Contemporary Christian Music versus The Hymn Book

The conflict between Contemporary Christian Music and the hymns of our past has been hotly warred on hundreds of frontiers. For many Christians this is the deciding factor when it comes to church, fellowship and friends! We are no longer divided so much by doctrinal beliefs, as by musical preferences. In my mind this is a great tragedy. Imagine worship getting in the way of unity! Imagine praise for the head dividing the members! It’s sheer lunacy! As one great pastor used to say, "When Satan fell, he fell into the choir loft."

In this article I don’t claim to be able to solve the whole issue, but I do want to take a hard look at both sides and show that both sides have need of improvement. You see, I am one of those people who enjoy both spectrums almost equally, and therefore, I believe I can speak with more authority than some on the issue.

First let’s look at the group of people who would call all ‘rock’ music sinful. I tend to respect this group more, even though I don’t agree with them, because they are in general our elders and parents. Their argument against rock music is usually three-fold. The first reason they do not support Christian rock is because they believe the music is crafted to stimulate sexual and drug perversions. Their second argument – the disorderly beats and rhythms inaccurately portray an orderly God. Their third attack – the way the artists present themselves (how they dress) is not God honoring.

The first argument is probably their most repeated. I respect their opinion on this because in their age (1960’s), that’s pretty much what rock music was used for – sinful stimulation. And for that reason I hugely disapprove of Christians listening to the Beetles, Led Zeppelin etc. The lyrics and music are anti-Christian. However, for those of us who are teen-agers now, these beats and rhythms don’t motivate us in wrong directions. I can listen to Steven Curtis Chapman and Casting Crowns and Mark Harris and be motivated for God, not the flesh. In this sense, it is more of a personal thing that requires individual examination.

Argument number two: the disorderly beats and rhythms inaccurately portray an orderly God. It is true that this sort of music is a bit more up beat, but it is still ordered to an extent. Most groups still have verses and a chorus and the distinction is very clear. With many groups there is terrific harmonization of a vast array of instruments that would not sound good without careful structuring. Remember that we are not talking about rap and heavy-metal, just Contemporary Christian.

The third attack I will concede to a point. Certain groups need to rethink their appearance. Some are not portraying a godly image. Long sloppy hair, immodest women etc. is not Christian freedom but sin. However, not all Contemporary Christian groups dress this way. Take a look at some of their CDs; many still dress well (e.g. Philip, Craig and Dean; Josh Bates).

Now let’s shift gears and look at those who are fine with Contemporary Christian music. Here the problem is not so much in ordered attacks as in a subconscious rebellion. I confess that even I struggle at times with a twinge of the ‘flaunt your liberty’ syndrome. It’s easy to want to make fun of those who don’t feel liberty to listen to the Contemporary Christian music, and to call them prudes and legalists in your mind. Chances are you’ve never verbally said that, but have you said it in your heart? It’s wrong. If eating meat causes are brothers to stumble, we’re to abstain – likewise music (1 Corinthians 8).

Another thing is an almost contempt for the great hymns of our past. This is a plague that I can claim freedom from. I grew up all my life singing hymns every Sunday and I love them. They have been spiritual friends to me, and it ruffles my feathers when people speak against them. I’ve detected a snubbing of these great songs in the Contemporary movement, and I don’t like it. One fellow I talked to over the Internet a few years ago (not an artist himself) said that if it were required that you liked hymns to be a Christian, he probably wouldn’t become one. I can try to understand if you just don’t like the music style of the old hymns, but if you are detesting the lyrics themselves, then I don’t feel bad in saying that you are spurning Christianity itself!
One of the main arguments for Contemporary Christian and (indirectly against hymnology is), the Bible says to ‘sing a new song’, right? (Psalm 98:1) Yes, but does this mean that we need to ditch the old ones? I don’t think so. Take a look at this verse: And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,". (Revelation 15:3) This is right before the bowl judgments at the end of time and they’re singing the song of Moses! That’s pretty dated (Deut 32; Ex. 15). So the point is that God doesn’t get bored of our songs; what he does get angry with is when we say things we don’t mean or sing without thinking – using His name in vain.

So in conclusion, I want to challenge both groups and myself to be careful. As I said in the beginning, this article will in no way solve the problem, but hopefully, it will cause some of us to think. And really in a lot of ways this is a conflict between the listeners. Those who write the songs, at least we hope, are too busy glorifying God to be worried about these insignificants…so should we.