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Being raised in a West Indian family, with a fierce, strict and knowledgeable grandmother at the head, I always knew what Sundays were about. At the end of every Sunday family meal, we would all, somewhat reluctantly, seat ourselves around the T.V for my grandmother’s favourite dessert; a soul and spirit lifting round of the unforgettable ‘Songs of Praise’.
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Reviving a Tradition?
Recently, the BBC have invited the British public to view gospel music through urban contact lenses by the introduction of current choir competition ‘Last Choir Standing’, showcasing a range of talented vocalists and providing a somewhat more modern translation of traditional gospel. The programme is currently nearing its final stages, and is a clear hit with the filmed audience and the public alike. Nodding along to the modern beats, toe tapping to the jazzy vibes and getting goosebumps after hearing a vocalist hit that special song note leaves most feeling emotional and entertained. However, is this what the ‘good news’ music is really all about? Should gospel music be all about showing off the rifting, sifting and shifting of voices and vocal chords or should it first be about the tradition of Christ and the simplicity of worship?
As the body of Christ, it sometimes feels like we forget the strength in the purity and humility of unadulterated worship. We remember the beats and the rhythms of our favourite urban gospel songs, but forget the words to the satan rebuking, flesh decreasing and Calvary remembering hymns that kept our grand folks and on that narrow path that leads to righteousness. We get uplifted by modern artists and choirs, which in and of itself isn’t a bad thing; it is a great thing to be encouraged and feel emotional about the words to a song, but how much better if we got the balance right and took time to feel encouraged by the Word of God and emotional about the Holy Spirit after a time of entering into His presence through worship? The tradition of Christ was and is to please the heart of His Father; it was not to please His own senses. The tradition of the body of Christ should also be the same.
We are told, not asked, to worship God ‘in Spirit and in Truth’. Whilst most modern gospel still adheres to this command, there is some that simply does not. How are we expected to worship ‘in Spirit and in Truth’ to beats that are not even of God in the first place, but are taken from or inspired by the world, and sound more secular than some secular songs? The standard of tradition needs to be revived.
La-Keshia Bannis
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| | Religious Mindset Never (Guest) | 24/08/2008, 23:03 | | Interesting article although I agree that we need to be careful to keep the Lord at the centre of all we do, I do not think that this means Christian music can only be what our Grand parents listened to.
You seem suggest that all modern styles of Christian are carnal which is definately not the case.
Let's be honest the music our grand parents listened to does not sound anything like the music styles that where around when Jesus lived on Earth.
Tradition is just man made rules and not needed in order to be a Christian
| | | Diane (Guest) | 30/08/2008, 13:08 | | Hi,
There's a big danger in saying 'the standard of tradition needs to be revived' because we need to accept that God is doing a new thing.
Gospel is not a style of music, it's a message.
And to say "How are we expected to worship ‘in Spirit and in Truth’ to beats that are not even of God in the first place" is wrong because a whole lot of the music that's played today has derived from the early stages of Gospel Music.
I've come across a lot of young people; Christians and non-Christians that have been ministered to by Christian Rap music, which is so called "non-traditional Gospel Music."
Again, the Gospel is a message, not a style of music and in terms of music we need to be taking back from the world the beats that have been inspired by the early stages of Gospel Music.
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