The Role of Music in Christian Worship

Marketing leads in a natural way about money. When the Bible deals with this theme, it uses the expression "Mammon" (personification of wealth, and power that controls its use): "You can not serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:24).

The fact that notoriety and profitability can mingle with praise to the Eternal speaking through Christian music, is a non-negligible, which makes more complex management. What would happen if preachers and prophets were exposed to such pressures and temptations, being tempted to make a profit with the revelations they receive? .

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Even if we admit that all the actors of Christian music act in the sincerity of his heart, and that we give him credit that everyone seeks only to praise the Eternal, we can not avoid a hint of commercialism hovers over the phenomenon itself. Randy Travis' 24 million albums push for meditation, though most Christian music CDs do not "break through" the 10,000-selling limit (in France) and it's up to the artist on average than 8 to 10% of revenue.

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However, the prospect of a career "in praise" can be seen by some young Christian musicians from angles that will put personal sanctity to the test, and we can note that the world around us - it also offers the same opportunities for young people: to become "stars" of music, to gain notoriety and celebrity by singing. Is it a sign of the times? The analogy deserves reflection.

On this subject, the words of Leonard Ravenhill are very telling:

Working in the music world, I constantly see this confusion.

Today we see celebrities becoming Christians, but they never put their music on the altar. ...... I have to express what I witnessed. I have seen celebrities become Christian and be put in the limelight by publishers and record companies, before they have been prepared. And when they fail, they crumble. Then they declare that "Christianity is a joke - it does not work" as people looked at them, saying, "They are so zealous for God. In fact, they cultivated their disoriented passion to feed their own interests. "

Those who wish today to continue to affirm with the Bible that praise as such must be absolutely holy, reserved to God, will also be led to recognize that praise can not therefore become a commercial object, a commodity, without to lose his holiness. It then takes the risk of simply becoming music, as well as that which belongs to the secular domain. This is a spiritual principle.

Exodus 30: 34-37

And the LORD said unto Moses, Take odorous spices, and stacte, and scented shells, and galbanum, and sweet incense, and pure incense: of all, evenly; and you will make a compound incense, perfumer's work, salted, pure, holy. ... And as for the incense that you do, you will not do for yourself according to the same proportions: you will consider it holy, consecrated to the Lord.

This reality, emphasized here, must not be overshadowed by progressive reasoning. Sharing praise is a very good thing, to make the world aware of what we have received - for free - by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is also very good, but to make this praise a "product" of consumption is to mix material and financial considerations with spiritual considerations.

In many cases, this Christian music would be more to be classified in the category of committed music, defending certain values of Christianity (not all), thus testifying that artists and creators, sometimes leading, are involved in the cause of God. It would be better to give him (in fact, to give him back) that identity, which corresponds better to reality than to let the confusion between praise, worship and more and more free musical creations settle down

From a spiritual point of view, it is the music that is the case of the truth, and not the opposite. There is no point in "sanctifying" music, as it should not be necessary to remind children of God, let alone disciples, that the most beautiful setting will not be able to compensate for the weakness or absence of the Truth in lives. We could even say that the Truth is able to content itself with a very simple box (or no box at all, as in known awakens), which will never alter its power.