Modern Song Writing

[redwhitenblue]

I am quite curious as to how many critics of modern worship music and ccm really listen to it, seriously folks, I know for a fact that a lot if not most artists today place straight up scripture in their songs and actually come closer than any hymns I've heard to singing spiritual music and doctrine. What circut said really didn't step on any toes but kind of showed that things are not being viewed closely enough.

karen

 

[Baptist Believer]

Originally posted by redwhitenblue:
I am quite curious as to how many critics of modern worship music and ccm really listen to it

I listen to praise and worship when it is performed live. I do not purchase "praise and worship" albums, but I used to get have a subscription to a company that provided them. I have heard modern praise and worship done very poorly and I have heard it done fairly well, but in my opinion, the songs themselves are usually very poor. In the last few years I have helped from time to time with a contemporary evening service geared toward Gen-Xers and have heard a fair amount of that music -- I'm still unimpressed.

As for CCM, I have listened to CCM since the mid-1980s, but have really cut back on my listening the past few years because the quality seems to have gone down dramatically -- at least on the radio -- and I don't see the need for Christians to have their own little music ghetto that apes successful mainstream music. I certainly understand and appreciate some CCM artists, but so much of it is just complete junk that uses the name of Jesus to make it bankable. (Yes I know I sound like a crank!

)

Before you think I hate CCM, I want to inform you that I'm planning to go see Phil Keaggy this weekend...

...seriously folks, I know for a fact that a lot if not most artists today place straight up scripture in their songs and actually come closer than any hymns I've heard to singing spiritual music and doctrine.

Yes, some do. (Michael Card has done this for years.) I'd love to hear some of it if they also have managed to build it into a quality song. Any listening suggestions?

What circut said really didn't step on any toes but kind of showed that things are not being viewed closely enough.

Maybe you can help here...

Since I pretty much only hear CCM that is on the D/FW station KLTY (mainstream inoffensive Christian pop that is advertised as "safe" radio), I haven't heard any artists that seem to have any courage or a prophetic voice -- a *real* prophetic voice, not just someone who is hypercritical.

--Keith Green did it but was prone to be hyperjudgmental.
--Steve Camp did it but he had some of Keith Green's faults and a little too much self-importance.
--Steve Taylor did it *very* well (and with humor), but rarely releases anything.

Who are the courageous CCM artists today?

 

[Pete]

DOH! Wrong button, posted before finished

Originally posted by redwhitenblue:
I am quite curious as to how many critics of modern worship music and ccm really listen to it...

I just went through my CD collection from the excursion I took through the valley of the shadow of the shallow a few years ago. The final totals are: Petra - 16, Hosanna - 14, Hillsongs - 9, Christian City Church (Sydney) 7, Carman - 7 (ARGH! what WAS I thinking..), White Heart - 6, Vineyard - 4, Phillips Craig & Dean - 4, Assorted bits and pieces - too many to count. For the most part a very expensive set of drinks coasters

I went to "alphabet soup" (AOG, CLC, etc) Churches for 4 or 5 years or so (have since repented ), where of course it was just about all "modern worship music", considering those Churches are the source of a lot of it.

Next item on my resmue was playing guitar at a Baptist Church for a couple of years that went into Hillsongs in a BIG way. (Using my guitars on them, another thing I have since repented of )

Hopefully all this boring trivia will give me enough credibility on topic

I know for a fact that a lot if not most artists today place straight up scripture in their songs and actually come closer than any hymns I've heard to singing spiritual music and doctrine.

Name names...and songs...and where you found that "fact"

Makes me wonder what hymns you have heard for the new stuff to come closer to sound doctrine than them. Check out these writers at CyberHymnal.org: Cecil Frances Alexander, Philip Paul Bliss, Fanny Crosby, Frances Ridley Havergal, Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley, Catherine Winkworth...and a cast of 100s

Pete

[ October 14, 2002, 10:21 AM: Message edited by: Titus2_1 ]

 

[mage4christ]

What does CCM stand for? I keep seeing it on the boards but I don't have a clue what it is?

In answer to the question if the music doesn't move with the times then people who aren't Christians would not be interested enough to find out what we have to tell them. i think music changing is a good way of starting up a witnessing opportunity. Charles Wesley use to put words to the music he would hear people in the street singing (their top ten) which we today consider to be "churchy" music. Think about it.

 

[Pete]

G'day & welcome mage4christ

Officially CCM = Christian Contemporary Music, a broad term that covers most modern Christian artists. There is some debate as to wether the first C in acronym means Christian or cancerous. Myself I think CCM has WAY too much bath-water for the baby.

Christian music is moving with the times...backwards What does most modern Christian music give us to tell non-Christians? Songs along the line of <parody>"You are real nice, we like You a lot, if we take Your advise, then we won't get hot"</parody>

I remember Charles Wesley mentioned in his journal that he was on the way to minister somewhere and there was a bloke walking along the same road singing one of his songs. As for writing a song that way I can't recall off hand, I might have to go digging.

However Charles wrote his songs, most were theologically solid and the lyrical equivalent of a five course meal, a lot of today's offerings are like a glass of tepid salt water

Pete