brian.marchand said:
I loved Hosanna Integrity music. It was my favorite music when I was younger in my 20's and 30's but stations stopped playing it as much and I have lost track of what has been going on with it. I used to love listening Sunday morning to Hosanna Integrity music. I did not like southern gospel and hymns so I was glad for Hosanna Integrity. But groups I did not care for like Casting Crowns and DC Talk to name a couple took over ccm music and others wanted to sound like them so I stopped liking ccm music. Everything started to sound the same and boring. The passion was gone. Now ccm sounds too loud for me when I used to wish it was louder.
I would also like to say that music is not neutral as most people on here say. Some music is disjointed and out balance with with nature. Loud rock and rap is not good. It kills plants and slowly kills us as well. And it is wrong for Christians to copy worldly music to try and sound like worldly artists to try and trick kids into listening. What is wrong is wrong. Again imitating the world to try to convert people is the wrong way to go about it. It is a false gospel. It can work for some people to get them to stop listening to secular rock and rap music and turn their attention to God. But the music itself still is not good and does not bring harmony and peace. Most music I now believe should be calming and relaxing and help us meditate on God. Most people I know will say that type of music is boring. But it is a trick of our enemy.
I was actually going to post this under a new topic, but then I read your post. This is an excellent secular article describing a tale of two Stanleys in Atlanta:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/17/us/andy-stanley/index.html
Although a secular article, it is a sensitive, well written story about the difference in ministry approach between father and son. The key takeaway, on my part is that now - instead of one mega church in Atlanta, there are two. So if I am reading this correctly, there are two ways God moves in Atlanta, traditional and contemporary. God is moving in two opposite directions at once - meeting each group of Christians at their point of need.
I am really sorry you feel the way you do about Christian rock. And you are absolutely right - but only for yourself. My strong advice to you is not to listen to Christian rock, listen to traditional music of your choice. My other strong advice is - do not presume to judge God when he moves in directions contrary to your personal musical taste. He is moving to reach a different set of believers than you - you should not get in His way - at the peril of being completely contrary to God's movement and will for them.
I certainly do not presume to judge another believer's taste in music - to call them wrong or less spiritual than myself because they like hymns, southern gospel, Hosanna Integrity, or whatever it is that might grate on my nerves or bore me to sleep. I'm glad that music is there, it is God moving to reach somebody who is different from me - which is fantastic! Let Him move - the more people brought into the Kingdom. As long as I don't have to listen or go there.
Let me clear up some misconceptions:
(1) About the loudness of Christian music. Psalm 33. If you don't like the volume level in a church, use earplugs. If you don't like the volume on the radio, turn the radio down with the volume knob. Its not that hard!
(2) About plants - I suggest you consult the Mythbusters program on Discovery channel. They thoroughly and completely busted the plant / music / criticizm / encouragement myths. It is an embarrassment to Christ when this old chestnut gets brought up over and over again in defense of hymns over Christian rock. Heresy and teaching falsehoods - preached for an agenda, no matter how noble, is still heresy. Plants are soleless living things who are neither saved nor unsaved, they merely exist as part of God's creation. Because they are neither saved nor unsaved, studying them for insights as to spirituality of a musical style is completely pointless. Please - move on before you further embarrass Christ with this rubbish. It is BUSTED - as the Mythbusters say.
(3) As far as disjointed music - I assume you are talking about the anapestic beat common in Christian (and secular) rock music. I've even heard it argued that the anapestic beat can disrupt heartbeats. This is so ridiculous that it is laughable. The anapestic beat existed in music, even church music, for centuries. Rock music didn't invent it. It merely took an uncommon musical beat and used it stylistically. And - there is almost as much Christian (and secular for that matter) rock music that uses 4:4 beats these days. In spite of itself, just about every style of music invents nothing new, only adapting old techniques and re-using them. The anapestic beat was under explored, musicians have explored it. Minor keys were under utilized in music, now they are being explored with interesting results. If anything, Christian and secular rock have opened up new avenues of music that enrich the entire experience of music. Not limited them.
(4) As far as "copying" the world's music. I cannot count the number of traditional hymns that are merely Christian lyrics applied to secular tunes. Since it is Christmas season, I'll point out one example. The wonderful Christmas Carol "What Child is This" was written to the tune of "Greensleaves". It goes on and on - Christians copying the world. As long as it agrees with your musical agenda, you are OK with it. But using rock style music to reach today's Christians is somehow wrong? Double standard on your part. Christians have done it for two millenia. Time to lay that tired old argument to rest.
(5) The old music should be calming and help us meditate on the word of God. Put us to sleep is more like it. Attend a church that does this before the sermon, and 30 minutes into the sermon look around for people nodding off to sleep. Do the same thing in a church that plays an upbeat song before the sermon, and look at their audience 30 minutes into the sermon. Big difference, I can tell you - I've done the experiment. Some people - like you, like to be calmed. That is OK, by all means attend that type of church. Some of us think the Christian walk is exciting, invigorating, and active. We prefer music that excites us and invigorates us, gets us alert and awake for the message to come, which is equally exciting and life changes. I'll tell you what - I won't judge your church if you won't judge mine.
Trying to force one group of Christians into a mold that works for you is trying to play God and tell God what to do. That is playing God, trying to exercise authority that is not yours to exercise, and the worst type of sin. I've been open and honest on here - not judging anybody for their musical taste, but saying it is OK for them. At the same time, I would sure like the same measure of respect from others - who won't presume to judge me for mine. We are all going to heaven - listening to different music on different stations, attending different churches, and that is exactly God's plan. To meet everybody at their point of need. Please - release God to move in directions other than your narrow perspective. You will discover a love for your Christian brothers and sisters in Christ, in a measure you have never experienced before.
I know rock is important to you and others. However since you like to give reasons why you think you are right and if I say nothing it might appear I have come over to your side hahaha. That is why I wanted to give my side above.