The Highway Forums General Discussion Open Forum What Kind of Music is in Your Church?

Dare I ask you which ones you sing?

Is it PDI (which I'd call contemporary hymns) or Passion, Hosanna, Hillsongs and the like?

PS: I didn't know any Presbyterian churches sang mainly choruses. What type of Presbytrerian is it?

Oh, you don't really want to know that, do you? It's a confessional PCUSA, conservative for its ilk. We sing alot of Michael W. Smith.

Marie,

What is PDI? I heard that Indelible Grace Music is pretty good?

PDI (not certain what is stands for) is also known as Sovereign Grace Ministries. It's led by C. J. Mahony, who is both a Calvinist and Charismatic. This music ministry has caught on around here, as the Seminary and local chrches use their songs. Thankfully, their lyrics do not sound Charismatic, although they have released songs with lyrics by Graham Kendrick.

Indelible Grace is a wonderful group! You can go to their website at www.igracemusic.com They take old hymns and put them to new music.

I put happy clappy/traditional because we sing traditional Baptist hymns and also use some of the new songs as well. Only my pastor is careful to pick songs that have a lot of theology in them.

Information on Sovereign Grace Ministries.

An important think to note is that the group of churches is Reformed like Marie said. Their Charismaticism is not as extreme as most Pentecostal churches, and in my experience Sovereign Grace Ministries doesn't go freaky with the spiritual gifts stuff either. The Charismatics of it seem to be restricted to the fact that they are "happy clappy" in their worship style which I think is not the same as praise choruses. "Happy Clappy" is exactly that. Praise choruses are a type of song. I'm not sure whether the two go hand in hand naturally or just happen to be that way in our day.

the usual from the Baptist hymnal. We do some praise chorus that are contemporary and shallow. Our pastor, sadly to say, is trying to encourage some members who play the electric guitars and drums to bring them in the morning worship.

I have to say that this move by the Pastor is not an encouraging sign. It would appear that he has changed his priorites from a solidly biblical one to a "market-driven one".

This will cause some "puritanical Reformed" to cringe. I recently visited a black calvinist church and enjoyed the service immensely. The preacher actually moved!!!!! The selah group did a rendition of psalm 150, with all the instruments mentioned and then I returned to my dutch, starched, robotic, liturgical, puritan rendition of the rc mass!!!! I just cannot drive 400 miles every wednesday and sunday to attend this other place.

One of my fondest memories in our church was when we had an interim pastor who actually thinks he is Johnathan Edwards. He was giving a mesage on election when some visitiors, who had Chrisma, started raising their hands and praising God. The look of disdain on his face was remakable. He actually stopped talking until they ceased. But they did not stop. Most of the pew warmers, who have sat in the same seat for 60 years were indignant also. I thanked God for bringing life to our home that day.

After the service I reminded him of Christs words to the disciples about blocking someones way to Christ, and joked that a millstone is not very comfortable.

OK, lets all do a search for an entertainment and music director for our "spiritually dead churches". His job will be to get rid of our "rats" who only believe in a biblical worship service with the singing of the Psalms and a reverent presentation of God's words. We must compete with Hollywood and MTV!

I believe the residents of Hamelin found just such a person in the Pied Piper of Robert Browning's poem.




Denny

Romans 3:22-24

Denny, this is an unfortunate extreme. A way of the world. But again the predomant reformed services are the other end of the spectrum.

One can have Charisma, without being a nut. A biblical worship service is to glorify God. And if it is in the psalms, then I agree to it. This standing, sitting, kneeling, standing, sitting liturgical gymnastics is dead

So, if kneeling, standing and sitting are deemed "dead" (by whom?), then what does that leave as an alternative? lying on the carpet? or perhaps suspending oneself in mid air?

I do find the alleged "dead" postures for worship in Scripture. What I do not find in Scripture is the vast majority of what the modern churches' "contemporarily correct" worship has to offer. "Feel Good" and "Entertainment" styles are nothing more than idolatrous will-worship that the imaginations of men have created. I too have experienced the other extreme where every song sounded more like a funeral dirge. But if the only choices offered me were these two; the typical contemporary or the extreme traditional, I'd take the latter in less than a heart beat. Vain worship isn't something I find attractive nor acceptable.

In His grace,

We use the "Trinity Baptist Hymnal" which I mostly like. Our piano player got married and moved away so we sing without music.

I'm so glad we don't follow the bouncing ball <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/bananas.gif" alt="" />

Unfortunately, I've met many "Christians" who believe that your standard for "Charisma" is dead. You know the type; those that babble incoherent nonsense. Who's standard of "Charisma" are you going to allow?

In another post in this thread you said;


Accusing someone of causing others to sin is not a joke. It's to bad that there was no one present to rebuke you for this nasty comment to your minister who wanted reverence and order in the worship service. In my opinion you owe this brother and man a humble apology.

Denny

Romans 3:22-24

I definately agree Puritan. I was not knocking the posteures at all. What concerns me is the vain repetition, done without any emotions week after week. And compared to the black calvinist church I recently visited, with our dutch congregation is day and night. Our new young pastor has brought life to the word. Inflection. We now have a "call to worship" instead of a "votum" (whatever that means) We have a sound biblical service, without the mere formalities. We now share a meal when we have communion after the service instead of the "Lord's Appetizer"

So when I say "dead" I did nto mean the postures were dead in themselves, just the repetition and starched congregation was dead.

I do not know about any of you, but when I hear what the Lord has done for the salvation of His sheep, I get moved, I get emotional, and all the glory goes to Him alone.

For the time with the interim pastor, I knew what time it was every 10 minutes from looking at my watch, I new the number of hairs of the person sitting in front of me week after week.

Remember extreme traitional does not have to equal traditionalism. Didnt Pelikan say tradition is the faith of the living and traditionalism is the faith of the dead? I know it was something like that...