Living a Lifestyle of Worship

Isn't it funny how money seems to rule our lives? If you've got a pulse, then it's likely that you're aware of the HUGE Wall Street crisis, mortgage lender collapses, etc. I've been reading Erwin McManus' book, "Soul Cravings," and today I read an entry with a story about his conversation with a man who believed that the whole world revolves around economics. You know, he made a really convincing argument. Erwin countered, however, that economics is simply about "agreed upon value." If two or more people agree that something has value, you then can have commerce. (Now I finally understand why there is a market for baseball cards and comic books!) Money, he argued, is what people agree has value...ergo, economics.

As Christians, you'd think we'd have a handle on money. After all, the Bible speaks a lot about it. What I have discovered, however, is quite the opposite. As a church staff member, I come across a lot of people who view money like the world does. As a tool for perceived power. I've literally been told by someone that if we did "such and such," he'd stop giving to the church. I wish that were an isolated incident, but it has totally broken my heart to watch how our church's giving decreases when we make an unpopular decision. They believe they can force whatever they want by withholding money from the church...instead of wielding power, however, they are robbing God! (Unfortunately, many pastors bow to that pressure, themselves not fully trusting God to provide for their finances.) How little do people really understand about God and money. And while this is such a HUGE area of weakness in our churches today, it is probably the least addressed topic by pastors! Why is that? Why do we chronically avoid teaching on such an important thing as money?

Money is simply a tool that God allows us to have, give, or use as the case may be. Just like the other resources or gifts He gives us, God gives us money to be used for His purposes. In God's economy, money is just like mercy, singing, teaching children, etc. He has a plan to accomplish His purposes, and money is only a cog in the wheel...it is an important part, but still just a part...

Money is also a tool that God uses to grow faith in us. Since the world economy revolves around money (as was established earlier), our money (or lack of it) is a way that God chooses to help us learn to trust Him. Those who don't have a lot it must learn to give it to God and trust Him for their needs. Those who have a lot of it must learn to give it to God and trust Him for their needs as well - differently than those who don't have a lot of money, but still learning to trust as well, and arguably harder because of the temptation to put your trust in money instead of God.

So I beg the question again...why do we avoid this topic in church, when how we spend our money plays such a POWERFUL role in our relationship with God?

One of the quickly growing trends in contemporary worship is to utilize music that is neither a hymn, nor a worship song, nor even mentions God…basically, “secular music.” In some churches today, I’ve heard “Where the Streets Have No Name” by U2, “How to Save a Life” by The Fray, “Carry on My Wayward Son” by Kansas, “Long Black Train” by Josh Turner, “Bring Me to Life” by Evanescense, “Jesus Take the Wheel” by Carrie Underwood, etc. The same is true for Christian radio as well…I’ve heard Christian recording artists do remakes and adaptations of songs like, “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler, “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel, “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper, and others. My daughters have even begun singing a version of “All-Star” by Smashmouth (with re-written lyrics) that they learned in their Children’s Worship at church on Wednesday nights. Whether you agree with it or not, this is a trend that is here in a growing number of churches today...

When I was in college (more years ago than I care to admit), I remember discovering the dichotomy between “secular” and “religious” music, and the massive grey area that lies between. We sang all sorts of music, from Palestrina, to Brahms, to Wagner, to 20th Century, and nearly everything in between. Some of it was “religious” in nature (Bach’s Mass in B Minor), but some of it (like many of the art songs we learned in voice lessons) had nothing to do with God. All of it, however, was deemed appropriate. The popular music of the time, however, was deemed not only inappropriate, but unGodly. When the scandal and public outcry erupted surrounding Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith “selling out” and “crossing over” into “secular” media, the dichotomy hit me square in the face. It was OK for us to sing songs that had nothing to do with God in my Christian University, but it was not OK to sing other songs that did not have to do with God on the radio – even if they were written by a Christian and had no offensive material in them. Something about that did not sit well with me, and it sent me on a long journey of discovery. What about the theme song from the musical Oklahoma!? Was it OK to sing that? (Yes, I meant that pun!) What about other “secular songs” that didn’t mention God? Were they offensive because they didn’t mention God? Or were they just Good music?

I have come to believe, and I bet you will agree, that music is either moral or immoral. In and of itself, a song without lyrics is neither moral or immoral. You may like or hate the beat of Rap music, or love or deplore the sound of Country music – but nothing about either of those is inherently right or wrong. They are simply music…they simply are: and you either like them or not. What makes a song moral or immoral is the text. Immoral texts speak of things that are ungodly, perverse, sinful, etc., while moral texts are ones that are not immoral. Granted, many Rap songs and Country songs , etc. are immoral – and therefore should not be sung. However, all of them are not. That’s why it’s OK to sing Oklahoma! It, like so many other songs, are just nice songs that are fun to sing. They do not mention God, but neither do they dishonor nor discredit Him. There is nothing ungodly and offensive about them; so they are, therefore, moral songs.

The real grey area is this: are songs like that, which are moral but do not mention God, appropriate for use in worship services? What do you think?