A Challenge For Bible-Believing Churches About Music Today
September 3, 2015
David Cloud, Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061
866-295-4143,
fbns@wayoflife.org
a_challenge_for_bible
Music is a powerful thing, both in secular society and in the churches. It is often at the heart of dramatic changes we have witnessed over the past 20 years.

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.



- Receive these reports by email
- www.wayoflife.org

______________________

Sharing Policy: Much of our material is available for free, such as the hundreds of articles at the Way of Life web site. Other items we sell to help fund our expensive literature and foreign church planting ministries. Way of Life's content falls into two categories: sharable and non-sharable. Things that we encourage you to share include the audio sermons, O Timothy magazine, FBIS articles, and the free eVideos and free eBooks. You are welcome to make copies of these at your own expense and share them with friends and family. You may also post parts of reports and/or entire reports to websites, blogs, etc as long as you give proper credit (citation). A link to the original report is very much appreciated as the reports are frequently updated and/or expanded. Things we do not want copied and distributed are "Store" items like the Fundamental Baptist Digital Library, print editions of our books, electronic editions of the books that we sell, the videos that we sell, etc. The items have taken years to produce at enormous expense in time and money, and we use the income from sales to help fund the ministry. We trust that your Christian honesty will preserve the integrity of this policy. "For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward" (1 Timothy 5:18). Questions? support@wayoflife.org

Goal:Distributed by Way of Life Literature Inc., the Fundamental Baptist Information Service is an e-mail posting for Bible-believing Christians. Established in 1974, Way of Life Literature is a fundamental Baptist preaching and publishing ministry based in Bethel Baptist Church, London, Ontario, of which Wilbert Unger is the founding Pastor. Brother Cloud lives in South Asia where he has been a church planting missionary since 1979. Our primary goal with the FBIS is to provide material to assist preachers in the edification and protection of the churches.

Offering: Offerings are welcome if you care to make one. If you have been helped and/or blessed by our material offerings can be mailed or made online with with Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or Paypal. For information see: www.wayoflife.org/about/makeanoffering.html.



Bible College
Information

Way of Life Literature

Publisher of Bible Study Materials

Way of Life Literature

Publisher of Bible Study Materials

Way of Life Bible College