Relevant to yesterdays post, I found a post by Chris Elrod regarding music in the church. He’s got a point about the feminization of the church. Here are a few concluding paragraphs from his blog on the subject. You can read the whole article here.
The songs of yesterday were hymns about blood, victory and battle put to the beer drinking tunes of the day. Manly stuff that makes me want to go pee in the woods just writing about. Today we sing about love, peace and joy put to music that sounds like The Wiggles. Excuse me while I go watch Oprah and hug myself. To top it off, most preachers seem to get their topical message ideas from watching one episode of The View. May God have mercy on our soul.
This is not an “I’ve-lost-touch-with-today-because-I’m-an-old-fart” or pro “Wild-At-Heart” cultural thing. I’ve heard these same views expressed by many unchurched, artistic 20-something men. Musically they want AC/DC and we give them Celine Dion. Lyrically they want Tom Clancy and we give them Danielle Steel. Spiritually they want Braveheart and we give them Sleepless In Seattle. Everywhere I turn there’s this…estrogen…feel to church. It’s all so safe, sappy and sad.
If the church is going to be relevant in the coming generations we’ve got to get back to reaching men…and helping them become Godly husbands and fathers. In order for the church to reach men we’ve got to have music on Sundays that has the lyrical depth of John Newton, the musical kick of Guns N’ Roses and led by a man that looks like Ted Nugent. In order for the church to reach men we’ve got to have sermons that hit like a NFL linebacker, spoken in a voice as bold as a WCW wrestler and led by a man that acts like…John The Baptist. If there’s one thing that today’s society of broken marriages and children with no father figure has taught us…it’s that we need more manly churches!!!
Happy Resurrection Sunday.
12:27 pm on April 8th, 2007 1
I can’t say I agree with this. We have songs of old and the newer youthful versions. The push in our church is to bring in the youth. Of course that means shoving us old folks who foot the bills to the back pews.
12:53 pm on April 8th, 2007 2
In my experience the old folks who “foot the bills” move to the back pews on their own.
1:15 pm on April 8th, 2007 3
How about we just get really relevant to everyone, feminine and masculine be damned?
9:23 pm on April 8th, 2007 4
Good idea Sweet Dau, problem is, that’s not happening right now in many cases. Unfortunately, we’re all about “tradition” whatever that my be at the time. You’ve experienced that at Txx Rxxx. I’ve experienced it at Vxxxxxx Vxxx.
The movement to make church relevant to men shouldn’t be necessary, but in the real world, where everyone needs a savior, it’s needed.
Love you.
4:58 pm on April 9th, 2007 5
I think that we (the church) shouldn’t be completely dependent on our worship that we get in church we should remember to worship in our closets. We should be open to doing new things for new people and giving God the glory for all of it. And part of worshiping is welcoming others so weather we are rocking it out or singing a chant no one should be in the back row!