So I’m sitting in my usual Subway having my usual sub and reading my usual journal. I’m served by my usual friend who works in there and it’s around the usual time.
I like it this way.
There’s even my own sandwich now …others have been known to order the ‘Gilbert Special’.....roast beef on wheat, cheese, spinach, bell peppers, tomatoes and honey mustard sauce!
It’s what I like. ..
A little oasis in the middle of the day.
But ….not this day.
Something disturbed me.
The sandwich was the same; the magazine I was reading was the same; the usual guys served me and the usual customers were eating quietly ...but I noticed the music was different.
You know that background music to bring atmosphere and deaden the noise of multiple conversations …but today something is different - the music is Christian Radio!
One of the guys who work in Subway has become a kean Christian ….and so now he plays Christian radio in Subway.
But this is what disturbed me.
It used to be we got good old classic rock. But my friend had become a Christ follower ….and I get no more classic rock to listen to - instead it’s synthetic Christian pop!
It’s like changing from their excellent roast beef sandwich to their veggie sandwich – its pretend healthy!
I know the problems with rock music – I watched Pirate Radio …yikes!
Rock comes with other stuff, bad stuff. But popular Christian music (especially the stuff played on our local Christian radio station) can appear to be healthy but actually is bad for your health.
At least with Rock you know the bad stuff.
With Christian music many people are unaware of the bad stuff lurking, and unlike the extra bag of chips I too often reach for that hurts my cholesterol, this bad stuff hurts your soul!
Apart from the often boring musicality of Christian radio - it’s the words and sentiments of the lyrics that are the unhealthiest.
God is seldom, if ever, the object or the subject of the worship.
Most of the songs are the singer telling us what he/she is feeling about God. By the end of the song we know a lot about the singer and very little about God!
The most common pronoun is ‘me’. The biggest sentiment is lyrics about what God means to me!
They are nice songs, not bad songs. But there’s a difference between nice songs and worship songs.
In the history of the church the church sang its doctrine. Great themes of God were declared in its worship. Grand truths were sung.
Popular Christian music today misses that entirely. Sadly it more sings the doctrine of our society – ‘me’ living in a ‘me’ centered world.
Into my try-to-be-healthy lunch break sneaks selfish and egocentric worship music – worse than if I’d taken the meatball sandwich or someone has laced my Diet Coke with Doctor Pepper!!!!
Maybe Subway is not such a healthy choice after all …and it has nothing to do with their delicious sandwiches!
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2 comments:
Thanks for the observation.
The way in which business proprietors program their background music is one thing, but local congregations are franchises of God's business(missio Dei),and I concur that much of the popular Christian music track is little more edifying than elevator music. But it is not simply about music style and minimalist text, but the manner of use in worship. If Christ is proprietor of the church then our music should give voice to the key themes and activities of God's business, namely prayer, confession, proclamation, thanksgiving and mission.
(thanks to my cousin, John, for referring me to this blog)
Good read:
I know of a local pastor who is fond of bragging, "You won't hear any contemporary music in our church! We remain true to the old hymns!" What he fails to realize is that even the old hymns were "contemporary" when they were first written. There are those who argue the old hymns are a tangible link to our past. This is certainly true, for these hymns have surely withstood the test of time. Many of the old hymns, too, are rich in Christian doctrine. The lyrics of Charles Wesley or Martin Luther, as examples, give magnificent instruction in sound Christian theology. But there are also some wonderful Christian artists glorifying the name of Christ Jesus with their talents. Far too often we allow our own personal taste in music to become the standard for what music is glorifying to God. Instead, we should allow, even promote, Christian freedom and grace in musical preferences. Our primary concern should be for well-being and harmony in the body of Christ, and sometimes that means suborning personal preferences to the greater good.
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