It begins...
"'Tis hard to say if greater harm is doneThe simple reality, and a sad one for a preacher to admit, is that what is sung often carries greater weight and memorability than what is preached. The worship leader in any Christian group may well be the most influential theologian there. They could potentially be the best theologian, but that is by no means guarenteed.
When heresy is preached or when it's sung,
But I will argue that the latter's worse—
More virulent is heresy in verse.
As a former* worship leader, let me appeal - we must sort out the theology of our songs. We must consider the words we sing. Too much is at stake not to. Worship that gets it wrong steps away from worship and towards idolatry. We do not want to go there.
See also:
Worship Wars
The Word's We Sing Do Matter
The Words We Sing
*former, because of a calling to preach.
Quick! -- what is the first phrase that comes to your mind from church last Sunday? I'll bet you even money it's a phrase from a hymn you sung, or the chorus of your favorite praise song from the service. See the rest of what I said about this here
ReplyDeleteWhat great thoughts on worship and on the importance of a worship leader-theologian. If more churches caught onto this we would be better for it. Check out my friend's website concerning such things - www.reformedpraise.org.
ReplyDeleteThanks Oren, will check that out.
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