Music Makers

Jdg 5:3  Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel. (KJV 1611)

I was thinking about genres, and how diverse Christian music is nowadays.

It seems to me that, in the seventies, much like secular music, your choice was minimal – either something for “official” occasions, or sugary sweet choruses.  I’m probably over generalising – of course there was an emergence of good music at places like Greenbelt, but on the whole accessibility to the alternatives was limited.

Just flicking through Songs of Fellowship or Mission Praise gives you a good idea of how Christian music has adapted.  There are new hymns which both young and old enjoy, but also writers that have targeted specific age groups and/or attitudes.  Like Garage?  Hip Hop?  Dance?  Club House?  Ibiza?  Easy Listening?  Folk?  Celtic mood?  Chill?  Punk?  Metal?  AOR?....God’s got it covered with someone, somewhere, because Jesus got into their life and now they express themselves through the music they enjoy.

For the WL picking through these and finding the truly anointed gems that will suit your church is tricky.  They have to suit the age range of the church and also the mood.  I try to keep as up to date as possible by downloading/buying generic worship mixes, and listen to new ones when I can.  Most weeks, I download the freebie from Kingsway, but if I don’t like it, or I know it won’t suit the church, I don’t bother.  I think this week’s is a bit “yoof” for my taste, and one a few weeks back sounded like an X-factor finalist.  But – despite my dismissals, if these groups or artists get through to just one person, one less person is saved from the fire.

I used to have the attitude that only certain types of music should be allowed in church, but I’ve completely changed my mind on this.  The language of music has been powerful since before the time of David.  What tongue or dialect doesn’t matter.  The fact is music can be all things to all people and a powerful instrument in getting people closer to God.