I don’t know who Dan McGowan is. I hadn’t heard of his blog until a Google Alert showed up in my inbox this morning listing some of the search terms I had set up. Dan’s post was one of the articles linked. Dan is apparently about to shut his blog down and today’s post is the first of “Five Final Flings.”
Dan addresses what has become known as the “[tag]worship[/tag] wars,” the debate centered largely around what style of [tag]music[/tag] belongs in a worship service. This is something that has been going on for at least a decade and a half, if not more. Although the frustration Dan feels is apparent in the post (Dan, you’re not alone), his point is well-taken: “STOP FOCUSING ON THE WRONG THINGS!!! If we are to focus on ANYthing in worship – it is JESUS CHRIST and Him alone.”
Dan offers this perceptive take:
But in order to get to that place [where the worship wars end] – all of us MUST be willing to put aside all the petty, selfish, completely unbiblical motives, desires, wishes and wants we bring with us into our worship gatherings.
And we’re not. None of us. Not the contemporaries, nor the traditionalists. The hymn-lover who screams their desire to sing the great hymns of the faith is just as guilty as the CCM lover who fights for more “fun songs” no matter HOW you slice it. Nobody is above this on-going battle of personal, prideful, selfish wants and wishes.
[tags]worship wars[/tags]
first, i loved the "sum" verification device! have never seen that before.
Yes, I shut down my blog. Had to. It was eating me alive – and, in the end, as with most things in life, I got to the point of realizing that people have opinions and are stubborn, myself one of those!
It saddnes and sickens me that we (the church) have allowed the most beautiful expression of praise and worship (music and the creative worshipa arts) to become such a hot bed of angst in our churches. Just today, an older woman in our church came to me and asked me what I could do to inform the young adult worship service (a brand new venture in our church to attract younger families) what they could to to play their music softer so that people could understand the lyrics. Lovingly, my answer to her was – don't go. Go to the OTHER services we have. Let those wild, shouting "youngsters" go to the service THEY like and you go to the one YOU like." This did not satisfy her. Such is life.
I found this comment about me by doing a search on my own name! Pretty self-indulgent of me, huh? I do that sometimes because of my writings, articles, comedy, music, etc. It's fun to see what people are saying about you – good and bad.
And I appreciate your comments about my thoughts here on your blog. Thanks!
Blessings,
Dan McGowan