Maggie's Farm

Yes, I've been in this discussion many times on worship and music committees. The sentiments expressed above all resulted in churches that said "Goodbye, kids! Unchurched people? Screw you!" That's not a prediction, that's a description. The idea that well they should like it, we should make them, it will be good for them in the long run, this time it will work for sure... helped destroy two successive generations in the church.

Thanks for that, we really appreciate it.

I am musically trained, have sung in traditional choirs and know the verses and bass parts of most hymns by heart. I lean toward keeping as much as we can of what is good. I am also on public record deploring "Jesus is my boyfriend" songs, or camp songs, except at camp or for children's choirs to sing. But those who insist on high culture with no mention of what this has cost or how it must be applied judiciously and how it fits in discussions of community worship, evangelism, and teaching should observe themselves from the outside, rather than observing everyone else. You had your chance, you chose to raise the nose instead.

People have a "heart language" for music in worship, usually related to what they heard and sang when their own faith was forming and growing. Most fail to see that it is not everyone else's. They just see it as a lack and failure in the other people. (My church history was varied enough that I have no heart language, but can get along with all).

It is hard, very hard to choose music that is both beautiful and functional for worship in congregations that come from varied backgrounds. People who would rather fight culture wars than show up for worship and humbly submit in Christian charity to what works best for all, should simply not be listened to. Go destroy someone else's church, please.