TAM Initiative

Soundbytes 1 — Music and Christian Worship

The worship of the living God and music have walked hand in hand since ancient times. This is nothing new. So much so that the themes of music, praise, and worship are intertwined in such a way that they are often deeply confused with one another.

As believers, we frequently proclaim and recite our motto that the Bible is the Word of God, and that it is our only rule of faith and practice. And I too believe this fully! But I also believe the time has come to put the reality of these truths to the test in our musical practices in worship as well.

In a series of short articles, we will examine our terminology as well as our understanding of the purposes of music, considering the opinions and assessments made throughout the centuries — all of it under the magnifying glass of the Word of God. Let’s travel down this road together! I invite you to follow this series, in which we will have short-form articles that will lead you to think and rethink your positions regarding the use of music in the praise and worship of God.

Let’s begin with the focus of worship. A professor at Biola University (a Christian institution) in California warns us about the correct emphasis when dealing with this subject: “Make sure that God is the main focus of worship, not the music. God must be primary — not the musical performance, the style, or the instrumentation. In our age, people equate worship with music: if the music is good, then the worship is good.”[1]

Paul Washer, in an interview, quotes Jeff Pollard of Mt. Zion Bible Church, who says: “On the matter of music and worship, we human beings frequently associate certain types of music with worship. One of the great problems is that once a particular style becomes entrenched in our minds as part of worship, and we only respond — or react — emotionally to that type of music, we end up ultimately worshiping ourselves, rather than God. We want to feel a particular way that we associate with worship, and so if the beat produces that feeling, or even if a piece of sixteenth-century music does, that alone gives us the sense of worship. The tragedy is that if all we have is something that stirs our emotions, it doesn’t matter whether it’s something legitimate or not. We often become worshipers of ourselves. We are not worshiping God — we are worshiping the feeling we have about God.”[2]

So I leave you with these questions for your meditation: Who is the focus of your worship? Are we worshiping worship itself? Are we truly worshiping God? May the Lord open our understanding, and may Christ be ALL in ALL.

Elcio Portugal B.M. and M.M. Minister of Music, Igreja Batista do Bom Retiro (Bom Retiro Baptist Church), Ipatinga, MG July 7, 2015

[1] Liesch, Barry Wayne (2001-04-01). The New Worship: Straight Talk on Music and the Church (pp. 101–102). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. Translated by Elcio Portugal.

[2] Quotation from Jeff Pollard, cited by Paul Washer in the video Music in Worship: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeDQ58OXle8#t=103 (accessed October 12, 2014). Transcription and translation by Elcio Portugal.