“There’s a time and a spot for sacred music, and there’s a time and a spot for secular music.” This was a part of a solution I gave to a gentleman who had contacted me questioning if and when it’s ever applicable for church buildings to play secular music.
This could be a mute query since many church buildings have been for a while opting to play secular music firstly of their worship companies within the hopes of creating unchurched newcomers snug and welcome. Whereas this appears culturally delicate, there may be the hazard of it backfiring in that many unchurched newcomers come to the church to hunt a special lifestyle and their issues. Thus, listening to pop or nation music could do the other of being engaging. It might be extra of a distraction to these looking for a distinction between the hope-filled church and our chaotic world.
What is taken into account secular music?
In response to examine.com, “Secular music, broadly talking, is any music that isn’t spiritual in nature. The time period ‘secular’ comes from the Latin phrase saeculum, and this was used within the early Christian church to imply ‘the world,’ versus ‘the Church.’ A secular music definition, due to this fact, is music that’s involved with affairs of the world fairly than affairs of the spirit or faith.”
Conversely, sacred (which implies “holy”) music is music that was (and is) particularly composed for the celebration of divine worship and for sure sacred events. Worship music—whether or not conventional hymns or up to date songs—is supposed to encourage “reverence and awe,” based on Hebrews 12:28.
The Theology of Music
The Bible data practically 200 songs, the primary of which will be discovered within the Previous Testomony when the Israelites—estimated to be round two million robust—had been led out of Egypt by Moses and crossed the divinely parted Crimson Sea. The peoples’ response upon deliverance was to right away burst into track, referred to as The Music of Moses (Exodus 15:1-21).
Whereas it hadn’t been penned but, the Israelites had been already practising Psalm 111:1, “Reward the Lord! I’ll give due to the Lord with my complete coronary heart, within the firm of the upright, within the congregation.”
John Calvin says, “Now among the many different issues that are correct for recreating man and giving him pleasure, music is both the primary, or one of many principals; and it’s vital for us to suppose that it’s a reward of God deputed for that use. Furthermore, due to this, we should be the extra cautious to not abuse it, for worry of soiling and contaminating it, changing [it to] our condemnation, the place it was devoted to our revenue and use.”
That mentioned, worship music should adhere to sure biblical tips:
1. Worship music should glorify God.
An off-the-cuff studying of Psalm 96:1-2—“Oh sing to the Lord a brand new track; sing to the Lord, all of the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless his identify; inform of his salvation from daily.”—exhibits us that God longs to listen to our voices raised in track to Him, whether or not individually and collectively. Singing blesses God, glorifies Him, and proclaims His nice salvation.
Calvin concurs. “What’s there now to do? It’s to have songs not solely sincere, but in addition holy, which can be like spurs to incite us to hope to and reward God, and to meditate upon his works with a view to love, worry, honor and glorify him.”
Contrarily, most secular songs—whether or not pop, nation, heavy metallic, various, reggae, or rap—aren’t God-honoring however, fairly, are likely to incite worship of the fallen nature of man: lust, ingesting, riot.
Certainly, from The Music of Moses and all different songs recorded in Scripture, it’s obvious that God meant music to be a method of proclaiming His excellencies. By significant lyrics, we sing His praises and extol His virtues: His goodness, faithfulness, mercy, compassion, sovereignty, energy, and love. Think about “A Mighty Fortress is Our God,” “How Nice Thou Artwork?” “Nice is Thy Faithfulness,” and some of the beloved hymns of all instances, “Wonderful Grace.” These songs, and tons of of others, are wealthy with an understanding of doctrinal truths concerning the Godhead.
“God is worthy of our highest, purest, strongest feelings. Singing helps specific and ignite them,” says Bob Kauflin. “God desires to make use of music, and has even designed music, to interrupt by means of our apathy and hardness of coronary heart, and to assist us have interaction emotionally together with his Phrase.”
2. Worship music should unify and edify believers.
“The congregation is at all times the first choir…[and] a congregation’s repertoire of hymnody is usually of vital significance in shaping the religion of its individuals,” says the Fee on Worship. On this means, singing is supposed to edify and construct up every particular person with the richness of the track’s phrases, which deliver hope, consolation, and energy.
Worship music—no matter what type or model it takes—additionally unites believers as one physique below the headship of Jesus Christ, as brothers and sisters in a non secular household. Singing corporately creates like-mindedness by means of lyrics that affirm our shared perception in and love for God.
Says Kauflin, “As soon as we weren’t a individuals, however now we’re the individuals of God, and our singing collectively, each voice contributing, is a method we specific that reality.”
Singing can be a type of non secular communication amongst believers, based on Ephesians 5:19, as we “converse to at least one one other with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music out of your coronary heart to the Lord.”
Photograph Credit score: ©Getty Photographs/James Coleman
3. Worship music should educate theology.
Worship songs, significantly conventional hymns, are a succinct and compact technique of educating the Gospel, theology, and doctrine. In truth, their lyrics, coupled with pleasing melodies, make our religion memorable, perhaps much more so than sermons. For some, worship songs are their first expertise of studying theology.
It’s also by means of worship songs that we study our true nature and character as fallen/redeemed youngsters of God. “Wonderful Grace” superbly highlights our sinful nature whereas reminding us of God’s better grace to redeem it. “Peace Like a River” teaches us that our sin-weary soul’s well-being is discovered solely in God’s quenching sustenance.
4. Worship music should set us aside.
Simply as we’re known as to be holy in our conduct, as set aside from a corrupt world, so ought to our worship music. Like our conduct, our music have to be distinct from the world. Our songs ought to declare who we’re as forgiven youngsters and declare to whom we belong. If we performed pop or nation music on Sunday mornings, how would unbelieving newcomers see us as completely different, as holy and separate from the world? Probably they wouldn’t.
Joshua Dunn says, “Regardless of the real good these [secular] songs may do for misplaced individuals looking for to enter the church, the non secular risk is way better than the potential reward. Although tradition can typically show useful in shaping the way in which we worship, we should always by no means let conformity to tradition compromise our witness.”
When it’s applicable to play secular music in church
1. Outreach occasions
Many church buildings invite outdoors musical teams to carry out for quite a lot of causes. One cause could also be as an evangelistic outreach occasion to their group. With the approval of the church leaders, these teams could discover that they’re ready to attract and join with their viewers higher by means of just a few applicable secular songs.
Discernment is the important thing in terms of track choice, after all. The lyrics, despite the fact that secular, ought to nonetheless uphold Biblical requirements, reminiscent of love, unity, and peace.
“It doesn’t matter if the track is enjoyable to play or an important crowd-pleaser. Now we have a better mandate than to permit our music to slip to indecency and ethical decay,” says worship chief Kenneth Lamm.
2. Particular Events
Christmas involves thoughts after I consider when it could be applicable to sing secular songs in church. Many conventional Christmas songs, after all, are welcome in church buildings: “O Come All Ye Devoted,” “O Little City of Bethlehem,” “It Got here Upon a Midnight Clear,” and others like them.
However what about these catchy songs like “Jingle Bells,” which youngsters like to sing? Would they be applicable for Youngsters’s Sunday College? Their lyrics, in any case, are benign and unoffensive, and there doesn’t appear to be any actual cause why they will’t be sung. They’re nonetheless a part of why we have a good time the enjoyment of the season (and cause) of Christ’s start, if in a roundabout way.
Easter is one other event when secular music could be applicable. The church I attend holds a particular Maundy Thursday service yearly. They rent native skilled musicians for this service, and so they play a number of classical songs, one among which is Gabriel’s Oboe. It’s my favourite, and it by no means fails to have a visceral impact on me. My throat constricts, and my eyes tear up the minute I hear the primary mournful notes. My ideas instantly go to Christ’s crucifixion.
Nonetheless, different events when applicable secular music could be performed embody wedding ceremony ceremonies and memorial companies.
In every of those conditions, secular music can nonetheless impart pleasure, love, and solemnity whereas nonetheless directing our ideas and hearts towards God and His excellencies.
Conclusion
Relating to track choice by worship leaders—whether or not sacred or secular—the lyrics, after all, needs to be of utmost consideration, significantly for a way they’ll transfer the minds and affections of the individuals towards God.
“The better portion of our lyrical food plan needs to be the target truths we’re responding to: God’s Phrase, his character, and his works, particularly his work of sending his Son to be our atoning sacrifice. Meaning the lyrics to our songs ought to mirror the broad themes of Scripture and never merely the themes we’re keen on,” says Bob Kauflin.
Photograph Credit score: ©Akira Hojo/Unsplash
Initially revealed February 06, 2025.
