For as long as I can remember, I always loved music.  Instrumental.  Vocal.  It all resounded so deeply within me.  Growing up, I listened to a lot of music. I’d sit in my room, pop in a cassette into my stereo, and then record myself singing onto a cassette player. I’d play that cassette over and over again critiquing myself.  I think my mother was concerned about my music choices as I listened to a lot of George Michael, Janet Jackson, and Michael Jackson.  I distinctly remember that she had a book titled something like, The Devil’s Music.  I knew she was reading it because of me, and frankly at that time, it made me chuckle.

Midway through college, the Lord really nudged on me heavily.  He allowed unpleasant circumstances to come into my life in an effort to draw me back to Himself.  I abandoned a lot of negative influences during that time including the music that I had been listening to.  The messages did nothing to uplift me or encourage healthy behaviors, and they certainly did nothing to edify God.  I turned to Christian music.

Christian music did not replace my time with God.  It did not replace the Bible.  It was a means to compliment what I was reading and what the Lord was teaching me.  Christian music was also a way to fill my mind with uplifting messages about biblical truths and God.  It put scripture on  my lips and in my mind.  It put praise and worship in my heart and gave me a voice.

I’ve always known that some Christians are not fond of more contemporary Christian music, and I respect that.  We all have different preferences and musical tastes.  The beautiful thing is that you have choices as to what kind of church you worship at and what kind of music that you sing.  And while being discerning about music is important, being judgemental about the biblically based choices of other churches and people is not.

For a long time I laid aside listening to contemporary Christian music and praise and worship songs.  The church that I was attending was hymncentric. I never minded singing hymns.  The majority of hymns are doctrinally rich and espouse deep biblical truths.  I grew up on hymns and had no problem singing them each week.  But a lot of attention was vested into speaking out against other forms of worship.  It was as if there was only one acceptable form of worship.  Biblically, I don’t see evidence for that and didn’t back then either, but oddly enough, I followed.

But after several years, I could feel a void.  The durge-like congregational hymns contained rich words but lacked any emotive expression.  And while singing hymns does not have to ooze with feeling and emotion, sour faces and monotone voices should not be the norm.  There should be some kind of emotional connection as we sing about our Savior.

So one day I unearthed some of my Christian CDs and put them on in the house and in the car.  I remember the first one that I played for my boys, Michael W. Smith’s Worship.  I also can vividly remember how the music breathed such life into us.  So from that moment on, the Christian music that I felt most comfortable with filled the air as I cooked, cleaned, and drove.  It became a natural and expected part of the day.

Each Sunday morning on the way to church, we would listen to contemporary Christian music, and each Sunday morning as we drove down the church’s driveway, we would lower the music. It was kind of a comedic ritual.  Today, I wince as I think of it.  I was preoccupied about what people would think if they heard us listening to ‘that’ music.  At church we would listen to sermons about the ills of contemporary Christian music; my sons would sit through youth group hearing the same, and we would all simply scratch our heads as to why there was such a concerted effort to demonize the music we loved.

I am not an advocate of worship that contains flashing lights,  fog machines, and acrobatics on the stage.  I am not a fan of worship that steals the attention that is meant for God.  But I do find that the Bible has a lot to say about music and can help us disspell some of the false thinking we have.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  Colossians 3:16

This verse identifies three distinct forms of worship: psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.  I also find it interesting that these modes were part of the teaching and admonishing of one another.  Lyrics matter.  Doctrinally accurate lyrics matter, and any song, be it a hymn or a praise and worship song that is not doctrinally correct, should be avoided.  There are plenty of contemporary Christian songs out there that are doctrinally wrong.  Yes, bring light to the error and do not etch its words on your heart or mouth. Be discerning.  Do the same regarding hymns.

I also want to draw attention to the last part of the verse: ‘with thankfulness in your hearts to God’. The songs that we sing should be done so in a way that expresses our heartfelt thankfulness to our God. A mere recitation of words that is void of a heart connection to the Lord is missing the mark.

David also commanded the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their brothers as the singers who should play loudly on musical instruments, on harps and lyres and cymbals, to raise sounds of joy. 1 Chronicles 15:16

This verse shows a variety of instrumentation that was used as part of worship.  I find the phrase ‘should play loudly’ interesting.  But the purpose of this music was to ‘raise sounds of joy.’ Again, there is emotive expression in worship and in our praise.

The priests stood at their posts; the Levites also, with the instruments for music to the LORD that King David had made for giving thanks to the LORD—for his steadfast love endures forever—whenever David offered praises by their ministry; opposite them the priests sounded trumpets, and all Israel stood. 2 Chronicles 7:6

Again I see a variety of instruments being used for the purpose of giving thanks to God.

What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.
1 Corinthians 14:15

I find it interesting that there is the notation of singing praises with our spirit and mind.  There is an inner, spirit-filled connection when we praise the Lord.  It is not merely an outward utterance of words or synchronization of music.

And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the LORD, according to the directions of David king of Israel. And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD,

“For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.”

And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.  Ezra 3:10-11

Once again we see the connection between song and thankfulness.  When we praise we are not merely singing a song (no matter what form that song takes).  We are audibly expressing what resides inside of us.  For some, that evokes tears, a lifted hand, or closed eyes.  For others it may be a more solemn expression.  Also note that the people ‘shouted’ as they praised the Lord.

And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.
2 Samuel 6:5

There are many people who cast judgement if there is a drumset or electric guitar as part of worship.  But I see a variety of instrumentation listed in this verse, some quiet and subdued (lyre, harp), while others are loud (tambourines, castanets, cymbals). There is nothing inherently wrong or unbiblical with worship that includes drums or electric guitars.  It honestly comes down to personal preference.

I could go on and on finding biblical references that show that worship is not a one size fits all experience. If you prefer hymns, fine.  If you prefer praise and worship, fine.  Please stop the petty judgements against others who worship the same God in a different manner than you.

Truths that we can all agree on regarding church music:

• All music lifted up to God must be doctrinally accurate and biblically sound.
• All music should bring us into a worshipful posture before our holy God.
• Music should not create chaos.
• Music should not be a personal performance that seeks public praise for the individual.  We are praising the Lord, not the performer.
• Music choice should be intentional and not haphazard.

I will leave you with a few songs, all based on Psalm 23.  You’ll have a preference, and that’s OK.  Someone else will have a different preference, and that’s OK.