Lectures
The Spirit and Soul of Christian Music – What Songs to Use for Worship
Influence of Secular Music on Christian Music
The Spirit and Soul of Music in
Christian Worship by Joshua Law
Introduction:
- Church Life Must Have an Emphasis on “Spirit and Mind”
For the highly spirited behaviors in the church, such as speaking in tongues, Paul requires an interpreter (so to be connected with the mind for understanding.) He advocates that the church’s worship life must involve both the spirit (Gk. pneuma) and the mind (Gk. nous).
1 Corinthians 14:15 “What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.”
For the present day, since English is an international language, the Bible has been translated into majority of languages, and mass communication media is extremely wide-spread and available, this spiritual gift seems to be much less in need. But the principle of prayer and singing that Paul talked about is, of course, the golden rule, because no matter what the medium may be, the audience’s understanding is the most important.
The highly emotional style of classical music of the Romantic Period has the same negative influence on worship as the soulful popular music in the modern church. (The devil is an expert in tempting humans into sin and leading them astray through emotions to defeat the human spirit and understanding of the truth). These two types of music have influenced the quirks of modern addiction to the romantic mood of music. This quirk for emotional feeling usher people to lose their ability for spiritual reasoning (spiritual wisdom) and turn to feelings as a guide to pursue truth. To many churches, worship means just to sing a random selection of love songs to Jesus. The congregation enjoys “spiritual pleasure” watching the worship leaders acting like super pop stars. Many classical music fans enjoy listening to classical music (especially music of the Romantic Period) as a form of worship, and many enjoy the ecstasy inspired by Christian pop rock (particularly the explicit and direct love song lyrics), thinking that it gives them a spiritual high. Therefore, music of the classical Romantic Period or our contemporary popular song lyrics used in churches mostly focus on love. The warm and fuzzy love emotion have misled our congregations into emotionalism instead of spiritualism. And, somehow, the many other ways/stanzas of worship such as confession, reconciliation, salvation, prayer, dedication, etc. are being left out and neglected.
Continue reading西洋古典浪漫音樂影響現代教會音樂
羅天樂著
聲明：
保羅對教會裡的屬靈高峰氣氛行為，如說方言，他說必須有翻譯才行，他提倡教會敬拜生活必須要有靈與悟性。靈（spirit-pneuma) 及悟性(mind – nous）。(林前14：15) 14:15 “這卻怎麼樣呢．我要用靈(spirit)禱告、也要用悟性(mind)禱告．我要用靈歌唱、也要用悟性歌唱。”
古典音樂浪漫時期的音樂作風專注感情和現代教會的流行音樂哲學有同出一竅的不良影響力。（魔善用人的感情意志來攻破人的靈與悟性），此兩類形的音樂開始了現代人沉迷在浪漫情緒裡的嗜好。此嗜好驅使一般人失去靈性理智，(spiritual wisdom)悟把感覺變為追求真理的途徑。（我們得救不能靠感覺，乃是靠信心）在教會裡很多時候敬拜就是唱歌，對耶穌，對上帝唱情歌。會眾羨慕領敬拜者(如歌星的心態和行動)唱歌所產生的精神快感變成了靈性高峰。在教會裡欣賞古典音樂(尤其事浪漫期音樂)給予的精神快感和流行搖擺樂(的氣勢和愛情歌詞)激發的狂喜常悟導信徒，以為是屬靈的高峰感覺。因此教會裡使用的古典浪漫期或流行形式的音樂歌詞多以愛情為主題，着重感性（魂）而忽略了靈與悟性(spirit and 的真理內容，如認罪，和好，救恩，禱告，獻身等。
其實西歐浪漫期音樂以前，（甚至中國主前儒家的音樂哲學）教會使用的音樂措施，有結構，着重歌詞內容的音樂已比較適合教會所用，至於如何使用，下文分析。（中國音樂已嵌入語言文字裡面，不像西洋文化，把音樂和語言分隔，此題要分題討論，）
研究這主題的心理準備：
此文章的目的是把古典浪漫時期的音樂通過Ragtime, Jazz, Blues和Pop連接到現代音樂和教會音樂的一般狀況，這是一篇從世界音樂學和神學的角度評估教會音樂的失誤過程及提出解決辦法。請存客觀態度彼此切磋。
這裡所舉的例子都可在Youtube找到，連接也並列於文內，請自便。
Continue readingChristian Worship Sample
I taught worship theology and practice for many years. I have written about worship songs, worship teams and worship theology a lot. I need to show you how to lead worship. I do practice what I preach. Here it is, fully scripted.
A sample of a Worship Service. Here, the praise team/song leader has real responsibility in leading worship rather than just to lead a few a la carte Jesus Pop and “yad-da-yad-da-yad”, and out of desire to preach/share takes time from the pastor to soulfully improvise/preach on the spot feelings. Here I am giving a sample of worship where everything is scripted.
Sample 崇拜程序 (Cantonese)主題：認罪在基督教崇拜中的重要性
Continue readingChoosing Songs for Worship
1975, I was supposed to do the DMA from SWBTS, but I was called to the ministry, I had the MM already, I chose to do the M Div. at GGBTS. Then took theology after. Now I believe all (music) ministers need pastoral and theology training and discipleship. The good soulful feeling in the sound of music changes the emotions in the listener’s heart, which can last a long time (繞樑三日) but the lyrics in the songs washes brains and thus changes lives. Without thorough understanding of theology, the music/worship director may choose songs that are emotionally beautiful, which changes feelings, but yet incorrect/imbalance theologically in the lyrics, which will misguide the listeners into an unhealthy spiritual life. If a “music minister” did not have proper theological understanding, he/she must consult and get permission from the pastor on the theology of the lyrics. (and even in the musical style)
Music chosen for the theologically correct/balanced lyrics should reflect the lyrics instead of just offering purely emotional trips(sweet nothings, or an addictive “high” through an injection in the arm.) leading the listener to stray from the meaning of the lyrics. (This is called integrity between music and lyrics) Since music lyrics changes lives, behavior and spiritual mindset of the listener, the musicians in church need a pastoral calling and training.
Among frequently sung worship songs, there are not enough songs that are about the attributes of God such as righteousness, justice, or sins of man and believers, or confessions and prayers. This means there is an imbalance in the spiritual diet in the most powerful tools of influence in church life. This imbalance must be addressed by the pastors. It is concluded by a Southern Baptist research study that the theological input or understanding of Christians among the Baptist Churches was by far influenced by hymns and spiritual songs than that from the pulpit. So, church singers, watch out for the theological correctness/balance in the lyrics of the songs you choose in leading worship. God is watching and you are responsible.