Relevant Truths/Doctrines
Worship
 Spirituality
 Truth
 Spiritual Battle
 Unity
 Spiritual Maturity
 Submission

Music and Worship
I.
References
II.
Technical Development
A.
Musicology
B.
Beauty
C.
Physiology of Music
III. Biblical Development
A.
Directive/Descriptive/Principle
B.
Textual Exposition
IV. Sacred Music—Standards and Hymnody
V.
FAQs
VI. Summary/Conclusion
Standards
A. Content
B. Arrangement
C. Instrumentation
Arrangement
A. Melodious
B. Complementary of Content
C. Edifying (vs. Entertaining)
D. Emotions-sanctifying
(vs. Emotions-indulging/inciting/inflaming)
“Over the past half century, a subtle change has taken place in local churches: the
sanctuary has become a theater, ministry has become performance, worship has
turned into entertainment ('a fun time'), and applause, not the glory of God, has
become the measure of success. In short, the 'worship of God' is no longer taken
seriously by many of God's people, and so subtly has the change occurred that,
like a frog in a kettle, we haven't even noticed what's happened. Churches still
use the word worship but its meaning has changed. Too often 'worship' is only a
word people use to give religious respectability to whatever they've planned for
the congregation to do on Sunday morning, whether God is the focus of the
meeting or not.” pg. 170
From Sanctuary to Theater
From Congregation to Audience
From Ministry to Performance
From Worship to Entertainment
From Glorifying God to Applauding His Servants
From Sanctuary to Theater
From Congregation to Audience
From Ministry to Performance
From Worship to Entertainment
From Glorifying God to Applauding His Servants
“No matter what the surroundings, a sanctuary is a place where people gather to
worship and glorify their Lord. Depending on the attitudes of and aims of the
worship leaders and the congregation, a church edifice can be turned into a
theater—or a dance hall can become a temporary cathedral.” pg. 171
From Sanctuary to Theater
From Congregation to Audience
From Ministry to Performance
From Worship to Entertainment
From Glorifying God to Applauding His Servants
“A Christian congregation gathers to worship Jesus Christ
and glorify Him, while an audience assembles to see and
hear a performance1...Individuals in an audience assemble as
spectators, but individuals in a congregation unite as
participants.” pg. 171
“1Some well-meaning worship leaders tell us that 'traditional worship' in the 'old
days' was carried on by spectators, while 'contemporary worship' in these modern
times involves participants. But the contrast is an artificial oversimplification.
Only God knows whether a person in a congregation is truly worshiping Him, for
only God can see the heart. The fact that two thousand people are all clapping
with the music as they sing doesn't prove they're participating in real worship any
more than that fifty people sitting in a quiet Quaker meeting are all listening to
God in their hearts and loving Him. When worship leaders make external actions
('participation') the main test of internal attitudes, they are treading on dangerous
ground.” pg. 215
From Sanctuary to Theater
From Congregation to Audience
From Ministry to Performance
From Worship to Entertainment
From Glorifying God to Applauding His Servants
From Sanctuary to Theater
From Congregation to Audience
From Ministry to Performance
From Worship to Entertainment
From Glorifying God to Applauding His Servants
“We minister publicly primarily to express, to share God's truth in sermon, song,
and testimony; but we perform to impress, using our abilities to give people 'their
money's worth' of enjoyment and entertainment. The minister knows that God is
listening and watching and that His approval is all that matters; the performer
cares only for the applause of the audience. We have our 'evangelical superstars'
these days, both preachers and musicians, and they have their agents and fan
clubs, and some of this commercial spirit can easily creep into the ministry of
local churches.
This 'performance approach' is eagerly encouraged by
'worshipers' who feed on television trash all week and attend church primarily 'to
meet their needs.'” pp. 172-173
From Sanctuary to Theater
From Congregation to Audience
From Ministry to Performance
From Worship to Entertainment
From Glorifying God to Applauding His Servants
From Sanctuary to Theater
From Congregation to Audience
From Ministry to Performance
From Worship to Entertainment
From Glorifying God to Applauding His Servants
“Worship is God-centered and we do it because we love
Him and want to please Him, whether we 'get anything
out of it' or not. Entertainment is self-centered and
people-pleasing, and if the people don't 'get something
out of it,' they complain. You can usually tell when a
church service is geared more toward entertainment than
toward worship. You will note the absence of silence
during the service, the theatrical use of lights, and the
desire to make everybody 'feel good.' You will also
recognize the casual cleverness of the participants (often
sounding like standup comedians), and the emphasis on
'coming attractions' rather than the importance of the
immediate opportunity for worship.
All of this
contributes to the minimizing of the transcendent
greatness of a holy God. As A. W. Tozer reminded us
years ago, it's difficult to get people to attend a meeting
where God is the only attraction.” pg. 173
From Sanctuary to Theater
From Congregation to Audience
From Ministry to Performance
From Worship to Entertainment
From Glorifying God to Applauding His Servants
“If performance is what the people want and entertainment is what they came to
church to get, then their obvious response should be applause for the performers
who entertained them.” pg. 173
“The undisciplined use of clapping in Christian worship is
helping to turn worship into entertainment and to focus
too much attention on the servants rather than on the
Master. Entertainment is enjoyment without enrichment,
while worship enriches the ministers and the
congregation. I've been in services where the worship
leader didn't instruct us to clap as we sang the song, but a
member of the congregation decided to do it, and the
people assumed they were supposed to follow. How do
we know this assumption was correct? All kinds of
evangelical exhibitionists attend religious services, and I
think it's unwise for us to allow them to take over.
Suppose someone stood up in the middle of my sermon
and told me he was instructed by God to finish the
message? Should I turn the pulpit over to him? Then
why should I let individuals in the congregation tell me to
clap just because they want to clap?” pg. 174
From Sanctuary to Theater
From Congregation to Audience
From Ministry to Performance
From Worship to Entertainment
From Glorifying God to Applauding His Servants