“If worship transforms us into kinder, more loving people, then why do we fight over worship?” Paul Basden
The history surrounding music, instruments, singing and ‘worship’ in the church is very intriguing. There are many facets involved in the ever changing world of music, instruments, singing and worship. Some of the history is disappointing and disheartening; some is incredibly inspiring and challenging. It can never be said that the history of music, song, singing and ‘worship’ in the church has been boring.
Over the last 200 years various segments of the church has sought out opportunities to sing Christian music in secular settings as a form of outreach. This has not always been the practice of the church.
The first documented case of controversy about worship or church music comes from the 1st century. Pope St. Clement discovered that in various regions church musicians were singing psalms from the Christian liturgy at pagan festivals. These psalms were being sung in public, non-sacred settings and most likely the singers were profiting from the music. The Pope found this practice scandalous and intervened, forbidding the practice. His fear was that Christian musicians would appear as "wandering minstrels, singing tellers of tales of high adventure, who perform their art for a mouthful of bread."
In the early centuries of the church, Christians sang together as a type of mass choir. The music or words were never written out, but simply transmitted audibly and orally. There were no hymnals, song sheets, overheads or PowerPoint. All the songs were memorized by the average person.
As the centuries progressed though, the lyrics of the songs began to be sung in Latin by a chosen few. The average person did not speak, read or understand Latin and therefore was unable to join in the singing and was relegated to being a spectator.
How’s that for a little spicy history on the discussion of various forms of worship?
Stay tuned for … more of the story.
Matt
No comments:
Post a Comment