Worship Music Debate

Issues

This debate concerns what music should be sung in worship and how it should be sung. On one side are hymns, typically accompanied by organ or piano and sung in four-part harmony. On the other is contemporary Christian music (CCM), led by a worship team using drums, guitars, and keyboards. CCM is said to have originated in the United States with "Jesus Music," which converted hippies and street musicians performed in popular musical styles. Three issues are at stake: whether musical style is merely a neutral vessel for content, how to preserve the theological depth of lyrics, and whether worship is being turned into an emotionally charged rally or performance.

The Position Favoring Traditional Hymns

• Argument: Proponents hold that worship music should consist of songs offered to God. They criticize much CCM as directed more toward human emotion and experience than toward God. They worry that strong rhythms and high volume stir the emotions and turn worship into something like a rally. They regard hymns, which were compiled after careful vetting, as having doctrinally sound lyrics.
• Supporting passages: John 4:24 (worship in spirit and in truth), 1 Corinthians 14:40 ("Let all things be done decently and in order"), and Romans 12:2 ("be not conformed to this world"). Some appeal to the Reformed "regulative principle," which holds that only elements commanded by Scripture should be included in worship.
• Traditions: Such criticism is reportedly voiced often in Presbyterian churches and seminaries, especially those of a Reformed orientation.

The Position Embracing Contemporary Worship

• Argument: Proponents hold that because Scripture does not prescribe a particular musical style, styles may be chosen to suit the times and the culture. They argue that allowing younger generations to confess their faith through familiar music aids evangelism and the passing on of the faith. They believe that short, repeated lyrics help impress the confession on the heart.
• Supporting passages: Psalm 150:3-5 (praise with timbrel, stringed instruments, cymbals, and other instruments, and with dance), Psalm 96:1 ("O sing unto the LORD a new song"), Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 ("psalms and hymns and spiritual songs"), and 1 Corinthians 9:22 ("I am made all things to all men").
• Traditions: Pentecostal and charismatic churches, mission organizations devoted to worship ministry, and churches that have adopted seeker-sensitive worship tend to be supportive.

The Situation in the Korean Church

Following the Unified Hymnal of 1983, the Korean Hymnal Society published the 21st Century Hymnal (also called the New Hymnal, containing 645 hymns) in 2006, and most churches now use it. It is notable for including additional hymns composed by Koreans and songs for younger generations.

In 1987 the missionary Stephen Ha began Worship and Praise (Kyungbae wa Chanyang) as a Thursday gathering, and numerous worship teams emerged around the same time. The debate over whether drums and electronic instruments may be used in church is reported to have been largely settled in favor of permitting them by about the mid-1990s.

Today many churches use hymns and a choir in the Sunday morning service, and worship teams and CCM in young adult ministry services or evening prayer meetings. Even so, generational conflict continues to be discussed: rock rhythms feel unfamiliar to older members, while four-part choral singing feels awkward to young adults.

Points for Reflection

• Hymnals contain songs from many eras and styles, and CCM songs vary in the depth of their lyrics. Some therefore suggest that, rather than choosing one over the other, churches need criteria for evaluating the lyrics and use of each song individually.
• Which approach better serves the community: blending both kinds of music in a single service, or dividing services by generation?
• How does the role of a CCM artist differ from that of a church worship leader?