A Thought on Contemporary and Traditional Worship

I do not like contemporary worship music. There I said it.

But I like traditional worship music even less.

As a Protestant and evangelical seeking to witness and worship amongst the people of my particular culture, I silently suffer my Christian cultures’ music. I am much too much the pragmatist to allow my own particular tastes to hamper the witness and worship of the overwhelming majority of my Christian peers.

Let that be a lesson to those who want hold on to traditional worship when the overwhelming majority of the Christian worshippers in their particular church want contemporary. Let that be a lesson to those who want contemporary worship when the overwhelming majority of the Christian worshippers in their particular church want traditional.

Certainly, if the overwhelming majority of an institution’s attendees prefer contemporary worship, then it would be both selfish and prideful for that institution’s leaders to limit worship only to the music they prefer. Again, the reverse would be true as well.

In my own desires, I would prefer classical music (Bach, Mozart etc.), or classical rock (The Who, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, etc.), or modern alternative rock (Beck, Radiohead, STP, Phish, etc.). But I have to be both realistic and pragmatic about my desires when it comes to the effectiveness of our evangelism and the general preferences of the majority of believers. I deal with it and I understand.

For most people, my musical tastes would be distasteful if not incomprehensible. The same goes with the books that I read, the films that I watch, as well as the TV shows. My particular cultural standards are significantly different from the culture God has put me in. I do not force my particular tastes upon others because it would be damaging to both the witness and worship of other believers.

Imagine that I went to Africa and forced other believers there to worship with Michael W. Smith or even Southern Gospel Country Quartets ALL in English when the overwhelming majority of African believers prefer to non-English, energetic, and charismatic worship services. For me to inflict my worship style on them would be incomprehensible, counter-productive, and prideful on my part.

It would be equivalent to making Latin worship and liturgy mandatory in our churches.

Of course, when I take part in the worship services of my culture, I do not sing along. Instead, I bow my head and close my eyes and worship God in my own thoughts and in my own spirit.

Is this wrong? Should I be forced to sing songs that I dislike? Is worshipping God in this manner while everyone else is singing wrong?

I have to tell you: I take my worship of God and prayer life very seriously but also very personally. My communication with the Creator in Christ is an extremely serious matter to me. I do not take it lightly at all. However, it is also a very private matter for me in general. I do not like to emotionally express my emotions about God in public. Thus, while I do not raise my hands to God in public (1 Tim 2:8), I occasionally do so in private. Of course, the Scriptures both authenticate and recommend lifting hands in worship. But should we make hand-lifting mandatory in worship?

Should we prohibit all hand-lifting in church?

Should contemporary worship services require ALL people to raise hands while worshipping?

Should traditional worship services prohibit ALL people from raising hands will worshipping?

Now should the IMB or NAMB require ALL missionaries to raise hands while worshipping?

Should the IMB or NAMB prohibit ALL missionaries from raising hands while worshipping?

You do see where I am going, do you not?

Yes, why should particular people who do not like particular forms of worship music, alcoholic drinks, jewelry piercings, or worshipful expressions of God (i.e., private prayer language) be able to force their own tastes and prejudices upon other believers? Again, perhaps such prohibitions against alcoholic drinks, jewelry piercings, and private prayer language might be warranted if the Scriptures were silent upon the issue, but since the Scriptures both authenticate and recommend alcoholic drinks, jewelry piercings, and private prayer language, such prohibitions by particular believers in high positions of leadership are unbiblical, contrary to Scripture, selfish, prideful, arrogant and abusive of the positions they have been given.

The one of arguments of those who are abusing their leadership positions by prohibiting believers from worshipping God in “private prayer language” is that it violates the regulations of 1 Cor 14:2-28:

“For he that speaketh in an [unknown] tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth [him]; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men [to] edification, and exhortation, and comfort. He that speaketh in an [unknown] tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church. I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater [is] he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying. Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine? And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air. There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them [is] without signification. Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh [shall be] a barbarian unto me. Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual [gifts], seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church. Wherefore let him that speaketh in an [unknown] tongue pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in an [unknown] tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest? For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified. I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all: Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that [by my voice] I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an [unknown] tongue. Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men. In the law it is written, With [men of] other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord. Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying [serveth] not for them that believe not, but for them which believe. If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in [those that are] unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad? But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or [one] unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all: And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on [his] face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth. How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. If any man speak in an [unknown] tongue, [let it be] by two, or at the most [by] three, and [that] by course; and let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.”

Of course, this verse completely refutes the position of those who are seeking to prohibit believers from worshipping God in “private prayer language.”

But it also suggests something else: if those leaders seeking “private prayer language” prohibition are arguing that it should be prohibited because it violates Paul’s teachings in 1 Cor 12 that unbelievers visiting a church will not understand what is going on …

THEN WHY ARE THESE SAME LEADERS FORCING OTHER BELIEVERS TO ADOPT UNBIBLICAL AND OUTDATED CULTURAL STANDARDS COMPLETELY INCOMPREHENSIBLE TO THE CONTEMPORARY UNBELIEVING CULTURE?!!!

"If anybody thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted, let him acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord's command. If he ignores this, he himself will be ignored." (1 Cor 14:37-38)