Are you using your song list to preach or worship?

[DeanZF]

Helena has made two points that I want to address in this observation.
<QUOTE author="HelenaZF,Dec 7 2009, 09:18 AM">

Songs that are too theologically complicated, wordy, or introspective can pull the singer's attention away from pressing into that God connection.

This is true of any work of art that gets too artsy, if you will. And I would add musically complicated, as well. :piano:



If I have to spend my mental capital paying so much attention to the uber-syncopation, four-word-to-the-beat melody, can the words penetrate? It can be a huge barrier, another glass panel in the aquarium from <URL url="http://zionfirefriends.com/index.php?showtopic=1948&view=findpost&p=6687769">another recent post in one of the members only forums. As musicians, we really do have to be careful about why we choose music.
<QUOTE author="HelenaZF">

You might say, well, what about the great hymns of the church? Are they not theological treatises?  I would say, yes, the great ones are.  But they are great because they are focused. They don't ramble through multiple subjects or get bogged down in sentimentality.  They are true to scripture and the idioms are clear and precise.

:lecture: It's true. Some of the great historic hymns leaned perhaps a little more toward teaching than worship or praise, but then, so do the Psalms. Look at "Holy, Holy, Holy." Perhaps one of the top four or five classic hymns of all times. It teaches trinitarian doctrine and the holiness of God, but it also directly addresses Him: "Only Thou art holy, perfect in power, love, and purity."



We also have to remember that during the time when those now great hymns of the church were new, the people who were singing them were often under-educated or uneducated. Just as the stained glass windows were teaching tools to the illiterate, the better hymns were actually catechizing the faithful, singing true truths and sound doctrine into their spirits, service after service, week upon week. They learned the songs by heart and they learned the fundamentals of the faith through the truths taught.



Good post!