Selecting Appropriate Musical Art Forms for Worship

Selecting Appropriate Musical Art Forms for Worship

Every music worship leader must be sure that the music being used in worship is, as Tolstoy put it, “Christian art”.  Art forms that the world considers “great art forms” are not necessarily appropriate vehicles for worshiping the blessed Triune God.  Some religious music that is currently being used by Christian musicians is religious music but it is not always sacred music or Christian music, because some worship leaders use music that has previously been clearly associated with situations that were anti-Christian and adverse to “universal principles” that are congruent with the separated life of a born-again Christian which are taught in the Bible. When the formal properties of a piece of music form a congruent whole that is not an appropriate concomitant to the awesomeness and solemnity of worshiping a high and holy God and is clearly antagonistic to the purposes of worship it is not Christian music. When religious music is no longer distinctly Christian it has been fashioned or squeezed into the world’s mold.

Some religious music being performed today in the context of worship has been squeezed into the world’s mold because it has been fashioned so closely to the way that the world organizes its music that is no longer a Christian art form. Is may or may not be great art when evaluated in terms of what the world considers greatness.  However, when the music part of music is so closely identified to music that is clearly anti-Christ by its construction and enactment, it loses its Christian identify.  As a matter of fact, much of the music that is now used in public worship is more antagonist to the principles of the changed life of a Christian taught in the Bible than it is favorable, congruent or identifiable with biblical Christianity.