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Following are some challenges for preachers, teachers, and church music people in Bible-believing churches in regard to music today.
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?
2. How do you apply the issue of biblical separation to music today?
3. What are you doing 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, camps, and Bible colleges to which you send your young people?
5. Do you make yourself familiar with the lyrics and associations of the CCM songs that your people might want to use in your church?
6. Do you educate yourself about the leaven that might be hidden in the lyrics of CCM songs from the influence of the theology of ecumenism, kingdom now, Pentecostalism, Charismaticism, Roman Catholicism, etc.?
7. How are you teaching your people to identify and avoid these false teachings?
8. Are you informed enough to educate to your people about the popular contemporary musicians who are influencing Bible-believing church members? (Examples are Hillsong, Chris Tomlin, Mark Redman, Stuart Townend, the Gettys, Michael W. Smith, Tim Hughes, Graham Kendrick, MercyMe, and Third Day.)
9. Can you explain what could be dangerous about a little soft rock?
10. Do you understand “beat anticipation” and why is it dangerous?
11. Do you know the objective of contemporary worship music as far as what it seeks to do between the worshiper and God?
12. Do you know what type of chording sequence contemporary worship music favors and how this fits into its objective?
13. Can you explain why contemporary worshipers almost always love all forms of rock rhythm, from Peter, Paul, and Mary to Eminem?
14. Do you know what role contemporary worship music plays in the one-world "church"?
15. Do you know how many of the prominent contemporary worship musicians take a stand against ecumenical associations with Rome?
16. Can you explain any significant difference between using old Protestant hymns such as Luther's and using contemporary worship music?
17. Do you know why Frank Garlock has long warned about the type of sensual vocalization (scooping, sliding) that is increasingly popular in independent Baptist churches?
18. Do you know of any dangers of borrowing from contemporary worship?
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 coming into contact with and being 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 are you doing to keep your church from going down the slippery slope of compromise down which many independent Baptist churches have already gone?
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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