And…back from Carbondale
Now to get on with the Chicago life…
Our time in Carbondale was a great blessing, as it always is. The conference on Church Music was very good—helpful, informative, thought provoking, and entertaining. Bill Hoover is wonderful person who loves the Lord and loves music of all kinds. And that must be why I liked him so much. We had a whirlwind runthrough of 3,000 years of Church music, from Miriam’s song to the Psalms of David to 20th century contemporary hymn and song. To condense a two day conference into a very brief and simplistic summary (horridly unforgivable, I know), all Christian music has its place. Depending on the nature of lyric and musical composition, that place may or may not be in the worship service (liturgy) of the Church. Some music is better suited for more casual fellowship, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that.
The ball after the conference was a lot of fun as well, despite the fact that it was only the second time I’d really danced in my life (the chicken dance at German town, Epcot, does not count), and I made plenty of mistakes. It was a consolation of sorts that I was not the only one making mistakes, and whether or not you did your steps perfectly was really not at issue. The point was simply to get to know people and have fun. Which is exactly what we did. Also, this year I was able to relax and take things at a more leisurely pace. I did not feel under obligation to join in on every dance.
Every time I visit Carbondale, the real highlight is always the worship on Sunday morning. Great conferences, fun, and dancing aside(nothing wrong with those, of course), there is nothing more refreshing than the life and vibrance of the service at Cornerstone Reformed Church. They do their liturgy with gusto, they sing with heart, and they worship God with their whole being. It is a wonderful thing to be a part of. And I continue to hope and pray that God will bless his people in the Chicago area with such a church.
April 5th, 2006 at 3:56 am
Well, I finally got through all the Epcott stuff. I love all three pieces. =)
You certainly weren’t the only one making mistakes. Though you may have been the only one whacking people in the nose. *grin*
Oops. I wasn’t supposed to say that.
The service was a blessing, indeed. I’ve walked around for the past two days memorizing all the songs we sang with the congregation. I’m just having trouble with the four part harmony, for some reason.
Was that conference recorded?
April 6th, 2006 at 2:02 am
It was recorded. *waves to Bill Hoover*
You’re the MAN Bill!
O RLY?
YA RLY.
And I whole heartedly agree. The service on Sunday was awesome. I’m grinning thinking of how pale it is in comparison with heaven.
“When the roooooll, is called up yonder. When the rooooll is called up yooonder, when the roooooooooll is called up yoooo…”
Oh wait. I’m too mature to sing that song now! *Goes off and plays a video-game* =|
April 7th, 2006 at 5:08 pm
You wrote…
“all Christian music has its place. Depending on the nature of lyric and musical composition, that place may or may not be in the worship service (liturgy) of the Church.”
I am not sure that I agree with you. Your statement seems rather arbitrary to me. Is there an authoritative standard used to determine the merits of a song and its “place” in the liturgy? How does one correctly evaluate the lyrical content and/or composition of a particular song? My belief is that God grants us, as individual believers, Christian discernment. This Christian discernment is an outgrowth of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. Songs with simple melodies and chord progressions cannot be summarily dismissed because they lack the musical scholarship contained in one of Isaac Watt’s hymns. Is “Amazing Grace” a musical masterpiece? Hardly. Although, I doubt that most would argue against its use in the liturgy.
I think that there is a general antagonism, especially in Reformed circles, towards most “Contemporary Christian” musicians. This is not the result of fair minded evaluations of song content/structure. Instead, this bias flows from disagreements about doctrine (i.e. eschatology, ecclesiology, etc.)
In closing, it is my belief that, as a congregation of believers, each church body has the freedom in Christ to determine which songs are appropriate for worship (both public and private). I would be interested to read a response from you on this matter.
All the best,
-Adam