Of course, our culture has many problems, but it does not say good things about our churches that by failing to see any difference between serious and frivolous music they are also in danger of losing the ability to distinguish adolescence from maturity. Of course, churches who follow the lead of pop culture may become as mainstream and as ubiquitous as the Stones, but they are likely to look just as silly when they turn fifty.
D. G. Hart | “Just Grow Up” | Sept 6th, 2023
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Darryl Hart
D. G. Hart teaches history at Hillsdale College. He is has written biographies of J. Gresham Machen, John Williamson Nevin, H. L. Mencken, and Benjamin Franklin. He is an elder in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and lives in Michigan with his wife, Ann.
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Many years ago, when I was just a new Christian, and didn’t know about the regulative principle, I thought the use of contemporary music and culture was just the perfect way to attract other young people to the gospel, by making it relevant for them. Most young Christians do not have a grasp of how the New Testament precepts on worship, and not what appeals to current taste, please and honour God. It came almost as a shock when I realized that the Bible tells us how God is pleased by worshiping to please God rather than ourselves. I had thought that getting people to worship, by whatever means, was pleading to God. Sadly, worship according to what God wants, is virtually neglected in the will worship of mainstream churches. So it is the church leadership that is to blame for a worship that is designed to please man, while neglecting the true worship that God reveals in the Bible. It is a sad case of misleading the people, when they should be teaching them on how to please and honour God in worship, according to His Word.
Ever catch a recent interview with David Lee Roth or Steven Tyler? Ouch! When emotional immaturity is rewarded from the get-go, it’s hard to get past those cringe-worthy years.
And then you have a guy like Bono trying so hard to remain culturally relevant that he’s lost all the principles that made him so appealing and inspiring to begin with.
Even Skillet lost what little cool and credibility they had while walking that fine line that the author speaks of… (they even wrote a song that bashes Church attendance as a foundational fruit of faith).
Johnny Cash was one of the few who seemed to learn from his mistakes and shot for something deeper, and at certain points, divinely inspired, despite some missteps…
Christianity will never resemble anything “cool” and anything that is cool will not remain so for very long.
Perhaps part of the reason is the practice of Evangelical churches segregating children & teens away from worship with older adults. Their experience of church is entertainment/excitement-based with musical preferences catered to in order to “Reach” them. In adulthood they continue the culture they are comfortable with, and thus church becomes a glorified youth group.
Diane – amen and amen. I shudder when I see the young ones being dismissed to their children’s whatcha-ma-call-it “church.” But whenever I make a comment about it to someone I’m responded to with a blank, “what’s your problem” kind of a stare.