Excerpt:
…when we separate people [in the church] according to something as trivial as musical preferences, we evidence a fundamental failure to comprehend the heart of the gospel. We’re not only feeding toxic tribalism; we’re also saying the gospel can’t successfully bring these two different groups together. It’s a declaration of doubt about the unifying power of God’s gospel. Generational appeal in worship is an admission that the gospel is powerless to join together what man has separated.
Building the church on stylistic preferences or age appeal (whether old or young) is just as contrary to the reconciling effect of the gospel as building it on class, race, or gender distinctions. In a recent interview J. I. Packer said, “If worship services are so fixed that what’s being offered fits the expectations, the hopes, even the prejudices, of any one of these groups as opposed to the others, I don’t believe the worship style glorifies God.” One of the leading ways the church can testify to God’s unifying power before our segregated world is to establish and maintain congregations and worship services that transcend cultural barriers, including age and musical styles.
Link to entire article by Tullian Tchividjian on worship.com.
Stephanie Leung brought musical artist Josh Garrels to my attention.
He’s got a great, quality blend going on: this Indiana native’s music is a mix of surf-infused folk, Afro-Caribbean hip-hop, and Southern spirituals. It’s very tasty.
And of course, he has a blog. Tasty food for thought.
In her book Walking on Water, Madeleine L’Engle says, “If it’s bad art, it’s bad religion, no matter how pious the subject.”
It is my hope that the work of the artistic community at RE:generation not only burgeons and gurgles and effortlessly spills over into our urban culture, but that first and foremost, we have our “religion” right, and from this the goodness stems—from our well-spent time in the presence of the living God and our devotion to Him.
Josh (and a LOT of others) talk about making GOOD music. Though not a believer (to my knowledge), it reminds me of what Glen Hansard of The Swell Season said in his winner’s speech at the Grammys last year as they played him off the stage: “Make good music.” (or something similar). And then he fell slowly off the stage…
While I don’t disagree, it seems as though an artist could very quickly get arrogant and proud if he or she is not careful. I think that goodness and quality are gifts, not something one can produce on command, but something that one is enabled to reveal. Careful study, craft, and attention play important roles in both methods, of course, but to produce from love and not fear is vital.
Every musical genre—or museum or bookshelf for that matter—has its one hit wonders and its solid artists that roll downhill. Who will the consistently good artists of our generation be, and why do you think they will be that way?
I hope you are one of them.
