the purpose of the church meeting.  A study of the Bible will find that the church is for believers to come together to worship God.  It is not its purpose to attract the lost.  A close examination of Scripture tells us that we need to go out into the highways and byways of life to spread the message of the Gospel.

So if our purpose for using rock and roll and emulating the world’s type of music on Sunday mornings is to lure the lost to Christ, we have missed the whole Scriptural dynamic of worship.  Music ought to glorify God and exalt His Name above all others as we bow in humble adoration, submitting our lives to His authority.

In answer to the second question, “Do the words of the music lift up and exalt God?”  let me make a few comments about much of the Christian contemporary music of today.

It is my opinion that much of the contemporary music used today in our churches is very weak musically.  The melodies are tediously repetitive and lack good structure.  The melodies sound much like a grade school child who made them up on his way home from school.  I do not mean to be harsh, but we are talking about worshiping the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Don’t we have much better music to offer to Him?

Granted, there are some great songs being written today.  They are absolutely beautiful and the words honor and glorify our Lord and God and the melodies are wonderfully supportive of the words being sung.  My heart is lifted up and my joy overflows at much of the music.

However, concerning the words of some of the music today, much of it is all about self.  We live in a “me me me” generation and some of our so-called Christian music is all about me and not about glorifying God.  Jesus is mentioned, but in the context it is all about “self.”  I suppose it is much like our prayers.  They tend to be about us asking, begging, and whining, rather than exalting God.

Christian music ought not to be so much about ourselves.  It ought to be our offering of praise.  It ought to exalt God.  It should offer up worship of His holiness, His righteousness, His love, His strength and power, His justice, and His wonderful grace.

In conclusion, let me sum it up with these thoughts.  Music is a gift from God.  I love it intensely.  It picks my spirit up and gives me hope that God is in charge and He will accomplish His purposes no matter what happens.  Music ought to glorify and exalt God Almighty.

I am reminded of a verse I was reading this morning:  Gal 4:9  But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?

The first part of this verse is very interesting.  Paul places the emphasis, not on our humanity, but on God.  “or rather are known by God”  We must remember that it is all about God and not us.  Music is all about God.  Life is all about God.  Everything is a Jesus issue!  If we sing of the weakness of our human predicament, what does that accomplish?  Let us sing of our God.  In Him we can rejoice!

I know many people dis the old hymns, however, most of them had great words and glorified God.  They were more about God than they were about self.  Personally, I like the old hymns and also much of the new contemporary music that is available today.  Let us all make sure that the music we use in church is based upon a good Biblical foundation and glorifies God.