When Church Music Changes

A new worship song starts on Sunday and suddenly the room feels split: some people light up, others shut down. We get it. Church music is personal, tied to memory, tradition, and the way we learned to worship. Today we step back from debating styles and ask a better question: how do we stay together as Christians when our preferences differ?

We share a gem from Billy Graham’s spiritual advice column, where he responds to a church member who wants to complain about “new songs” in the service. His guidance is simple but tough to live out: ask God to help you be grateful for all music that points people to Christ, whether it is a classic hymn, contemporary Christian worship, gospel, or another style. You may not connect with every song, but someone else might, and God can use it to encourage them and draw them closer to Jesus.

Transcript

Welcome And Daily Five-Minute Start

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Good morning and welcome to Starting Right with Danny Mack. I'm going to be here every Monday to Friday to help you get a great five-minute start to your day. So grab your cup of coffee, sit back, relax, and let me help you start your day right.

A Bigger Look At Christian Music

SPEAKER_00 0:21

Good morning, everybody. Welcome to Tuesday. And today we're going to take a look at some Christian music. Not like we do in our Monday episodes where we look at a specific song, but today is more of a companion to that as we look at Christian music in a little bit of a broader sense. Most often on Mondays we feature contemporary Christian worship, but we've also featured many of the old hymns, and even on occasion some country western gospel music, as well as some of the great gospel quartets. We try to give a little bit of a variety there. I am aware that not everybody appreciates that wide variety of styles. We all have our own preferences, and that's perfectly alright. As long as we stay together as Christians, we don't let the styles of music divide us.

Billy Graham Answers A Music Complaint

SPEAKER_00 1:06

Recently I came across an article from Billy Graham that I want to share with you today. I don't think too many of us are aware of this, but beginning back in 1952, Billy Graham began writing a spiritual advice column. Originally it was only in the Chicago Tribune, but before very long it was syndicated in over 73 daily newspapers across America. Its format was very much like the Anne Landers Advice Columns and many other columnists around North America, where individuals could write in with a question for the columnist, and then the columnist would respond. Today I want to share with you one of those columns that he answered from a Christian who was unhappy about some of the music. I think you'll enjoy this. Dear Reverend Graham, maybe I'm just old fashioned, but from time to time our church's music director introduces new songs into the service, and I don't care for them. I like the old hymns and wish he'd just stick with him. Should I complain to our pastor from Mrs. E. W. W.

unknown 2:10

Dr.

SPEAKER_00 2:10

Graham's answer. I know this has been a controversial issue in many churches, and I don't want to pretend to have all the answers, especially since I'm not particularly musical. But we have a singing faith, and God has given us the gift of music to praise him. In Psalm 63 5, the Psalmist declared, With singing lips my mouth will praise you. So instead of complaining to your pastor or anyone else, I urge you to ask God to help you be grateful for all the music that points us to God, new and old. No, you may not like some of it, but others do, and God can use it in their lives to encourage them and bring them closer to Christ. Remember, those old hymns you like were once new and someone probably didn't like them then either. Sometimes I'm afraid a hymn can become so familiar to us that we sing it without even thinking about the words. But this is wrong, because then our singing becomes empty and meaningless. Don't let this happen to you. But meditate on the words of the songs that you sang and even turn them into a prayer. Your music director has probably been wise in introducing new songs slowly. Completely changing everything all at once can be disruptive. So pray for him and encourage him. Let him know that you are grateful for his gifts. Yes, let him know you appreciate the old hymns, but support him also as he seeks to reach a new generation through music.

How To Respond With Gratitude

SPEAKER_00 3:36

Wise words from Dr. Billy Graham about introducing new music into church. By new music I don't just mean music that has a new date on it. That also means to be accepting of different styles. Just because somebody else likes some music that you don't particularly enjoy doesn't mean that it's wrong or it's not of God. Any music that brings praise and honor to God and worships him for who he is and what he's done and what he's going to do, that's all part of worshiping him and praising him and lifting up our voices to him. God has given the gift of music to every group of people around the world. Styles and language will differ greatly, but as long as the focus is on Christ and who he is and what he's done, we

Celebrate Jesus And Wrap-Up

SPEAKER_00 4:18

should celebrate it. So today let's celebrate Jesus. Put on your music, crank it up in your car or in your home, and sing along with it. And be thankful that God has given us this wonderful, incredible gift of music. Have a great day, my friends. We will talk again tomorrow. Thank you for joining us today, and I invite you to join us every Monday to Friday, right here at Starting Right with Danny Mack.