No doubt the aim of the Apostles as they founded churches around the known world and supported those churches, was not only to create believers in the saving power of Jesus Christ, but also to develop those who worshiped God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. In Acts 16:25 we read “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.” And Paul later writes to the church at Rome (Romans 15:11) “And again, praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud [extol, adore, glorify] him, all ye people.” And to the Hebrews, “. . . I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee,” (Hebrews 2:12). Thus “praise” and singing praises to God was obviously important to the early Christians.
Music has played a large part of church services throughout the history of the Christian Church. Early on, because Rome quickly became the center of the early Church, most singing was done in Latin, the language of the early Romans. Antiphonal singing done by a choir of men or young boys, often with instruments, came from the Hebrew Temple worship and passed easily into the singing of the early Christian Church.
By the fall of the Roman Empire and the passage into the Middle Ages, the Church had a firm hold on the world, including its leaders. Music in church services became chanted prayers, often called Gregorian chants since Pope Gregory had standardized the liturgy and music of the churches throughout Europe in order to rid the populace of any remnants of paganism or of any tendencies to follow the frequent heretical beliefs that sprang up from time to time. By about 900, harmony was introduced, producing a music called organum, partly because some monks could not sing and partly because the Gregorian chant was somewhat boring. In organum, there was often a low, continuous note sung while the melody was sung above it. Other times the melody was sung in two different pitches. But always, the songs or chants were done in Latin.
Now, that did not present a problem to those living in and around Rome, nor to the monks and priests doing the singing, or even eventually to noblemen. They were educated and especially educated in Latin, the language of the Church. This was not such a good thing for the peasants who made up the majority of the congregations or even for the noble women, for not only did they not understand Latin, they were not educated at all, leaving them to attend a church service in which all the words spoken from the beginning to the end (except amen) were totally incomprehensible to them. Thus, cathedrals by the gothic period (beginning in the 12th century) filled the cathedrals in which everyone worshipped with beautiful stained-glass windows, each of which depicted a story from the Bible. Actors also performed plays in the town squares to edify the populace. Miracle Plays depicted the miracles of Jesus, Mystery plays recounted stories from the Bible, and Morality Plays taught them how they should and shouldn’t behave.
With the coming of the Reformation, things began to change. Martin Luther changed the entire liturgy of the reformed churches, introducing what became known as the Protestant movement. A great proponent of singing, Luther once said, “Music is God’s greatest gift. It has often so stimulated and stirred me that I felt the desire to preach.” He became a song writer and composer, creating songs in German, the language of the people of his country, so that everyone from priest to peasant could sing them. He even had a hymnal printed in German of the songs he had written to be used in church services. By the time Luther nailed his famous 95 theses on the Wittenberg church door starting the Reformation Period, pamphlets were being printed, schools were being established (though most of them in monasteries and convents), and more than only the clergy or the nobility were being educated. Yet less than 1% of all women and girls were included in that group. Education remained the purview of males. Thus, Luther wrote songs which often taught those who heard and sang them the truths of the Bible that they might not be able to read for themselves. Many of his songs are still sung today by a multitude of denominations (though perhaps not by the Catholics). Perhaps the best known is “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”
Other protestant movements such as that begun by John Calvin and John Knox spread, along with “Lutheranism” throughout Europe. Then the political separation from the Catholic Church by England’s Henry VIII brought about Anglicanism under the leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury, reformer Thomas Cranmer. But, used to the idea of a national church, England, though free of the dictates of the Pope in Rome, still bowed to the dictates of the King or Queen and the Archbishop of Canterbury. Calvinists and others found this equally distressing as they were not accorded the freedom to worship as they chose. And so, many left England for the colonies of the new world.
While Luther had had schools teach singing to their pupils, and while his hymns were printed into a hymnal, the Calvinists who settled in New England had neither the hymnals nor the education to read them. And so, they devised a new way of singing. The song leader would sing a phrase of a song, say, “A mighty fortress is our God” and then wait while the congregation also sang those words. Then he would continue “a bulwark never failing.” And then the congregation would repeat that line. And thus they worked their way through the hymns.
Today, everyone in America is well-educated enough to read the words of the hymns in church hymnals so such repetitious singing is not needed. But there exists now a different dilemma.
Churches are divided musically between those who hold to the traditional hymns- – – “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God;” “Amazing Grace;” “What A Friend We Have in Jesus;” “It Is Well With My Soul;” “Blessed Assurance;” and “How Great Thou Art;” for example, and those churches who ignore hymnals and traditional hymns in favor of modern songs such as “Oceans,” “Agnus Dei,” “King of Kings,” “How Great Is Our God,” “Jesus Messiah,” Way Maker,” “Great Are You, Lord,” and “Revelation Song.”
Let’s look at some of these songs. “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” and “What A Friend We Have in Jesus” are teaching songs. Their message to Christians is that God protects us and that Jesus is our friend upon whom we can call. “Amazing Grace,” “It is Well With My Soul,” and “Blessed Assurance” are songs of testimony. As we sing them, we are attesting that we have been saved by the amazing grace of God, that now all is well with our souls, and that we have that blessed assurance that Jesus is our Savior. Testimonies, all. Of the traditional songs I mentioned, only “How Great Thou Art” is a song of worship. Look at the words:
“Oh Lord my God,
when I in awesome wonder,
consider all the worlds Thy hands have made;
I see the stars,
I hear the rolling thunder
, Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Then sings my soul,
my Savior, God to Thee,
How great Thou art.
How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul,
my Savior, God to Thee,
How great Thou art.
How great Thou art.”
This song enumerates the greatness of God and then praises Him for His creation. It stands pretty much alone among the traditional hymns as an actual hymn of worship of God. And yet, Paul told the Christians in Rome, “And again, praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people.” Are we perhaps falling down in this most important aspect of worship?
But what of the modern songs? One writer commented that you can find yourself singing or humming “Blessed Assurance” to yourself during the day, but because of its more modern chords and melody, you are not likely to be humming “Oceans.” And he is right. Many modern songs are not written for congregational singing, but rather to be sung by Christian artists and that is exactly what should be done with them. But many of the others are certainly as easy to sing and as melodious and the traditional hymns. Then what is the difference? Let’s look at the first few words of “Way Maker.”
“You are here, moving in our midst
I worship You
I worship You
You are here, working in this place
I worship You
I worship You
You are here, moving in our midst
I worship You
I worship You
You are here, working in this place
I worship You
I worship You
You are
Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper
Light in the darkness, my God
That is who You are
You are
Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper
Light in the darkness, my God
That is who You are.”
And the first few words of “Revelation Song:”
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
Holy, holy is He
Sing a new song to Him who sits on
Heaven’s mercy seat
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
Holy, holy is He
Sing a new song to Him who sits on
Heaven’s mercy seat
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty
Who was and is and is to come
With all creation I sing praise to the King of kings
You are my everything and I will adore You.
And the chorus to “Jesus Messiah.”
“Jesus Messiah
Name above all names
Blessed Redeemer
Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners
The ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah
Lord of all.”
These are neither songs of teaching nor songs of testimony, but rather songs of praise. Most protestant churches call their services on Sunday morning “Worship Services” but the songs they sing are not songs of worship. “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” is a great hymn, but it is not conducive to worship, nor is it likely to attract the younger generation. Thus, it is no wonder that most of our churches are filled with senior citizens, some folks in their 40s and 50s, and a smattering of young people. Most traditional hymns seem slow and boring to the generation we most need to reach in today’s world and yet are comforting to those who currently fill our pews.
Some churches have solved this problem by having an early, traditional service and a later modern service with guitars, drums and electric keyboards instead of the piano and organ used in the traditional service. Is this the answer? I don’t think so. Many of the traditional hymns bear messages that the younger generation need to hear. At the same time, the older members need to learn to close their eyes and sing the chorus of “Revelation Song” directly to the Lord as a prayer. That is worship! So, what is the answer? I think churches need to expand somewhat their song services and include both the traditional hymns and some of the modern praise songs. Going to church is partly to learn about God and partly to worship God, and our “worship services” need to reflect both of those aims in the songs that are sung. I suspect very little actual “worship” takes place in most churches today.
Jesus never admonished us to do what made us comfortable, but rather to do what would reach souls for Him. That we cannot reach souls with what we are doing now is apparent in the declining attendance in most churches. It is time to leave our comfort zone and reach out to a dying world. And we can absolutely do it through our music!