On the Porch
Onisha Ellis
I’m going to put my foot in it big time, but it is a subject that has been puzzling me for a long time. I would like to talk about…. Church music. Gasp!
The ongoing controversy in the 21st century church that is tearing them apart is not gay marriage, abortion or sexual sin, it is church music
I typed “what does the bible say about music “into my browser and came up with a whole page of scripture on the subject. If you would like to see them all, click HERE
Here is one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament:
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
And then there is this:
Whoever sings songs to a heavy heart is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, and like vinegar on soda.
So, it would seem that controversy about music is not new. Ecclesiastes 1:9 says: What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
Mulling on this subject I ran various scenarios through my mind, trying to find an answer and this is what I came up with.
Many denominations routinely rotate ministers from church to church. Others keep the same one until the Lord tells them to move or their congregation asks them to leave. I believe that just as the church body learns from their pastor, the pastor learns from the church and sometimes they need to move to share what they learned or they have something else to learn.
So I came up with the idea that if your church is not providing the kind of music you enjoy maybe you should be willing to move on. I envisioned happy vibrant congregations filled with people who agreed on the same music and would be ready to move forward in serving God.
I shared this theory with a group of senior ladies I meet for breakfast. Their responses were enlightening.
Barb has young adult children, raising families and she felt compromise was the answer, with each group sharing the music, hymns and contemporary Christian. I asked if she had seen this work in a church. No, was her answer.
Greta shared that when she was younger, she was opposed to having a trumpet or drum set being played in church, but now was fine with it. She also made the point that moving to another church defeats the goal of being an active member, serving the church and the community. You make close friends in church and know you can depend on them in a time of need.
Irene is a gifted pianist but grew up in a church that did not use any instruments, not even an organ. (I wonder if this denomination might have been on the right track after all)
Peggy is the senior member of our group and filled with wisdom. She sat quietly during the discussion. When it was her turn here is what she said, paraphrased because of course, I did not write it down.
The word of God and teaching it should be the priority in every church, nothing should come before it.
So simple and so correct. I welcome your thoughts.
Old Things R New 
So, I didn’t have anything to say last time I commented. Ha! This time I do. How about getting serious about this serious problem and start discussing it openly, patiently, lovingly? I understand to some it is a trivial issue, but to others it is of deep significance and importance. I am one of the latter. We need to talk without any kind of stubborness or judgement and with a lot of prayer and we need to find solutions. But of course this isn’t the only problem Christians have getting along. Tell me something we DON’T fight over. I’m glad this came up because I’ve been a stubborn one and now I’d be willing to seek answers.
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I love the old fashioned hymns, such as “Softly and Tenderly”., “Amazing Grace”. , “Blessed Assurance”,etc. Trivial things that cause rifts in the church do not glorify Christ.
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I’ve done everything I could to accept kinds of music that grate on me. I respond physcially to too much volume, and have had to walk out of a service when it got too loud becasue it was painful. In order to enjoy a song I need the three elements of melody, rhythm, and harmony. I’m sure that has to do with the era in which I grew up, which is another way of saying I’m old. I enjoy many different kinds of music, from country gospel to the classical masters such as Bach, but some contemporary music turns me off so completely, once again, can’t stand to be in the room with it. I’m in a church now where I like most of the music, but a lot of times I’d enjoy a faster tempo. It all matters a great deal to me. I study the Bible diligently and have for almost fifty years. I love it, but I wouldn’t want to sacrifice all music at church and just have preaching. I miss church to teach the children in Sunday school, but we’re in a Bible based Sunday School and I like the teaching and the interaction between folks. I’m fulfilled and happy where I am, but I wouldn’t know what to do if things changed. I count the music as a very big element in joining a church, but I’d be careful what I heard in the teaching as well. I can’t begin to put forth any solutions or answers because I don’t have any. Sure said a lot to say I had nothing to say, didn’t I? Ha.
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I am astounding by the trivial things we allow to cause rifts in the church. My heart breaks when I am faced with strife created by ego or personal preference and the word of God is lost.
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