The Contemporary Christian worship genre in the West is marked by several features that signal a departure from the traditional hymnal as well as the Jesus Generation “Praise & Worship” of the 70’s and 80’s.
There is a heavy emphasis on a drone note and unresolved melodies that float around in a general key without emphasis on resolution. The classic guitar chord combination for this is E5 (0799000) and A2sus (x02200) that with some nice chimey effects on the guitar can form the basis for extended harmonic improvisation.
I’ve put together an example of what this might sound like:
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The emphasis here is not on giving a systematic theology of the Parousia but rather an extended meditation on the Lord’s Return. In this case, in a group setting such a musical piece can be a powerful method of focusing spirits and emotions collectively.
Last week I was listening to such a song on a CD from Brazil (Fonte Alegria, vol. 1.) The song lasting for 5:43, had only one word, “Jesus.” The song closed with improvisational exclamations of praise, applause and glossolalia.
Is such a song “bad?” It’s certainly different from the four verse anthems of Luther or Wesley packed with theological terminology. And for someone accustomed to hymns these songs can seem aimless and repetitive.
The key difference is in the perspective of the participant. In a group setting, each member has to choose to enter into the spirit of the collective group. As I mentioned in my previous post, a song like Let My Words Be Few can either be a transcendent spiritual experience or an exercise in anger management depending on whether you are able to enter into the event.
But, worship leaders also have a key role in this. On the stage, it’s easy to get swept away in the beauty of the music and the enjoyment of the moment and not realize that a hundred people in the congregation have their hands in their pockets and are bored out of their minds. Open your eyes, worship leaders! Be aware of the temperature of the congregation. You are supposed to be leading others in worship not zoning out in the front.
The second aspect of modern worship that I find interesting and somewhat disturbing is desymbolization. When we repeat something over and over, the words eventually lose their meaning. In a great little book called Astonish Yourself! by Roger-Pol Droit, he describes a mental experiment in which you repeat a word over and over again until it begins to sound strange:
Stare at the watch in your hand and repeat: “watch,” “watch,” “watch,” “watch,” “watch,” “watch,” “watch.” You can keep going. It shouldn’t take long. In a few seconds the familiar word detaches itself, and hardens. You find yourself repeating a series of strange sounds. A series of absurd and meaningless noises that denote nothing, indicate nothing, and remain insensate, formless, or harsh.
This process, of desymbolization disassociates a word from its meaning and is a central component of the Hindu and Buddhist practice of repeating mantras. By repeating a word or phrase over and over again it allows us to focus our minds in meditation. David Crowder Band and Darrel Evans are contemporary examples of this phenomenon. But, it is by no means an innovation in Christian liturgy. Medieval chants of Sanctus or Kyrie Elieson right through the Masses of Bach or Mozart all include reductionist prose as the basis of spiritual exaltation.
I’ll take Paul’s words slightly out of context here but I think they capture the gist of what I’m trying to say:
What should I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. I will sing praises with my spirit, but I will also sing praises with my mind.
1 Cor. 14:15, NIV
There is a place for both content-packed hymns and emotion-packed worship songs. If those leading the congregation are sensitive to the congregation and individuals are willing to enter into the collective experience, a full spectrum of musical genres can be beneficial.
Are Christian mantras an orthodox expression of worship? See here and here for proponents of this practice. Peter Kirk also responds to my previous post.
[...] too many hippos, but in non-essentials charity, I say!) David continues with a more in-depth piece, Droning, desymbolization and Christian mantra. I think the latter is especially well worth reading, though all three will help set the [...]
I may be old-fashioned and square, but what hits me in a lot of modern songs in church is hearing more “I”s and not enough “you”s.
Of course, to be honest, I’m not entirely sure I approve of any form of solo music in church. I’m much more comfortable with congregational singing. Without “I”s.
It raises the question of whether religion can be experienced individualistically. The body responds to the Head collectively. But that bangs up against Western individualism.
I’m believing that individualistic worship can be experienced, as most corporate worship these days strikes me as performance. I would much rather sit in an interactive class and study and discuss God’s word, that sit or stand in an auditorium and watch a soloist or choir perform most Christian music. Am I missing something?
David, thanks for this. I entirely agree that worship leaders need to lead their congregations into worship, not run off ahead of them into ecstasies while leaving the others far behind.
Repetitive singing is indeed ancient, and in fact found in the Bible – see the refrain of Psalm 136. I’m sure there was a lot of repetition of the heavenly worship in Revelation, as seems clear from 4:8 “never stop saying” which probably applies to all the rest of the songs in the book. But I accept the need for caution about repeating single words as a kind of mantra.