Dan Kimball posts some excellent examples of how the church has always opposed change in it's music. You can click to his 2 articles (and some good comments) here and here. Here's a few snippets:
Charles Finney in 1835 wrote that there were still in his day "many churches who would not tolerate an organ. They would not be half so much excited to be told that sinners are going to hell as to be told that there is going to be an organ in the meeting house."
How about this letter:
"I am no music scholar, but I feel I know appropriate church music when I hear it. Last Sunday's new hymn - if you can call it that - sounded like a sentimental love ballad one would expect to hear crooned in a saloon. If you insist on exposing us to rubbish like this - in God's house! - don't be surprised if many of the faithful look for a new place to worship. The hymns we grew up with are all we need."
This letter was written in 1863 and the song they were concerned about was the hymn "Just As I Am".
While this got some laughs out of me and a few others I read it to, it was strangely encouraging to me that change in our methods and styles have always been a struggle, but thankfully change comes. Granted, I never want to lose proper orthodoxy, I am glad that the dissenting voice above didn't have their way. Think about it: Could you imagine a Billy Graham crusade WITHOUT "Just As I Am?" I couldn't.
1 comments:
My grandmother once felt that all loud rock music was of the devil.. So I went upstairs and brought down my distortion pedal and asked her "Grandma, do you think Satan is in this little electronic box?"
She had no comment. I made my point.
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