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Pop-Idiom Music
In Worship and Evangelism
by Dr Peter Masters
Dr Peter Masters is minister of the Metropolitan Tabernacle, London,
England (C.H. Spurgeon's church) and has kindly granted us permission
to reproduce "Pop-Idiom Music" here. If you have any questions
or queries about this article, please feel free to write to Dr Masters
at the address given below, or
contact us at Freedom Ministries.
Section 1
Evangelism Should be Direct and Spiritual.
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The Bible insists that the Gospel is
to be conveyed by a clear, intelligent
and persuasive presentation of Gospel
facts, for it pleases God 'by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that
believe' (see 1 Corinthians 1.21-31).
The Lord Himself, and the apostles,
proclaimed the Gospel both in public
and personal witness using spoken,
forthright, factual communication, and
Paul left clear instructions that for success
in this work, we must strive lawfully
(2 Timothy 2.5).
By what authority then, do we turn
the Gospel of Redeeming Grace into a
matter of entertainment and worldly
music? Is it biblically lawful?
Not only are we without biblical
authority for such a policy, but it is an
absurdly inappropriate method of witness
because modern, musical, secular entertainment
is a completely unnatural and unsuitable medium
for any serious subject. If we miss the ethical
principle, even common sense should steer us
away from it.
The unsuitability of pop-idiom for
serious, factual communication can be
seen from the way in which even
worldly organisations reject it for the
most serious and important issues of
life. Can we imagine a senior Cabinet
Minister giving a party political broadcast
in which, instead of speaking, he
sang the substance of his message,
adopting the convulsive body and head-tossing
movements of a pop-vocalist, and backed by a
hip-swinging group?
Would his message communicate
more effectively on account of such a
presentation, or would one be sickened
and appalled at the utterly trivial and
inappropriate nature of what was being done?
Supposing a class of university
students entered a lecture theatre to
find several members of the faculty
crooning their material accompanied
by guitars and drums. The idea is
ridiculous because no serious communication
in any walk of life is carried out by such
bizarre and unnatural methods.
To continue these nightmare illustrations -
is it conceivable that the world might one day be
launched into full-scale nuclear war with the President
of the USA appearing on television and gravely singing
the news to blues music?
Would a doctor, confronted by an
apprehensive patient, break the news
that he was suffering from a fatal disorder
by adopting the posture of a pop-star
and singing the diagnosis?
Such scenes are unthinkable but
they demonstrate the folly of reducing
God's message and God's warnings to
the unreal entertainment methods of
this vain world.
We have to present the most serious
message of all, the call of God to be
saved from everlasting hell and damnation.
Surely we have lost our balance and our grasp
of the significance of our message to think it
can be sung to pop songs?
A few secular pop-stars who are 'message-orientated'
have enjoyed some success in swaying young people
(at a somewhat temporary and sentimental level)
to believe that peace is better than war and
love is better than hate. General concepts like
these can certainly be communicated via entertainment
so long as hearers find them congenial, and providing
they require no immediate, practical (or painful) response.
But serious, urgent and unwelcome demands are never
communicated by pop-singing anywhere in the real world.
Therefore it is not surprising that the performances of Gospel
'groups' make no impact on the conscience of the rising generation.
Entertainment is entertainment and is therefore
not taken seriously by the public. If we adopt entertainment-type
music and sing the Gospel, it obviously will not make any real
moral demand upon the hearers. The message is bound to be cheapened,
trivialised and emptied of its importance.
We must always remember that the New Testament requires a pure, clear,
forthright, intelligent and persuasive presentation of the character of God,
the desperate plight of man, and the amazing grace of the Gospel, for these
are the issues of life and death. Gospel witness must consist of spiritual
words directed to the minds of men and blessed to their
understanding by the power of the Holy Spirit. Human artistry cannot
and must not attempt to take over spiritual work.
Gospel-pop listeners will never be
humbled and awed by the power and majesty of God, nor will they feel the
convicting burden and weight of God's holy and righteous demands.
They will not sense the breadth and length and depth and height of
God's grace, nor catch even a hint of that mighty love which passes
knowledge.
The power of rhythm, the music and movement, the lights and costumes;
these are the attractions, and they are incapable of representing
the infinite holiness and mercy of God. There is no power here to open
the eyes of a lost generation and to make it feel that 'ancient touch'
of God.
Throughout the Bible the pre-eminent method of proclaiming spiritual
truth is by the spoken word, whether fervently preached or earnestly
spoken in personal witness. In their worship the people of God of Bible
times frequently burst into song, but in their witness we see the primacy
of preaching.
Did the prophets of old sing or preach their great evangelistic
appeals? What did the Saviour do? How did Peter herald the Gospel on the
Day of Pentecost? What manner of communication did Paul employ on Mars
Hill? Everywhere, always, page after page of Scripture points us to the
spoken word, for - it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to
save them that believe (1 Corinthians 1.21).
If we in our evangelistic gatherings create the atmosphere of a concert
and offer the thrill and pleasure of entertainment, how 'can we then
preach with the authority of Heaven the holiness of God, the desperate
spiritual bankruptcy and rebellion of man, and the melting love and dying
agonies of an atoning Saviour?
If we borrow the 'clothing' of the world to please the crowd, how can we
paint in vivid colours the stark contrast between this carnal, fallen,
evil, doomed world-system and the spiritual Kingdom of God?
Today's pop-idiom contains so much which is sensual, fleshly, and sexually
suggestive. It is largely about touch, exposure and body movement, and is
therefore utterly out of character with the communicating of a
spiritual message.
To use pop-idiom music and all its attendant gimmicks is to place a hidden
straightjacket on the full proclamation of the Gospel and the work of the
Holy Spirit. In such an atmosphere, no ambassador or messenger of the
Cross can ever function freely and powerfully.
The basis of all pop-idiom evangelism is a lack of faith and trust in
the power of the Spirit of God to make effective and powerful the
straightforward New Testament pattern of preaching and witness. The
flesh wants to add something else (just as some of the preachers
of Paul's day felt that the Gospel needed some worldly wisdom added to it).
We may adapt the apostle's words in 1 Corinthians 2.4 to read: 'My
speech and my preaching was not with the enticing sounds of man's current
music, but in demonstration of the Spirit and power.'
So it must be if we are to worthily represent the Lord, and be fit
instruments for real blessing.
These articles remain
© Copyright Dr Peter Masters 1983
The Metropolitan Tabernacle
Elephant and Castle
London SE1 6SD
England, UK
who should be consulted before any further copying, storing or distribution, either
in whole or in part is made by any means.
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