Oh yeah?
Oh, how I love screaming metal music. Adding to the fact it’s Christian (such as the band As I Lay Dying) makes it that much more awesome for me!Even when I was evangelical I had an extreme dislike for “contemperary christian music” (CCM). Of course, this is something I never said outloud to anyone (which makes me wonder how many others felt the same way).
The problem with CCM is that, in imitating popular music styles, the songs become a simplistic theological mess. Most are not giving praise to God, they are testifying to each other.
There are exceptions, but for the most part, that was my assessment.
Christian metal is even worse. SCREAM, SCREAM, SCREAM, Jesus, SCREAM, SCREAM…
Get the point?
CCM is a mile wide and an inch deep. Take it from someone who grew up listening to music from the 60s.
They have catchy tunes and create emotion.
But that’s about all it creates.
There are many historical Protestant hymns that are suitable theologically for Catholic worship. But that’s not the same thing as CCM or ‘praise music.’
I’m a music minister at my parish (three Masses a weekend) and do music for our youth Mass. In my opinion there is some great comtemporary music out there. While one must be careful of lyrics from a doctrinal standpoint, many of these songs when done in a Catholic setting take on even greater meaning than the author may have intended.
“From years ago” is the key phrase. I enjoyed much of the Hosanna! and Vineyard labels, although I was also quite selective even back then. Don Moen, Paul Wilbur, Marty Nystrom and Gary Sadler, to name a few. The music was good and the lyrics rich.
You may be right. I go to youtube often my favorites from back then.
Growing up during the Charismatic Renewal, praise and worship music really had significant part in my own personal renewal in the faith. Later I found out that those music were mostly Protestants in origin. My favourites are songs from the Hossana Intergrity Music,Maranatha and even the Vineyard. The lyrics were beautiful, meaningful and touching the heart; and singers like Don Moen, Ron Kenoly or Randy Rothwell were fantastic worship leaders. Many years have passed since. Now the more contemporary praise and worship music seem to lack in depth and more to the rock style. These have not been very endearing to me.
That is exactly how I think. If you love God in the manner indicated by many of the praise songs you’d have no problem coming to an event other than the formal worship service to sing or hear those songs. There is a great danger of reducing God to an emotional experience.
Your right and glad that you mentioned that we do need to be careful because Protestant musicians will carry over into their lyrics their beliefs and not those of the Catholic Church so we do need to be careful.
Have you seen the movie Ray? There is a scene where Ray Charles’ wife reacts in horror to his secularizing the music of the church. As with R&B the other son of the Blues, Rock & Roll does have some roots in sacred music.
Did you know that before died Rich Mullins had been attending and had gone through RCIA, but hadn’t decided to whether to join the Church or not?
I like that song. It’s like a modern Psalm, focused on the attributes of God and His goodness to us regardless of our circumstances. We praise God for His goodness not because He needs our praise, but because we need to remind ourselves, or because it’s a natural human impulse to express our thanks to Him.
Yes, I’ve heard that.