Religion and Music
Thought and Reflection
Today, we are going to start our discussion very broadly with at least one theory on the origins of contemporary Christian music, which plays a major role in evangelical Christianity.
The “Jesus Music” Movement
The author of today’s article (sorry we still can't access electronic course reserve) places the origins of contemporary Christian music in a movement that was known as “Jesus Music” in the United States and “Gospel Beat Music” in the United Kingdom. The movement grew in the late 1960s and early 1970s, as large numbers of so-called “hippies” began to convert to born-again Christianity. Some have argued that this movement was simply an extension of the bigger “Jesus Movement” that was taking place, particularly in Southern California, San Francisco, Seattle and Chicago. The birth of the born-again “Jesus Movement” is often attributed to two pastors (one was know as “Pastor Chuck”) whose outreach was associated with the Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, California. Many of their early converts (according to what I read online) were musicians (folk and rock) and they infused their musical styles with Christian lyrics. These early “Jesus music” bands originally played in small venues and would simply pass the hat, asking for “love offerings” so their could continue to share their faith and challenge listeners to be saved.
Here’s a short online article about the history of what has come to be known as “Jesus Music”:
http://one-way.org/jesusmusic/ (click on the "Forward" link in the column on the left).
http://one-way.org/jesusmusic/ (click on the "Forward" link in the column on the left).
Here’s an excerpt from the article:
This incipient period was marked by a number of characteristics. Evangelism was foremost on the Jesus musician's mind since there was no commercial infrastructure to support their efforts. At the time, most artists felt the production of recorded music albums a secondary concern eclipsed by the primacy of personal intimacy developed with a live audience. Also, in light of the belief that the Second Coming was imminent, the recording an album seemed an extraneous diversion away from concerns of evangelism. Most pioneers speak of this era as one of spontaneity unclouded by the materialism that followed as Jesus Music made an awkward transition into a competitive industry.
Jesus Music recordings became prevalent when groups and artists realized that a record album could serve a dual purpose both as a tool of evangelism and as a commodity to raise much needed funds. During this incipient phase product distribution remained rudimentary, usually centering on self-promotion and endless concert touring. Mail-order companies emerged to handle the handful of low-budget and (most often) poorly recorded efforts. In time, however, a number of institutional developments emerged around the fledgling scene as it expanded and moved beyond the embryonic stage. Coffeehouses and nightclubs sprang up across the continent as venues for Christian musicians to perform. In response to mainstream music festivals, such as the Monterey Pop and Woodstock events, a number of promoters began to hold similar Jesus Music festivals.
Institutionalization came quickly as the informal infrastructure developed into a burgeoning network of business enterprises formed around the loose collection of independent musicians. The Contemporary Christian Music industry (CCM) blossomed in 1975 with the establishment of a number of large record companies whose sole aim was to promote and distribute Christian rock albums. Myrrh Records, originally formed in 1971 to promote Randy Matthews, reversed their original pessimism about the future of Jesus rock music and signed up several other artists to bolster their lineup. As the "contemporary music" subsidiary of Word Records, Myrrh signed Nancy Honeytree, The 2nd Chapter of Acts, British folk duo Malcolm & Alwyn, Pat Terry Group, and others to their label while signing distribution deals to albums by Larry Norman, Randy Stonehill, Love Song, Phil Keaggy, Lamb, and Paul Clark. Other labels to begin operations during this time were Greentree (a division of Benson), Chrism (a division of Tempo), and Sparrow Records when former Myrrh executive Billy Ray Hearn decided to launch out on his own.
One of the better known groups associated with this movements was called 2nd Chapter of Acts. Here’s a couple of YouTube clips I found:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Drjeo9PDgY&index=3&list=PLjFDKkWSWFC0MuaVQscRU6lM-IZKylBG0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmxcotW-O0w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmxcotW-O0w
Another one of these groups was called Love Song. Here’s a remix of one of their songs:
This next clip has some real interesting historical value. Set to a Love Song ballad, it has photos of Pastor Chuck performing baptism in a cove at Corona Del Mar beach in Southern California:
Probably the most widely recognized musical symbol of this movement was the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar (music by Andrew Lloyd Weber and lyrics by Tim Rice), which first appeared on Broadway in 1971. Hold this thought as you move in to the next section. Saturday’s Warrior may have been the LDS version, perhaps?
Mormon Pop Music: An Early History
Now, I’d like us to pause and reflect for a second. It is interesting to note that a parallel movement (at least musically) was taking place within the LDS Church at this time.
The first I would like to note was the creation of the musical play (arguably a 1970s Mormon “Pop Music” Opera of sorts), Saturday’s Warrior. It was written by Douglas Stewart and Lex de Azevedo and first performed in Southern California (this is when I saw it) in 1973 as a college project. Most of you, if you have heard of it, are probably familiar with the 1989 video update version. This musical put Lex de Azevedo at the center of the early Mormon music universe. Most contemporary Mormon musicians and recording groups can look to his work as the beginning of what we might call the Mormon music genre.
Here’s a clip of the theme song (from the 1989 mix):
It is important to consider Lex de Azevedo family history here. Lex was the son of Alyce King of the King Sisters. Yes, before the Osmonds, there was the King Sisters, four actual Mormon sisters, who were a part of the even larger (Mormon) King Family that sang, recorded, traveled and even had their own television specials back in the 1960s. The King Family is considered to be the first family of Mormon music by many.
Here’s a couple of interesting historical clips. They are from their 1965 television show and include the King Sisters:
It is important to note that the King Family and King Sisters, while widely recognized as Mormons, sang only standards; they did not sing religiously themed music. However, they always ended their show with When There’s Love at Home.
The King Sisters’ children also performed. They were known as the King Cousins (what did you expect?). Here’s a clip (several songs including the Petula Clark hit, “Downtown”:
Here’s some Wikipedia info on Lex: “De Azevedo served as a musical director for The Sonny & Cher Show, Michael Jackson and the Jackson Five and The Osmonds. He composed the scores for the films Where the Red Fern Grows and the The Swan Princess, for the latter he was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1995 for the song ‘Far Longer than Forever.’” Yes, and if the name sounds familiar, he is the father of Julie de Azevedo, who has recorded several LDS-themed pop albums.
Here’s a little known historical fact. In the late 1960s (maybe into the early 1970s), there was a Mormon band known as the “Sons of Mosiah” that performed in Utah and in what is known as the “Mormon Corridor.” My recollection is that they actually cut a vinyl album—I remember seeing it and listening to it.
So, back to my point. Saturday’s Warrior may have given birth to a Mormon music genre. You are all probably familiar with EFY music. My kids listened to it. There was a beginning, right? It was in 1975 (two years after the original Saturday’s Warrior), when the CES decided to use music to find a new way to reach seminary students. This was the pre-video days and the music accompanied film strips (famous for the loud beeps signally the time to change the slide). “Like Unto Us” was one of the first and was used to accompany the Book of Mormon materials. It has become a standard (it was re-recorded by Brett Raymond and others) and is now included on an EFY greatest hits CD of some sort. Here’s the song (I remember it from my seminary days):
Contemporary Christian Music
We have been talking about the nexus between pop music and Christian music. At this point, I should note that Christian music has always had its roots in country music and vice versa. The two seem to have always gone well together. Why do you suppose this is?
I realize that Randy Travis has had his issues lately, but here’s a clip of one of his songs, that gives you a sense of how well these two types of music blend together. I’ve always thought it was interesting how well some country music lends itself to telling good Christian messages:
Here’s some background from Wikipedia:
Deep South Southern Gospel music was birthed and was found primarily in the southern states. Today, Christian country music has blended with a new brand of music called Positive Christian Country music. The music tends to deal with life's problems and God's answers to those problems, and it doesn't sound like the religious music of years past. It has attracted extraordinary talent and quality in production, thereby making it palatable to the ears of the un-churched who like the sounds of today's country music. It's becoming a tool for evangelism all over the world and through it many churches have sprung up around the country with country gospel as their main musical format….
Radio personality Bob Wilson was one of the first radio personalities to see the potential of the genre. His weekly show Gospel Country Round-up aired for many years playing southern and Christian country music. Many Christian country stations today are going the way of Internet stations. That is a positive move for this genre, however, because there are few terrestrial radio stations that play a strictly Christian country format. Many mainstream country stations only have a weekly Sunday Country Gospel show.
Christian country has several syndicated programs. The Country Gospel Countdown has broadcasted since 1984 and syndicated since 1988, The Country Parson radio program, broadcast since 1995 and has been syndicated since 1998. Ken's Country Radio Show, The Radio Hour, Country Messenger, The Ranch radio show on KKUS, and Canadian produced Riverside Country. The Country Gospel Music Guild also airs a weekly radio program while Circuit Rider Radio airs on conventional and satellite radio worldwide.
Other syndicated weekend shows that feature Inspirational and Positive Country music are Power Source Top 20, and finally, the American Christian Music Review for United Stations Radio Networks. These programs are aired nationwide weekly on both Country and Southern Gospel radio stations.
Not surprisingly, Mormon artists also produce country Christian or country gospel music. One of those groups is Joshua Creek (our very own Dr. Quint Randle is a member of this group). Here’s a clip:
More Thought and Reflection—Today’s Blog
OK, let’s get back to the main theme or topic for today. The article, “Evangelicals and Popular Music,” raises some very interesting points (that could be perceived as being highly critical of this emerging industry). Please read it. You will recall that last class session we discussed religion as a marketplace that appeals, at the expense of traditional religious values and practices, to market-driven consumer desires and demands. This seems to be a recurring theme (I’m not sure why our authors have singled out evangelicals for this, though).
For you blog today, I want you to reflect on and write about your feelings regarding two quotes I have extracted from the reading. Here’s the first:
By adopting both rock music and the ethos of the popular culture industries, contemporary Christian music thrust evangelical youth into the new consumer-oriented youth culture, or at least into an evangelical version of it.
Here’s the second (related to the first):
Consequently, the Christian music industry promoted an evangelical culture based on the rules of commercialism and not those of churches, elevating consumer values and taste at the expense of doctrine and tradition. In that sense, contemporary Christian music made a place in which the confluence of religion and the marketplace could shape both personal and communal identity for baby-boom evangelicals and their children. The merchandising of contemporary Christian music shifted “ministry” from collective spiritual matters to personal consumer havits, concentrating the practice of faith on the individual instead of the larger religious community. Contemporary Christian music thereby subordinated a church affiliation and denominational creeds to a highly individualistic and personal faith centered in the popular “born again” experience that was perhaps the hallmark of the popular evangelicalism that grew out of the Jesus Movement.
Music has a special power and influence over people. Especially spiritual or inspirational music. And no matter if the music and industry is heading towards a more profit driven direction. I think christian music is generally meant to uplift and help people gain faith. Even if the creators make a lot of money in the meanwhile. I personally don't listen to a lot of Christian music (or music in general). But I know that it does have a more individualistic feel to it. One song that I may love, my best friend may hate it. And I guess this push to make religious music the same way has also spread to churches and faith. Instead of their being one way the church goes about things, now everyone has their own way and the church has to take a broad approach to faith and worship to encompass everyone.
ReplyDeleteThis movement to a more personalized music/religion will only continue to compound as time goes on. As parents teach their children about "their faith" the child will take that a little further. Who knows, maybe the whole idea of centralized churches will go away all together and everyone will have their personal religion instead.
Music definitely plays a role in all religions, but especially in the Evangelical Christian religion. My first exposure to Christian music was on my satellite radio, there are so many stations that are related to Christians, for example, “The Message”-Christian Pop and Rock, “Kirk Franklin’s Praise,” and “enlighten.” In addition there are various channels on FM and AM radio that are broadcasted by this denomination. Christians are very passionate about music and how it brings them closer to God. My husband is a big Owl City fan and he loves their music because he feels like it is always uplifting him, one of his favorite songs is entitled “In Christ Alone.” Here is a short snippet of the first verse: “In Christ alone my hope is found, He is my light, my strength, my song; this Cornerstone, this sold Ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm.” I think it is cool that this popular artist frequently writes songs about how he is striving to be more Christ-like.
ReplyDeleteMusic is so powerful. I really liked the following statement from one of the quotes we read for this blog post, “the merchandising of contemporary Christian music shifted “ministry” from collective spiritual matters to personal consumer havits, concentrating the practice of faith on the individual instead of the larger religious community.” I don’t know why but we all connect to different genres of music and feel different emotions. Music has definitely been a witness of the spirit in my Mormon life. I agree that music relates to people on a more personal level. Last year I attended a Christian Evangelical Rock church for an assignment in my World Religions class. The meeting service started out with a band on stage performing songs. The meeting rotated through singing, then a sermon, then singing, then a sermon, then singing. At first I felt uncomfortable watching a band rock out to music on a Sunday in a church building—definitely so different than anything I was use to, but I can honestly say that during that meeting I felt the spirit the most while we were listening to the band and singing along. The sermon was harsh and loud, but the music was loud yet peaceful. I vividly remember people in the congregation raising their hands to the air and shouting halleluiah with tears streaming down their face. The words of the music were similar to the words I sing every week in the hymnbook. The only difference was that a guy was playing a rock guitar and not a piano.
From this experience, I agree with the first quote given to us in the blog post: “By adopting both rock music and the ethos of the popular culture industries, contemporary Christian music thrust evangelical youth into the new consumer-oriented youth culture, or at least into an evangelical version of it.” The rock culture of the church made not only the adults more engaged in the meeting, but also the youth. It was so interesting to see everyone jamming out to music and making spiritual connections at the same time. One of my favorite things about general conference is hearing the Tabernacle Choir sing. I love the peace I feel when words are sung rather than just spoken. I think music will only continue to grow within religion.
Religious music has played a big role in my life as a mormon, uplifting my spirits and speaking to me in ways that are powerful and personal. Religious music has a tendency to do that for religions of all sorts and people love it. Religious music, especially evangelical music has transformed over the years, going through the process of commercialization and catering to consumers wants, needs, and spiritual beliefs. Jesus was the main part of music during the beginning of the religious music movement. This kind of music and the nature of it didn’t bode well for the commercialization or competitive music industry when it was time to transform the singers into stars.
ReplyDeleteThe music from the band 2nd Chapter of Acts was very upbeat and joyful, especially in the first clip. The Love Song Baptism Video was very thought evoking and interesting as the movies and photos from the clip depicted the masses getting baptized. I’ve never seen anything like that and I find it fascinating that the event was put to a love song.
Contemporary Christian music is often tied into country music because from what I’ve observed, those in the south and around country roots are extremely passionate about their music and about their religion. Country music is extremely popular and the emotion it evokes is very personal and even very applicable to religious Christain themes. Another reason Christian music is so often set in a Country genre is because it is marketable to a specific consumer, a popular kind of consumer, a passionate southern country person.
I agree that christian rock music brought youth into an evangelical version of consumer-oriented youth culture, just like any other genre of music might. Many religions understand and utilize the consumer aspect of religion and use it to not only make money but also to reach a wider audience. So often now, religion is about marketing a brand and, if that means bringing rock music and pop-culture industries into a religion, then that’s what the religion will do.
I think religion has turned to music as a way to involve the youth because it's a relatively easy way to get young people coming, participating in, and enjoying church meetings and church services. This, of course, is not without it's consequences, good or bad, and I think the quote provided outlines the heart of the consequences: as music became more popular, and more associated with church and worship, it made worship more individual. I think this is a good thing for a few reasons. Music is individual in ways because we all like our own kind of music, and we can listen to it completely alone and not feel alone at all. However, music is also incredibly social because we share it with our friends, we usually have music playing in the background of any social gathering, even restaurants play music, so while it can be individual, it's something that is really easy to share and listen to with others. I think this is a reflection of what tends to happen with individualistic and personal worship: it can be something highly personal and unique to each person, but each person can bring their own perspective and add it to others' creating something even bigger, and sharing it to become a community experience.
ReplyDeleteEvangelical churches that rely majorly on music as a form of worship however, do tend to lose some of the community factor, because it stops encouraging discussion and testimony building experiences. This is why I appreciate the way we use music in the LDS church because we come to church and use hymns of worship to set the mood/invite the spirit, but we don't rely on them to teach the messages, rather we have people talk and teach and share their experiences to build us up. Outside of church, music is offered for us to have uplifting messages as a constant part of our lives, but it's not something we typically consider a life-changing moment when we come to accept God or anything more than an additional resource for us to feel the spirit and keep positive messages in our daily lives.
Though I love music in general, and several hymns and more formal LDS songs played a large role in helping me get out of a dark place and gain a testimony of the Savior, I've always hated informal Christian/religious music. I mostly dislike that it's cheesy, it often feels fake, it's melodramatic, and it tries to mimic the sound of normal pop music.
ReplyDeleteAfter doing the reading and listening to some of the clips, I will say that I have gained a little more respect for the artists who made early Christian music for a seemingly more genuine reason (to worship God & Jesus) than those who do it today for the money. Although I didn't particularly like any of the music in the clips, I think that it's a positive thing that the music has uplifted many people and brought them closer to God, even if their motivations weren't completely altruistic. I do think it's dangerous, however, to keep pushing religion & church towards more of a business-like state rather than what it is meant to be, because teaching people that they can get paid to praise God is corrupt and deceitful in my opinion, regardless of the good it may do.
Also, I think that country music is often religious mainly because of what was mentioned in the reading- it was developed in the Southern US (the Bible Belt) where Christianity has always been a huge part of Southern people's lives and culture. I also hate country music though, for basically the same reasons that I listed above for my dislike of other informal Christian music. I guess I never really thought about how those are tied together, which partially explains why I dislike both.
People are drawn to music, and as a result it is a good medium for teaching, learning, and promoting. It only makes sense why music is used in religion and why churches develop their own system of music production. However, when I first started the reading I have to admit I felt that the Evangelical church members were only doing it because they wanted to make money. While I do think that is a major motivator for their church in general, as I kept reading I realized all churches are guilty of using the lures of music to draw members in.
ReplyDeleteIts interesting to think of music and religion being simultaneously combined. When Christ was instituting the last super in the upper room he began by singing hymns with the apostles in preparation for what was to come. Music can bring a peace and spirit that not much else does. On the other hand, the music industry produces the exact opposite. In a world with so much filth, it only makes sense that churches would create their own brand of music that helps teach uplifting messages for their youth. The LDS EFY music has become a huge part of many youths lives and helped them stay close to the church.
For me personally, it’s a fine line when dealing with this topic. I don’t support the merchandised side of the Jesus music movement, but I do think that it comes from a good place and can do a lot of good. A lot of children are music learners, and rather than learning their values from other sources of music, letting positive music influence them is never a bad thing.
I think music is a way people can understand, connect and feel emotions. It plays a huge role in people’s lives, especially the younger generation, so naturally it becomes a way for the target market for religion to attract more youth. The older music seemed more historical in that it may have taught a message or told a story. Now, it seems the songs are generalized for all audiences with messages of hope, joy, love and many others. Some incorporate Christ in them as an example or one who helps us out of bad times. This music can be an escape for people or even a reminder of values.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think initially the Christian pop music was just a good marketing scheme but I think some good came out that. Because of music’s influence, people can actually learn and be inspired from the basic messages in those songs. I agree with the quote in that Christian music is more individualized, not targeted at a large congregation. It’s more for one’s personal thoughts and reflection.
We can relate to this with EFY music. It’s not something we listen to in groups or at church. Usually we listen on Sundays when we want to feel the spirit. The songs evoke feelings and emotion. They remind us of our beliefs and feelings we have and had in the past related to the gospel.
Being from Texas and living in the South, mega churches, Christian rock, and things of that sort are very big and very popular. In particular, I noticed how it was directed towards the youth. Christian rock is everywhere in the South and it’s a staple of the culture, one that is widely accepted. My high school art teacher was always playing her Christian rock station over the classroom speakers for most of the day. There are countless Christian rock stations on the radio, and nobody really minds it. One of the things about Christian rock is that it tends to be directed towards the youth. Because a lot of people belong to mega churches, one of the ways that they stay in touch and connected to the youth, is they assign specific pastors to be Youth Pastors. I have met several of my friends’ pastors, because they would come to school during lunch to visit their kids, or other social activities. Friendly and welcoming, most developed a string relationship with their kids in their congregation. One thing that they all had in common though, was they were all musically inclined, specifically with their voice and guitars. They would often teach through song as a way to better connect with the youth and make the teachings more enjoyable. I also knew of several people who picked up music because of this and were influenced by their pastors. I think it has become a very smart way for churches to connect with youth in a world where fewer and fewer youth want to affiliate with religion.
ReplyDeleteMusic is involved in almost every single religion because, as mentioned in some previous comments, can have such a powerful influence on someone. Everyone has some sort of connection to music because it has this way of expressing their innermost thoughts and feelings in a way that resonates with them and is easy to understand. Often times music is put in place of words simply because it has a greater impact than just words alone and is good for teaching, pondering, reflecting, and encouraging the spirit to enter into people's hearts. For these reasons, religious music is very popular and is still gaining popularity. People resonate with different types of music and different types of music can be uplifting to different people which I think is great and is the reason there are so many types of religious music. Religious music does not have to be any specific style of music or contain any certain concepts because it is different for everyone. I think that religious music is segregated based on background and culture simply because that is what people grow up with and connect with. But music does not even have to be religious to have a positive effect on someone, in fact lots of good uplifting music is not religious but still has the same teaching effects.
ReplyDeleteIt is one thing to listen to music, but it is entirely another thing to create music. Creating music can have much more of a personal effect on people that hits them down to the core. That is why I think it is so great that so many religions include the creation of music in their churches. The Baptist Church is very inviting and open to those who want to create music. There are opportunities for anyone in the congregation to participate in the creation of music.
Music in any circumstance can set the tone or mood of any room. I tend to think of scary movies and the suspenseful music that builds up the audiences' emotions till the climax hits. Music tends to go hand in hand with expressing and demonstrating emotion. Religion is captivated by emotional and spiritual moments and music has played a very large role in evoking those feelings. Almost every time I hear a musical number in church I feel so much emotion that I start to cry. Music touches people in a way that leaves one feeling a connection to a certain belief or subject.
ReplyDeleteIn the second quote, it talks about how music was able to concentrate the practice of faith on the individual rather than the religious community. People are able to grasp a personal connection through music and gain a individualistic approach to faith. Music provided a larger outreach and became a platform to advertise religion in a more popular and approachable way. Specifically, music has been a huge impact on sharing religious themes to the youth. Back at home we had a huge Christian community church called Crossroads and I can remember friends from school recalling the church concerts and rock shows preformed. I now wonder if those same kids would have gone if the music or the concert wasn't there. Would they have still been motivated to go just for the spiritual aspect? Concerning the first quote, I definitely agree that contemporary rock music and pop culture have been a driving force in encouraging and incorporating youth in the religious culture and atmosphere.
Music has definitely been key to incorporating youth interaction into religion. I remember a decently large Christian oriented movement called YoungLife, which had an active music oriented focus in my hometown. At the time that this organization took off, I saw a number of my classmates, who I did not realize had any religious background, getting involved with wearing their clothing merchandise and talking about this group. When I asked them what was going on, and particularly where the transformation was coming from, these kids all seemed focused on the social gathering and music aspect of the organization. Co-opting pop culture is as effective a way as any to gather youth participation. I think when we were talking about Catholicism and the perceptions of various churches as being representative of an old world, stuffy order of control, that most young people are not really drawn to that type of thinking. Music, on the other hand, is a powerful tool for re-branding. I know a lot of people who pour their sense of personal meaning and self-worth into the type of music they like, and so when a religion decides to co-opt that type of music, it can gather in a lot of people who think about themselves musically, rather than religiously.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, there are likely a great number of compatibility issues between modern music styles and religion. When we discussed the use of the song Hallelujah as a tribute for the victims of a shooting, it became obvious that sometimes there is a careless deconstruction of religious themes in music, and poor choices may be made in that regard. Likewise, you may see any number of debates about the message that music promotes. The themes we hear of in most contemporary pop and rock music are actually not all that focused on fulfilling expressly religious topics. It takes a certain level of personal interpretation to bring non-religious contemporary music into line with religious thinking, and it likely also takes a fair bit of effort to adapt these music genres into something that can fulfill a religious role. This in turn necessitates a level of individual interpretation. Likewise, I have a strong feeling that rock-religion is part of the overall trend towards streamlining religion into the contemporary era and accommodating the unique religious perspective of the 'nones' generation. I strongly believe that this style of religious practice really does get most of its participants to construct and individual and personal view of their faith, rather than one focused on the actual tenets of the religion they associate with.
As I read over the Christian music in the south givin in the text and have grown up in the south, I’ve noticed something about its crucial role in church services. For my mom who used to be a Baptist, I don’t actually remember her ever talk about a sermon she had. What I do remember is the songs she’d sing from her old Baptist days and her saying how much those songs meant to her. Southern music and the Baptist ministry was closely related. This is how I think music plays a big role—it affects you more than anything else.
ReplyDeleteDuring my years in a Lutheran private school, I remember music being a central part to the church services as well. One Saturday, I remember attending church with a friend and listening to the bands played during the service. I really think that’s what got a lot of the people there. In relation to this, I thought of Sister Act. In one of the scenes where people gathered near the chapel once they heard exciting music, it showed how music brings people in. Once churches discovered this, though, music become more popularized and less spiritual. This is something I noticed as I attended my Lutheran school. They had to make their services more exciting in order to get the youth to come. I think that’s the issue with the music today. It sometimes replaces doctrine. Having said this, I still think music is a powerful tool in church services.
I do agree that music is a huge way to bring people — especially youth — into a church. Something about the beat and the way music moves from one chord to the next brings emotion into people. And beyond that, when coupled with words about a story of someone who felt lost or broken and found joy through Jesus will definitely add to the numinosity (I don't think that's technically a word) of it. I would say in a lot of instances, the way Christian evangelical music can make one feel is mostly just numinous. But I also have had experiences listening to Christian rock on the radio has reminded me of my own personal experiences I have had. I still don't think this type of music can replace study of scripture or prayer. I think its similar to how I feel about "The Passion." It may be supplemental to faith, but can not take the place of real religion.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of churches try to lure kids in through music. I would say, even in the LDS church, we use some methods to make people feel good through music to portray a message. This is not wrong in my opinion, but I don't think a testimony can be built from a musician's rendition of faith. I personally find a lot more validity and have deeper experiences from hymns based in scripture. Even though I am Mormon and I love music, EFY music and "soft Sunday sounds" have not been a big part of my life. My mom thinks that type of music is cliche and overdone. And I agree with her. I think there are classic primary songs or other young women songs I connect with because I remember a personal experience with them, but they are not all as doctrinally based or universal as maybe they could be. This is just a personal opinion. And I see a lot of benefit in helping the youth get involved through music, especially now since I've been called into the young women in my ward. I think the girls are more engaged in opening exercises when we sing a song they actually like.
Addressing the second quote, I do totally see how Christian music is targeting a more born-again approach to religiosity. Many of the songs tell stories of the singer and how they were once lost and had a "come to Jesus" moment that changed them forever. This idea is even shared in the commentary between songs on the radio. I think in some ways, this can be good for people to personalize their relationship with God. But sometimes I think people take it too far by thinking their experiences are so personal they don't need scripture or church anymore. And with the doctrinal understanding I have, I know no matter how personally devoted I am, there are specific things I can gain from church (baptism, sacrament and other priesthood ordinances) I will never gain from a Christian rock song.
I remember in high school how many of my peers would talk about the great concert that they had at church on Sunday, or the great band that played at their church. I remember that even people who weren’t religious at all would go with these churchgoers to hear the music. I remember also on my mission there were many churches that we would walk by and they were playing loud rock band music as part of their worship service. It was always puzzling to me how something so loud and aggressive was part of a church service. Since we are from a church that values reverence and how it’s a key part of feeling the spirit, it is definitely unfamiliar to hear rock music on Sundays.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t always look at this difference in worship a bad thing, but more as a testament to the fact that the churches were doing everything they could to appeal to the young crowd they desperately wanted to attract. Many of the people I talked to didn’t normally say they had a spiritual experience, but that church was a way to hang out with their friends and have fun. The music that these churches used were definitely used to increase membership and “sell” their particular congregation.
There is definitely a difference in how music is used between the LDS culture and other Christian and Evangelicals. The clear goal of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is to spread the gospel throughout the world and provide service. I would also mention the hymns that we sing each Sunday which are reverent and promote pondering. The goal of the contemporary Christian rock may be to uplift, but in many ways to entertain. The way many of their songs are written are to sell reocrsa and be a profitable business. More than anything, regardless of their overall intention, the songs as a whole usually use cleaner lyrics and have positive messages.
Music is powerful and can incite people to have many different emotions. Overall, Christian music is not an evil thing, but a different and constantly evolving way to draw in members and promote good messages. Yes, there are artists whose sole motivation is to make money off of their messages, but overall the impact it will have is much better than much of the other negative, crude, or perverse music that is being played on the radio. Although I personally believe reverence is the best facilitator to bringing the spirit, anytime truth is present, the spirit can be there.
I never realized how much of an impact the Christian music industry has had on the United States’ religious landscape. Although they’re not quite “nones” (because they’re Christians), Christian music seems to have contributed to the belief that individuals don’t need to belong to any one Christian church community. Combined with contemporary individualism and independence, Christian music is a popular way for many people to feel close to God without feeling the need to attend Church on Sunday. In other words, it is a way for people to feel “spiritual” but not be “religious.”
ReplyDeleteHowever, the commercial aspect of Christian music can also attract individuals to some Christian churches. In more contemporary Christian churches, the traditional sermon, which many may find uninteresting or boring, is transformed into a type of concert that moves and thrills believers. My mom and brother have attended such religious events for these very reasons: that they feel a connection with God through the music and find the concert-like event more entertaining than traditional religious services.
I see the personal connection made with God through Christian music to be a very positive thing, however, I also recognize that it’s a mistake when such worship dissuades believers to be a part of a congregation. When the faith of many is combined in a common goal, spiritual blessings are realized and miracles occur; without the spiritual support of others, faith is weakened and people become disillusioned with religion in general.
It was interesting for me to read how the birth of Christian music kind of snowballed into the birth of Mormon music as well. What I never had thought about before reading this blog post was that there have been people converting to Christianity or at least attending Christian services because of music, not so much the teachings. The quotes that we were asked to reflect on sounded a little negative to me; that evangelical youth are kind of falling into this consumer-driven version of religion because of music. I'm not sure that is the way it was intended to come off as, but that is how I read it. If so, I disagree, I don't think that music has turned religion into a consumerist entity, I just think that leaders and members quickly realized how fast and how hard music touches people and embraced it. It spread like wildfire because it is effective. I know that I feel more spiritual and closer to God when I am listening to uplifting music. The Christians used this tool as a way to spread uplifting messages to everyone and it just happened to be the perfect way to combine teaching with entertainment.
ReplyDeleteI thought of primary kids. We teach children through songs and music because that is sometimes the only thing they will retain during the day. Why wouldn't we do the same thing with other members of the church? My most favorite Sundays are when the choir sings, especially Christmas programs:) (My home ward also has an AMAZING choir). I remember those most cause I felt the spirit and love listening to music.
I have attended a Christian concert before. It was for a band called Mercy Me and my family listens to it every Sunday. They are our favorite. We went and just sat and listened and watched all of the other audience members get really into the music and I loved that so many people were willing and happy to attend a concert that is super uplifting and teaches them something. People search for ways to feel the spirit all the time and music is an easy way to do that.
The use of religious music varies from religion to religion so it’s hard to say how it has influenced religion as a whole – but I would love to talk about how it’s influenced Christianity and Mormonism based on my own personal experience. I grew up in Virginia, where contemporary gospel music is all the rage, and even sometimes Christian rock. I think that marketing this music to audiences even beyond religious adherents is a smart move, because in the end it’s just music. It means different things to different people, but even if you aren’t religious you can find value in religious music. When I was a kid I listened to a lot of Anberlin, even though I wasn’t part of the culture that that band was born out of. When I moved to Utah, one of my first experiences as a high school student was attending a Sunday session of some Christian denomination that I can’t remember the name of – what I do remember, though, is that there was a full rock band up on stage that would play between prayers and readings from the Bible. They even would rock their way through prayers. What I observed there I’ll never forget, and it’s changed the way I think about religious music. I’ve never seen an audience so dedicated to praise than the congregation watching that Christian rock band. They were praying during songs, raising their arms up and clearly having profound spiritual moments. I was watching a revival, something hopeful, and now I always think positively about church sessions featuring bands.
ReplyDeleteBecause of the nature of my childhood, I never went to EFY and was never really exposed to Mormon music. I feel like that’s a Utah thing. The most I got out of Mormon music while living in Virginia was the band Inside Out, a Mormon a capella group, and some Mormon Tabernacle Choir here and there. I thought it was super interesting to read up on the King Sisters, who I didn’t know about, but it’s cool to me that this Mormon group was so successful commercially. It reminds me of The Piano Guys, who are an inherently Mormon group, but have found success with all audiences. That’s really what makes the difference, I think – creating music that can resonate with more than strictly religious groups. To reach youth especially, even religious youth, creating music that’s modern and smart as well as religiously significant is a huge step in the right direction.
I know that music is a core value in many churches, and that they rely on it to attract new members and retain the old ones. For example, I attended a catholic mass in Texas when I was younger, and sure enough there was a soft rock band in the corner playing music while everyone piled in. I thought it was interesting to have that type of music, especially in the Catholic church, because many people think that the rock groups and other types of Christian music are reserved for the non-denominational and/or mega churches, when in reality, all churches are trying to keep up interest and attraction through the music. I think they realize that if they don’t provide music, then somebody else will and their attendance numbers will go down.
ReplyDeleteI have a good friend who grew up going to churches that had music and Christian rock as their main priority. He considers it his way of worshipping and feeling the spirit. When he moved up here to Utah and started attending the Mormon church with us, it was totally unique to him that we didn’t have a rock group or band playing. Unfortunately, it’s hard for him to feel like he is worshipping and feeling the spirit without that style of music, and he doesn’t enjoy the hymns that are played because they are too churchy and slow. I guess there are pros and cons to this style of music, the biggest con being that people feel misguided and unable to feel the spirit without it. I also think that a trap many fall into is thinking that all you have to do is listen to the music, and that it can replace scripture study, prayer, church attendance, and other things because you feel good when you listen to it. One good thing is that it replaces a lot of negative forms of media and lifts you up. That being said, too much of a good thing is usually bad.