In Depth:  music

Tom Brewster

In the coming weeks and months, as we emerge from singing carols and advent hymns, we will probably start getting back into the habit of learning new songs in our churches.

But in a church with a huge variety of musical abilities, how do we do that well? Let me suggest three ideas:

Ben Slee

I define ‘manipulation’ in congregational worship as: causing people to have an emotional response apart from the root of the truth and the fruit of long-term change.

God has designed music to move us emotionally. What a gift! The error of manipulation comes when the emotional power of music replaces the truth, so that what stirs us is not the glory of God in Christ, but the vibe.

Matt MacGregor

We need to talk about Taylor Swift. Much ink has been spilled as to how appropriate her music is for Christians; I am not getting into that debate here. Instead, my attention is on the incontrovertible fact that Swift’s music is beloved by a phenomenally large number of people.

In a culture that is hallmarked by individualism and fragmentation, Taylor Swift has garnered an unprecedented popularity and ubiquity. Her impact has been compared to that of the Beatles, an impact she has sustained for 18 years, eight years more (and counting) than the Fab Four. The New Yorker goes even further, saying that she is best compared to the likes of Napoleon or Julius Caesar.

music

Ben Slee

In July, I had the privilege of attending the Worship God conference run by Sovereign Grace Music in Louisville, Kentucky.

We dwelt upon how our union with Christ shapes our Christian lives and our congregational worship. It was a blessed time of faithful preaching and rich times of singing. Two things in particular stood out to me:

Matt MacGregor

Would you sing a hymn written by a computer? I wonder how you would back up your answer to that question. I suspect the instinctive answer of many would be ‘no.’ But why not?

The answer cannot be because a computer won’t be good at it. AI technology probably became a better songwriter than you some years ago. I took the liberty of asking ChatGPT to write a hymn in the style of Charles Wesley about penguins:

Matt MacGregor

‘I want mystery; I want weirdness; I want strangeness.’ This is what British Christianity’s favourite historian Tom Holland looks for in a church. Holland claims no Christian faith of his own, but there are many in the church who (with some genuine warrant) reckon he’s onto something.

Ben Slee

Did you see John Piper’s tweet at the end of 2023 about whether we should drink coffee during worship services? (en November 2023).

Tom Brewster

Over the course of 1722-23 a 19-year-old Jonathan Edwards (the American pastor-theologian) wrote 70 resolutions.

Matt MacGregor

‘Your choice of career is the biggest ethical decision you’ll ever make.’ So says 80,000 Hours*. ‘All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us,’ says J.R.R. Tolkien in The Fellowship of the Ring. ‘A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil,’ says Ecclesiastes 2:24.

Ben Slee

Should we sing songs that are Biblical, singable and compelling, but come from a source that is questionable theologically or in ministry practice?

Matt MacGregor

‘And in this gospel the church is one…’ (CityAlight, 2022). ‘I believe the church is holy, one communion in God’s love…’ (Emu Music, 2023)

Ben Slee

I recently joined Emu Music for a webinar on teaching new songs in local churches. 

Matt MacGregor

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August is often a month where things slow down, and we have a chance to pause and plan. Why not use this month to try and think of some creative musical ways to engage your community with the good news of Jesus?

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Writing this during The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, I was struck by how many times the Queen must have heard the National Anthem.

We have missed the fellowship, the young people’s work, and the church fringe. But we’ve also missed singing God’s truth to one another. So, what will you sing after lockdown ends? This review points you in some helpful directions.

At the time of writing it will be just over a year since Christian congregations sang together.