CYPRESSWOOD CHURCH OF CHRIST

November 23, 2003 return to main page

PRAY FOR THE FOLLOWING:

Our congregation                                                     The Stolte’s in Germany

Our nation, military and leaders                              David and Leon in the Navy

Our college students                                                various friends and co-workers

Holiday travelers                                                     Keith’s mother and family

EVENTS:  HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

There will be no Wednesday meeting this week.

ACAPPELLA MUSIC

“Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.  Sing and make must in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19).

In the October 2003 issue of The Christian Chronicle, a report was made of a few congregations introducing instrumental music into one or more worship services.  A question was asked: “Is this becoming a trend or are these isolated events?”  This report came on the heels of the Oak Hills church in San Antonio changing several things including introducing instrumental music into a Saturday evening service and dropping “church of Christ” from its name.  Max Lucado preaches at this congregation and over the years he has been criticized for a number of things.  One of the reasons for changing to instrumental music is that it will attract and keep people, especially teenagers because they listen to Christian radio and its instrumental renditions of various songs.

Then in the November 2003 issue of The Christian Chronicle, another report came out on the growing popularity of a cappella music.  When the group Acappella first began, there was little room on the radio for their style of music.  But over the years that has changed.  Now there are a number of a cappella groups in various denominations singing and radio and recording studios are picking up on this.  Some are even going into mainstream music. 

“Contemporary Christian band Caedmon’s Call heard a cappella music from its audience during a fall concert for Oklahoma Christina University students.  Students yelled requests for “There’s a Stirring,” a song written by Annie Herring, covered on Caedmon’s first album.  When lead singer Cliff Young said that his guitar wasn’t tuned properly to play the song, the audience broke into the a cappella version while the band listened.  The group has heard sing-alongs to “There’s a Stirring” before but, “being church of Christ, y’all sang it a lot better…” Young told the Chronicle.  “Too many churches use instruments in worship way too much.  They’ve hardly ever heard themselves sing.”

Paul Harvey has often said that wouldn’t it be strange to find Russia gaining more and more freedoms while we, the US, find ourselves losing freedoms.  Well, to paraphrase Mr. Harvey, wouldn’t it be something that more and more denominations begin adopting a cappella music while we in the churches of Christ go more to instruments based on some false assumptions. 

A cappella music is such an important aspect to our worship.  In fact, at the 2002 Abilene Christian University lectures, in a group discussion of what is good about churches of Christ, a cappella music was mentioned as very important and something that can benefit others.  Singing from the heart can be very motivational.  Now I know that we can butcher songs just as much.  The old illustration is that we begin Marching to Zion and end up crawling there.  Others have criticized contemporary music as too fast, too shallow, and unbiblical.  Isaac Watts was criticized in his day for the style of songs he wrote but we all enjoy singing “Joy to the World.” 

I have enjoyed many youth devotionals and especially the worship times at Encounter at Lubbock Christian University.  To here seven hundred teenagers sing songs without looking at words, songs old and new, is very uplifting.  In my opinion (and that is all it is), I think us adults have become to engaged with song books, afraid of making a mistake or missing a word on songs that we have sung a hundred times.  When I preached in Maryland, one Sunday evening I took all the Bibles but one and all the song books out of the auditorium.  I told the song leader what I was doing.  The idea was that we were a persecuted church and had lost both song books and Bibles.  The song leader lead the first line of a variety of songs.  Guess what?  We were able to sing them.  When I see teens doing that without books, and in four part harmony on some songs, I just wonder what the problem is?  Could it be that our song books have become a crutch rather than an aid?  How many times have we sung Our God, He Is Alive, yet need to have the words in front of us?  I have sung enough of the traditional invitation songs that I rarely need a book in my hands.  And if you have heard me sing!  Those who have great voices certainly can do it as well. 

Now this is not a knock on song books.  I think they are important.  But I also think that maybe we need to make a greater effort in singing.  Songs that are scriptural based teach us the Bible through musical notes.  I think that is valuable.  So I am pleased to see this November article that sees that a cappella is expanding its base.  We have much to offer our religious neighbors in this area. 

                                                                                                George B. Mearns