I don’t think I’ll ever run out of modern “praise and worship” songs to criticize as long as the churches continue to use “radio songs” for congregational singing — something for which they are not suited!
Here are the latest repetitive songs I encountered:
Everlasting God,
by Kenneth H. Riley and Brenton Brown
Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
Wait upon the Lord, we will wait upon the Lord
Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
Wait upon the Lord, we will wait upon the Lord
Our God, You reign forever
Our hope, our strong deliverer
You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint
You won't grow weary
You're the defender of the weak
You comfort those in need
You lift us up on wings like eagles
Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
Wait upon the Lord, we will wait upon the Lord
Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
Wait upon the Lord, we will wait upon the Lord
Our God, You reign forever
Our hope, our strong deliverer
You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint
You won't grow weary
You're the defender of the weak
You comfort those in need
You lift us up on wings like eagles
You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
The everlasting God
The everlasting
You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
The everlasting God
The everlasting
You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
The everlasting God
The everlasting
The Lord is the everlasting God
The Creator of all the Earth
He never grows weak or weary
No one can imagine the depths of His understanding
He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless
Even youths will become weak and tired
And young men will fall in exhaustion
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength
They'll soar high on wings like eagles
They'll run and not grow weary
They'll walk and not faint
Our God,
by Chris Tomlin, Jesse Reeves, Jonas Myrin, and Matt Redman
Water You turned into wine
Opened the eyes of the blind
there's no one like you
None like you
Into the darkness You shine
Out of the ashes we rise
There`s No one like you
None like you
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God
Into the darkness you shining
Out of the ashes we Rise
No one like you
None like you
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
Then what can stand against?
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
And if Our God is for us, then who can ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
Then what can stand against?
Then what can stand against?
Forever,
by Dozier, Lamont Herbert/Holland, Brian/Gorman, Freddie
Give thanks to the Lord our God and King,
His love endures forever.
For He is good He is above all things,
His love endures forever.
Sing Praise, Sing Praise.
With a mighty hand and outstretched arm,
His love endures forever.
For the life that's been reborn,
His love endure forever.
Sing Praise, Sing Praise.
Forever God is faithful,
Forever God is strong.
Forever God is with us,
Forever
From the rising to the setting sun,
His love endures forever.
And by the grace of God we will carry on,
His love endures forever.
Sing Praise, Sing Praise
Forever You are faithful,
Forever You are strong.
Forever You are with us,
Forever and ever, forever.
His love endures forever,
His love endures forever,
His love endures forever.
Am I the only one who sees this stuff as “vain repetition”?
I finally figured out something which makes older songs problematic for the modern church: if you have a band you need a song with lots of “energy” and a “rock” beat, which real hymns don’t have. And, ya know, ya gotta have a band! Also, these types of songs are much better at working up the emotions regardless of how little they actually say.
8 comments:
Hi Glenn,
You know I don't enjoy the repetitious music. But I will say that I can tolerate some of these types of songs during worship, the ones where the words at least are truthful without having any of those strange CCM lyrics... and also as long as the rest of the music has significantly more doctrinal substance. The trouble is that most church worship is 90%+ these type of songs, with maybe one hymn. That's when the repetition gets downright irritating... and frankly worship then is utterly unedifying. The purpose of worship isn't for entertainment or feelings. It should be didactic and instructive. (OK, I don't personally care for "Our God", but the other two I can tolerate.)
You said, "I finally figured out something which makes older songs problematic for the modern church: if you have a band you need a song with lots of “energy” and a “rock” beat, which real hymns don’t have."
Yes.
I've said for years that the worship music I love best doesn't have a "beat" to which you can shake your posterior. But what you said is true... most modern worship teams do not know how to perform (for a lack of a better word here) music that doesn't have a rock beat. One can play hymns with modern instruments... even percussion... but that means understanding other genres of music besides rock, and understanding that 4/4 time does not necessarily or automatically mean "back beat".
One of my favorite hymns: Be Still My Soul. That song does not lend itself to any rock type music, because of the lyrics. Lyrical content and music style must be congruent... a truth many today do not seem to understand.
-Carolyn
This set was the opening "worship" music, and for this genre I found it to last tooooooooooo long. I can tolerate this stuff because we do use other songs and hymns (not as often as I'd like), and this stuff didn't have anything objectionable in its lyrics. However, I still think they are totally inappropriate for corporate worship because they are not designed for congregational singing.
See, Glenn, yes, that's my objection also... they open with a full set of those songs, which is, as you said, too long. Worse yet, those types of songs are used for the entire service. Ugh! Like I said, I can tolerate one of them weekly... maybe two if I am having an especially gracious day. :)
Also - I agree, and have said often myself, many CCM songs aren't designed for corporate worship. They are just too musically complicated. I say complicated rather than complex, because CCM songs are often really strange in their structure.
In complex pieces, there is thought and purpose behind the complexity. Think: Handel's Messiah. It is a very purposeful piece. Not at all suitable for congregational worship, but it is well thought out, well written, and the music is congruent with the lyrics of each air and chorus.
Hymnody would be an example of purposeful music that is congregational appropriate. The same thought and purpose was put into many of the great hymns, but the difficulty of the piece is appropriate for worship.
But it seems these CCM songs are just a bunch of random difficult elements strung in succession (strange rhythms, syncopations, unexpected and difficult intervals, huge ranges, incongruent bridges, etc) just for the sake of difficulty, or I'm afraid, trying to be "cool" and "relevant", and of course, to "perform" for accolades of man. Not to mention the typically vapid - or error laden - lyrics associated with these pieces...
I'd love to be in an assembly where they allowed me to assist in the music ministry, not just in performing, but also in shaping and directing it. But I'm not male, I'm not 20 years old, and I'm definitely not relevant.
-Carolyn
I'm working on a post for tomorrow as a follow-up to this one, with my thoughts on the differences between real hymns and CCM triteness.
Great! Looking forward to it...
And lol, brainless me for today, in my second post, "like I said"... haha, I realized I never said in my first post that I can only tolerate 1 or 2 of the repetitious songs.
-Carolyn
It has long been my contention that so called, Praise and Worship Songs (as opposed to hymns) are indeed used for stirring up the emotions of the congregants, rather than for actual Praise and Worship of the Almighty, simply by: a) were, in the order of the worship service, they are sung; b) as already stated, their ease and repetition regardless of what is is actually being said and whether it is scriptural or not.
Note, in Mat 26:17-30 (Matthew's telling of the Passover and Lord's Supper) a hymn is sung AFTER the: meal, discourse, and lesson; it is a continuation of the Worship and fellowship, not a precursor to it to set a tone and state of mind.
Just my observation.
Now that you point out the wording so we can analyze it as a whole, there's really not much substance to any of those songs. We have sang those very same songs in Assembly of God churches, Baptist and Lutheran churches, right down to the charismatic/Pentecostal churches, and the sermons that follow suit are filled to overflowing with cute little stories about the pastor, his family and friends, and their experiences, with very little Scripture, let alone rightly dividing the Word.
Have had very little conversation concerning my faith and what I am learning about Jesus Christ in these churches; I have to go to believers outside of the church system to find genuine loving and godly fellowship.
How sad.
Martha
Martha,
It is truly sad when the majority of even otherwise good Christian assemblies end up jumping on the band wagon of vacuous CCM. Wait until persecution really comes; they will have to be more serious then!
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