Thus says the Lord: "Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.
But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'" --Jeremiah 6:16

 

30 January, 2008   comments: (0) Audio Clips   The History of Praise Songs: Simple from Semple In 1927 the three most popular American celebrities were Charles Lindbergh, Babe Ruth, and a TBN-type personality that most people today have never heard of; the female evangelist and ex-Broadway theater worker Aimee Semple McPherson. I remember seeing a PBS special about her life, which easily fit into the "you can't make this stuff up" category. You only need to learn a little about her to realize the influence she had (and still has) on American evangelicalism. This is especially the case in the church musical genre which we loosely refer to as contemporary "praise music". In this short audio excerpt, RC Sproul takes us down memory lane to examine the roots of what is often called the "7/11 song", which is now used in 70 percent of American churches. You may be surprised to find that he doesn't make an outright rejection of simple music, but has some profound observations. The term 7/11 humorously implies a praise song in which the same 7 words are repeated 11 times. Today's praise music used to be confined mostly within Charismatic circles, which Aimee Semple McPherson was a part of. Her praise song genre took off due to the simplicity of the music, as well as the fact that it was (and often still is) very sensuous. By that I mean that it appeals to the senses and emotions, tending to bypass the mind. It also has an entertainment aspect to it, which makes it popular with even unbelievers. You may have noticed some modern Hillsongs CD's being sold on TV commercials late at night; just like Elvis' gospel music did, it has a secular appeal. This also is one of the reasons why today's fastest growing churches are finding popularity. Rick Warren mentions how, if he could do it all over again, he would have started his ministry off by investing in a top-notch band. It's thought of as a sort of 'bait' to get people to church. Today we are finding that some mature believers are rejecting the 21st century praise song, and are looking instead for something more meaty. While we need not reject all simple songs, the bible does call us to that which is more meaty as we mature in Christ. As Augustine said, worship music ought to have a certain gravity to it. Our worship music should be focused on pleasing God, rather than finding priority in pleasing the secular world. For the next 10 minutes, RC Sproul will discuss this further, while giving you some very helpful background on the history of the worship music which is most popular in today's western churches. From the 10/05/2007 broadcast of Renewing Your Mind. CLICK HERE TO PLAY NOW . . . or to download this MP3 file for later: right click the link and then "save target as"   More Old Truth Audio Files: 04/25/08 - The False Peace of Truth-Compromised 03/20/08 - The Arrogance of Abandoning Church History 02/25/08 - Judging Fruit By Biblical Standards 11/06/07 - Audio Archive: How God Converts The Human Soul 07/19/07 - Theology Q&A's: Does Prayer Change God's Mind? 06/03/07 - Addressing Our Culture w/Reformed Christianity 05/28/07 - Don't Make The Church Mars Hill, Go There Instead 05/07/07 - Old Truths versus The Quest For 'Something New' 04/27/07 - Lost and Found: The Fear of The Lord 03/13/07 - Goofy Eschatology That Sproul Wants Left Behind Detailed Listing of All Audio Files   Posted by: Jim B.   Link: http://www.oldtruth.com/blog.cfm/.id.2.pid.938   Be the first to post a comment about this article        Home  |   About  |  Videos   |  Calvinism