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If ever there were a time that pastors and church music people need to be properly educated, it is today. The following are some challenges.
1. Have you developed a clear biblical standard of music and taught it to the church? Have you developed biblical principles that can be applied to music and that can be used to determine where to draw lines today?
2. How do you apply the issue of biblical separation to music today?
3. What have you done to educate yourself and your church about Contemporary Christian Music?
4. Are you vigilant about the music being used in the specials and at the youth conferences and Bible colleges to which you send your young people?
5. Are you informed enough to educate to your people about the popular contemporary musicians who are influencing independent Baptist church members? Examples are Hillsong, Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Stuart Townend, the Gettys, Michael W. Smith, Tim Hughes, Graham Kendrick, MercyMe, and Third Day.
6. What could be dangerous about a little soft rock?
7. What is beat anticipation and why is it dangerous?
8. What is the objective of contemporary worship music as far as what it seeks to do between the worshiper and God?
9. What type of chording sequence does contemporary worship music favor and how does it fit into its objective?
10. Why do contemporary worshipers almost always love all forms of rock rhythm, from Peter, Paul, and Mary to Eminem?
11. What role does contemporary worship music play in the one-world "church"?
12. How many of the prominent contemporary worship musicians take a stand against ecumenical associations with Rome?
13. Is there any significant difference between using old Protestant hymns such as Luther's and using contemporary worship music?
14. Why has Frank Garlock long warned about the type of sensual vocalization (scooping, sliding) that is increasingly popular in independent Baptist churches? See for example the following segment of the Christmas 2013 program at Lancaster Baptist Church - http://www.wayoflife.org/scooping/
15. What is the greatest danger of borrowing from contemporary worship?
16. Do you make yourself familiar with the lyrics and associations of the CCM songs that your people might want to use in your church?
17. Do you make yourself aware of what leaven might be hidden in the lyrics of CCM songs from the influence of the theology of ecumenism, kingdom now, Pentecostalism, Charismaticism, Roman Catholicism, etc.?
18. Are you teaching your people how to identify these false teachings and avoid them?
19. How is it possible in this day and age for a church to “adapt” contemporary worship songs without the young people going online to find out more about the songs and the musicians and thus to come into contact with and be influenced by the full-blown ecumenical rockers and the “real” renditions of the music?
20. What changes are happening to churches that you know of that are using contemporary music?
21. What is to keep your church from going down the slippery slope of compromise down which many independent Baptist churches have already gone?
22. Is a man/ministry that publicly influences other independent Baptist churches with teaching about and practice of using CCM publicly accountable for that teaching and practice?
The answers to these questions can be found in our new book Baptist Music Wars and the two accompanying video presentations, The Transformation Power of Contemporary Worship and The Foreign Spirit of Contemporary Worship.
For information on the influential contemporary bands and artists see The Directory of Contemporary Worship Musicians. All of these are available at www.wayoflife.org. The eBook and eVideo editions are free.
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