Music and Worship
by Whaid Guscott Rose
“Worship isn’t music. That is to say, music is not a foundational element of worship; one can worship without it. But music plays an integral role in private and corporate worship; it can assist and enhance it. That may be the reason that a hymnbook is in the middle of the Bible, replete with invitations to sing and play instruments of praise, to make music to the Lord. The pages of Scripture, beyond the Psalms, testify to the importance and power of song.
Yet we must face the brutal facts about music in relation to worship.
Plainly said, music is one of the most divisive elements in the life of the church. Why? Because music is powerful; nothing stirs our emotions quite like it. Music reflects our worldview (the way we see God and the world around us) and the things most important to us. And music is largely influenced by the surrounding culture and its emerging art forms.
For these reasons, we are rightly concerned about the potential for manipulation, about undue cultural influences on our worship, and we bristle at musical styles and art forms that do not reflect our values…”
(this article is an excerpt from the May–June 2014 edition of the Sabbath Sentinel)
To read the rest of this article, which starts on page 10, click this link:
The Sabbath Sentinel 