On "Confessions of a Rock n Roll Hater!"

Today at church, our worship pastor allowed up an opportunity to read and discuss David Wilkerson's tract, "Confessions of a Rock and Roll Hater!". I will be giving it some more thought over the following days and weeks as it specifically relates to our church, but I just wanted to get down some first impressions before they drift away.

Essentially, the tract follows Wilkerson's journey from a fierce hater of rock music to someone who could set aside judgment and allow substance to trump style in our church music. Wilkerson recounts his journey as "seven steps toward balance in music" (bullet points are every so important!). They read as follows:

• STEP ONE--The Music offered to God must be solemn.
• STEP TWO--All music must be sung as if in the direct presence of the Lord
• STEP THREE--Loud music is encouraged by the Lord!
• STEP FOUR--It is unscriptural to criticize another's taste in music!
• STEP FIVE--There is nothing wrong with rightfully using that which has been served to idols!
• STEP SIX--There is a risk in offending others by our music!
• STEP SEVEN--There is a better way--above all controversy!

Step One seems the most obvious. Of course, if the musicians and singers are not solemn, then it makes no sense to call our music "religious" or even "Christian". Solemn music is often, but not always, joyful, and it must be designed to touch the hearts and minds of those who hear it.

The most important step, from my point of view, number two. We cannot be considered worship leaders if we do not realize that our only audience is God alone. We must be able to guiltlessly sing our song and play our instruments before God. "Just as I [Wilkerson] must give an account for all my preaching, so must musicians give an account for all their singing."

The issue of music volume in our modern, amp'ed up world can be tricky and I'll have to give this some more consideration before I write on this subject, so, I won't say much about step three here and now.

Step four seems so obvious to me that it almost doesn't warrant being said. I find it difficult to believe that people believe that the music they LIKE is Godly, while the music they don't is "the Devil's heartbeat". Music, in an of itself, is meaningless. Music is simply sounds (maybe noise) set to time. Our judgements about music are deeply cultural, personal, and, while there may be objective measures for good music in an aesthetic sense, are all individual expressions of emotion and thought.

Step five specifically addresses the idea that rock music was originally intended, perhaps, as praise "offered up to idols". Rock n Roll music (the name itself is derived from an immoral act) has been used or was an outgrowth of immoral, perhaps even demonic, behavior. But, as mentioned above, nothing in music itself is "clean" or "unclean". We as Christians are not bound by a religion of ritual, thus allowing us to use even those very things the Devil has made for our demise.

Because music is a cultural and personal thing, a matter of taste and preference, sooner or later, you will offend someone by our choice in music. If we use discretion and intelligence in our choices, without pandering, we will avoid most offenses, because we have gotten to know our audience. But that certainly doesn't mean we should apologize for every choice we make. "Mostly, God wants you to be free to enjoy what you do, and cause God's people to enjoy it as well."

Finally, there is a better way . . . be creative and bring YOU to the music. We don't have to borrow from the world. We should be the ones with the cutting edge music, the new and exciting, the heartfelt and meaningful music.

I honestly didn't find much new in the tract, nothing terribly ground shaking or awe-inspiring. But our church is still going through some transitions where basic conversation about music seems to be appropriate and necessary. I just hope that in the future, we can avoid lock-step unanimity--by forcing everyone to like the same music--and get back to a more basic reason for having music at church in the first place.