Jump to content
  • Welcome Guest

    For an ad free experience on Online Baptist, Please login or register for free

One "Contemporary" song with lyrics that beats your hymnal any day


Recommended Posts

  • Members

For the most part the debates and arguments over what is called CCM is futile. Only a tiny few on each side will ever change their positions and typically such changes are long in coming and come about not from persuasive arguments of the other side.

Looking over the course of Christian history we see battle after battle over the years regarding various aspects of music. Psalms only, hymns are worldly, a few hymns are okay, forget the psalms we'll just use hymns now, no instruments, some instruments, no piano or organ for they are too worldly, never mind those are okay now, none of that Moody and Sankey music it's of the world until a few Fundamentalists decided they liked it and now it's okay, stay away from Lutherans, Methodists and Universalists except when we decide we like some of their songs and then it's okay to put them in our hymnals and sing them.

Regardless of what any of us think the fact is some of what is called CCM is becoming accepted music even in some IFB churches. Eventually it's likely every IFB church will have hymnals with CCM songs in them and the congregations will sing certain CCM songs without a thought of them being anything other than a song of worship in their services.

Songs by the Gaithers, Gettys and others are already in some of the hymnals in IFB churches.

Just as some look back today and wonder at the arguments over pianos or hymns in churches, future generations will have the same thoughts when looking back at the battles over CCM songs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators

Want to know my biggest beef with CCM?  Because this is inevitably what it turns a church into. These are all worship services. Notice what's missing? WORSHIP! Replaced by "worship music', something biblically non-existent. I didn't have to work to find these images-and there are a lot more, small, large, all contemporary, and based around the music. This is what happens with CCM in churches. Sometimes faster than others, but it is inevitable.   The last picture, by the way, is from the formerly IFB college, Tennessee Temple University-here they are 'worshipping', no pastor, no preacher, no pulpit in sight, all brought together under CCM. This is why it will never broach our church.

Contemporary-Service-56-med.jpg christ-church-1200-seat-nexo-s12-arrays-

600_3885.jpg   IMG_8239.jpeg 

OpenMeetingExpectationsChurch.jpg  938773106_img_9954_edit.jpg IMGP4839-437x234.jpg  5523dd0ba3752.image.jpg?resize=760%2C507

Ford012011_2.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I don't believe it's the CCM that makes the churches this way, it's the leadership and congregation that chooses to take that path. A church can play a CCM song on a piano just like they do a hymn or they can choose to have a band just like some do for their hymns too. If their leaning is towards emotionalism, excitement or entertainment that church is going to head in that direction whether they choose to ramp up the playing and singing of hymns or they choose to ramp up some CCM, Southern Gospel or Spirituals.

There is a church here I've been watching very closely for many years now which uses what some call adapted CCM. This church has been using some of this in their services now for going on 16 years. The church has no band, no light show, no concert atmosphere. Typically they sing one or two "adapted CCM" songs and two or three hymns during the course of the service. The pastor still preaches strong Bible sermons; the sermons are still the main point of the service; they still have modest dress standards; they still preach the Gospel, soul win and disciple. Using CCM songs hasn't turned this church into a crowd of rockers, watered down Christians or liberals.

Each church will take whatever position they choose on this issue. Regardless of their decision some of these churches will grow weak, some will stay strong. If things continue as they have been it's likely that within our lifetime virtually every IFB church will have accepted some CCM.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators
4 hours ago, John81 said:

I don't believe it's the CCM that makes the churches this way, it's the leadership and congregation that chooses to take that path. A church can play a CCM song on a piano just like they do a hymn or they can choose to have a band just like some do for their hymns too. If their leaning is towards emotionalism, excitement or entertainment that church is going to head in that direction whether they choose to ramp up the playing and singing of hymns or they choose to ramp up some CCM, Southern Gospel or Spirituals.

There is a church here I've been watching very closely for many years now which uses what some call adapted CCM. This church has been using some of this in their services now for going on 16 years. The church has no band, no light show, no concert atmosphere. Typically they sing one or two "adapted CCM" songs and two or three hymns during the course of the service. The pastor still preaches strong Bible sermons; the sermons are still the main point of the service; they still have modest dress standards; they still preach the Gospel, soul win and disciple. Using CCM songs hasn't turned this church into a crowd of rockers, watered down Christians or liberals.

Each church will take whatever position they choose on this issue. Regardless of their decision some of these churches will grow weak, some will stay strong. If things continue as they have been it's likely that within our lifetime virtually every IFB church will have accepted some CCM. And this is the problem. And eventually few will be any different than any of those above.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
7 hours ago, Ukulelemike said:

And this is the problem. And eventually few will be any different than any of those above.

Maybe, maybe not, that depends upon the heart of each church. If a church is going to drift they are going to do so with or without CCM. If their heart is set on following Christ they can and will do so whether they have only a piano and sing "In Christ Alone" or "It Is Well With My Soul".

There are churches which reject "modern music" yet they have chose to "pump up" the songs in their hymnals so they come forth sounding much like modern music.

We shouldn't have a rock show in the church but we also shouldn't seem to be in a coma or singing a funeral dirge during services either. Both types of churches have problems. It's not the music that is the problem, it's the state of their hearts which is being manifest in the music.

As always there will be continual separation in churches, among churches and Christians in general.

We don't read or hear much about it today but when Moody was touring here and abroad there was a lot of uproar over the music Sankey played at their meetings. The conservative churches of that day denounced the music as worldly, inappropriate for church, and too emotional. As we know, most churches eventually adopted that music and today conservative churches use it and uphold it as very good. Some of the churches which took up this music were already falling away, others fell away afterward and others continued on in the Lord. The same is the current case with CCM and one day this fight regarding CCM will mostly be forgotten as new battles over music will arise and the conservative churches at that time will stand by the CCM which they have accepted just as we do with past music today. The telling point will be whether the church chooses to follow Christ or drift away from Christ.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

A church that starts messing with CCM by altering it and using only traditional instruments will soon desire more and more of the real thing.  This has been happening for decades and every church that has let CCM (Satan) inside, has gone emerging within a generation or two.  Soon as the music standards drop, then goes dress standards and then goes separation standards and then the KJV, God's preserved Word in the English gets tossed out for the Egyptian bible.  

Those pictures Mike posted look little different from worldly heathen rock-n-roll concerts, for they are the same thing with the same goals, to entertain the foolish.  Satan is a master of deceit and he has those foolish people doing his dirty work, separating people from God, saved and lost.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I would say in most cases those who bring in CCM will eventually take such to an extreme but I don't believe it's because of CCM, it's because of the state of their heart and that's the direction they choose to go. Only a small percentage of CCM songs are of the type or written for church services. It's typically the other CCM songs which are made for radio play or the fringe which drifting churches choose because their hearts are into show, not substance.

While it's only one church, I do know that in the particular church I've been watching closely they have been using "adapted" CCM for nearly 16 years now and their hearts are still set on Christ as before. The CCM songs they use are used in the same way they do the hymns. They have not formed a band, introduced multi-media theatrics, began to dress worldly or watered down their preaching.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
On ‎2016‎年‎1‎月‎5‎日 at 2:36 AM, Ukulelemike said:

Want to know my biggest beef with CCM?  Because this is inevitably what it turns a church into. These are all worship services. Notice what's missing? WORSHIP! Replaced by "worship music', something biblically non-existent. I didn't have to work to find these images-and there are a lot more, small, large, all contemporary, and based around the music. This is what happens with CCM in churches. Sometimes faster than others, but it is inevitable.   The last picture, by the way, is from the formerly IFB college, Tennessee Temple University-here they are 'worshipping', no pastor, no preacher, no pulpit in sight, all brought together under CCM. This is why it will never broach our church.

Ukelememike,

Amen and amen! You are entirely correct.

Thank you very much for your posting.

21 hours ago, swathdiver said:

A church that starts messing with CCM by altering it and using only traditional instruments will soon desire more and more of the real thing.  This has been happening for decades and every church that has let CCM (Satan) inside, has gone emerging within a generation or two.  Soon as the music standards drop, then goes dress standards and then goes separation standards and then the KJV, God's preserved Word in the English gets tossed out for the Egyptian bible.  

Those pictures Mike posted look little different from worldly heathen rock-n-roll concerts, for they are the same thing with the same goals, to entertain the foolish.  Satan is a master of deceit and he has those foolish people doing his dirty work, separating people from God, saved and lost.

Swathdiver,

Amen and amen! Keep on preachin'. CCM music is worldly, decitful, sensual, and of the devil. As you correctly pointed out the fools are being entertained by the clowns called by the Devil.

Alan

 

Edited by Alan
spelling
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
7 hours ago, John81 said:

I would say in most cases those who bring in CCM will eventually take such to an extreme but I don't believe it's because of CCM, it's because of the state of their heart and that's the direction they choose to go. 

While it's only one church, I do know that in the particular church I've been watching closely they have been using "adapted" CCM for nearly 16 years now and their hearts are still set on Christ as before

Your first point agrees with mine.  It's a heart that goes soft on separation and sin that allows such into their churches.  A crackhead doesn't do crack once in awhile,  the more he does it, the more he wants of it.  Same with music and other things.

As to your second point, it hasn't been a generation yet, get back to me in 5 and 15 years from now.

 

There was a great New Testament Church in our area for near four decades.  Today, it is a shadow of its former self, once it turned from God, the blessings of heaven ceased and we've watched it collapse with great pain and their members are incredulous as to why.  Why, they went soft on separation.  They brought in the CCM to their church, they began having proms, they began teaching the gap theory and the universal, invisible, local church heresy and other protestant doctrines.  Their K-12 school is no more, much of their property was foreclosed upon, their children went out into the world, their spanish ministry left.  So sad, so sad, so sad.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

As I said, I only personally know of one church which has used adapted CCM for nearly 16 years without going soft. Other churches I know of that use CCM are all of a "lesser" variety.

Unfortunately, with or without CCM in a church, we are losing many churches. Nearly every IFB church in this area have gone in a bad direction. A few of them use some form of CCM while the others don't but they all have softened and grown weak. Most have dropped the KJB, dropped dress standards, and to your point they have also dropped at least some aspect of separation. In many cases it's politics rather than CCM which has been the main focal point of softening on separation and other matters. For the sake of political power and influence they cast aside separation in order to yoke with Catholics, Mormons and others.

Lack of discipleship coming from the pulpit and lay folks in the church has opened the door to immature and secular Christians coming to be the majority in many churches. These come to hold great influence in the church and often come to be the ones running the church. Without a solid grounding in the Word and the importance of following Christ in all things, these churches with weak leadership turn to human reasoning and methods to try and achieve what they think are Christian goals. The most obvious of these is the goal of ending abortion and their willingness to yoke with Catholics to try and gain political power to achieve this goal.

We need to take a stand for Christ, draw closer to Him ourselves, take discipleship seriously, turn around the drift where we can and work to make sure our own churches don't drift.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Brethren,

John81 said one thing that is entirely true not only with the subject of CCM but with other subjects, issues, deceit, sin, and all other matters in this world of woe as well. It is a heart problem. "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." Proverbs 4:23

If a saint wants to live a pure, moral, and righteous life for the Lord he needs to keep his heart right with the Lord.

Before I was saved I loved all of the filth of the world, including rock music. CCM is fleshly, worldly and devilish rock music. Do you know why I loved rock music? I had a heart problem. I loved this world and all of the entertainment that it had to offerer. After I got saved, January 1972, God, may I repeat, God, changed my heart and I (among other filthy habits), stopped listening to the filthy music I once listened to before I was saved.

Accepting CCM into a church indicates a severe heart problem with the pastor, the deacons, and the members. The folks in the church that have spiritual discernment will leave. And, God will write on the doorposts of that church: "Ichabod," and, "Church of the Laodiceans."

Alan

Edited by Alan
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...