Migliore, a reformed theologian, identifies four fundamental roles theology plays in critiquing the church: does it express the Gospel fully; is it an adequate expression of the Gospel; is the church demonstrating the relevance of the Gospel; and is church praxis in line with the Gospel. In a move to counter increasingly shrill secularism, some Christian groups have sought to respond to the third issue in one way by adopting music which is inspired by the contemporary music scene. Matt Redman, Tim Hughes, Chris Tomlin are just a few of the names who have led the way in making instruments classically associated with sex, drugs and the devil, such as the electric guitar, an acceptable sight within a place of worship. This particularly gains the interest of the younger generation: most youths aren't interested in sitting in big cathedrals with traditional organ music and a dry sermon, as for one we live in a culture which struggles to emotionally connect with that style of music (although how one cannot be engaged by a Bach organ piece is beyond me!) These songs make church 'cool', entice the young and provide a modern face for an ancient institution. They do a fabulous job - bringing people to Jesus in love is the greatest thing a person can do according to the Christian faith, and if the inclusion of new songs helps, a Christian should be highly supportive of it. Encouraging a relationship in the grace of Christ in a relevant manner is a fantastic asset for any church, and if new music helps, it should be accepted with open arms.
Whilst promulgation of the music we use to spread the Gospel requires reformulation with each period of musical development, those groups who have embraced these 'pop' hymns seem to somewhat neglect older songs. For example, the Christian Union I am a member of only played modern songs when I have attended, and previous Churches I attended were similar. Religious tunes over 100 years old, bar amazing grace, are a no go. They're not hip, they are a bit archaic and their chord patterns may not suit the rock bands the young love so much. This attitude makes me feel very uneasy. It is founded upon an emphasis on making the Gospel relevant, at the expense of seeking the truths previous Christians discovered. This imbalance leads to a Church washed down the river of social preferences, responding and adopting only what is current. The previous generations of Christians become irrelevant, with Christian communities acting and worshiping as if the crucifixion, resurrection and Pentecost were only a year ago. This persistent position undermines an essential and often neglected doctrine: that the Christian life is dominated by the primacy of Holy Spirit, who sanctifies and guides the community of believers in the mystical communion which is the Church.
The Bible, an account of God's involvement in worldly affairs (Miroslav Volf) tells us that the Holy Spirit guides Christians as a collective in the way of truth and light (John 16:13). This is a view which is upheld in the traditions and doctrines of the Church we all take for granted as Christians. Often, we think that the Bible is a finished article, with all truth summarised nicely within it, and all we need to do is digest it over and over again. However, anyone who has done a serious study into hermeneutics understands that biblical exegesis opens up many complex and technical issues. Depending on whether you place theology as an external examination of religion, like Kaufman or Kant, a self-description of Christian belief, such as Barth's or D.Z. Phillips, or perhaps a position somewhere in between, for instance Tillich's coherentism or Schleirmacher's perspective, you will have a different conception of what the Bible is and how to understand it. One point recognised by the Church fathers and ever since was that the books of the Bible were written at different points in history, by multiple people, who had varying views on God and reality. In the evangelical tradition, the meaning the authors had for each text was inspired by the Holy Spirit, revealing the truths of God, and culminating in the person of Jesus. But it is not just the authors of biblical texts along with the prophets and apostles who were inspired by the Spirit, as we are too! We too have been cognitively reformed by Him in an ultimate act of saving grace, and so the Christian community is also inspired, and can discover new spiritual truths from biblical exegesis and theological development.
This argument may seem false. After all, is Jesus not the final and full revelation of God? However, let us ponder on two key doctrines for a moment: the incarnation and the trinity. Neither are explicit within the New Testament or the Old Testament, and yet are staple beliefs of Christian faith. Denial of them is heresy and yet, it is doubtful that poor old Peter and the other early Christian leaders had quite as clear a formulation of who Christ and God are in their beliefs. It was only under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and in light of the teachings of Jesus these doctrines, nearly four hundred years after the New Testament, were formulated. The Bible required interpretation under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to provide this fuller understanding of the previously inspired revelations and teachings. Thus, the past is an essential part of the positive intellectual identity the Christian commitment retains, providing spiritually motivated insights which have elaborated consistently and greatly the mysteries of God.
As such, past Christian thoughts, teachings and ideas are important for a full and adequate expression of the Gospel. We may yet learn literal, allegorical, tropological and anagogical truths retained in the Bible we had not grasped ourselves. Men such as Augustine, Luther, Edwards and many more have much to offer in terms of our own 'faith seeking understanding' (St. Anselm) and deepening our commitment to God. This is also true of older hymns. For example, the Wesley's wrote many songs exploring the religious aspects of life, distilling Christian truths in a musical form. Many other hymns also communicate the word of the Lord, being ordained and inspired by the Holy Spirit. These melodies were written, along with all the other activities within the history of the church, to aid us today in our battle to proclaim the saving news of God (Bosch). We should not disregard them lightly.
And yet, so many people do. Churches are wrenched out of their historical context, so radical ideas which are contestable are implemented without facing the wrath of past religious authorities. Along with the rest of society, Christians rid themselves of the freedoms past Christians accepted in the timelessness of faith to shackle themselves to the rotting corpse of post-modernity. The ugly mound upon which the identity of the church is created in a vacuum, removed from the narrative, paradigm and worldview which supplied the meaning of so many key concepts and terms we use in the Christian linguistic. This can only result in ignorance of the many marvels God has given to humanity after Christ, and a potential to fall into heretical and otherwise dubious practices. The focus on the modern, typified by the complete abandonment of 'old' music, is a form of egoism which abandons the centrality of the Holy Spirit within the Christian life, as it proudly rejects an interest in what God did in the 2000 years between Jesus and the present. This unwitting outlook can only be to the detriment of those who are encouraged to worship Christ, which is an mark upon such institutions.
In conclusion, the Christian groups have to balance the effort to make music and their worship relevant with an adequate and full expression of the Gospel, which is to be partially found in the conceptual, emotional and practical understandings previous Christians had before us. On the one hand, a refusal to incorporate the latter is a stand against the Holy Spirit and His gifts to the church as a whole, and a rejection of our ethical responsibility to be intellectually committed to God. On the other hand, not permitting contemporary music in services at all is itself a choice to not try everything morally permissible, that is not contrary to God's commands, to bring the young into the Christian community. If you take away anything from this article it is that moderation is the essential component to a spiritually healthy response to the church's role.
I have included a few videos so you can sample some new and old Christian music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlA5IDnpGhc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFUEziLhAag
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=PnWKehsOXu8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1W1XJ96y9k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVxS3xyGBOQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Am_ZMcRLLcs
