I Like Modern Worship

There, I said it. I like a skillfully produced rock band to lead my worship.

Last night my church had a special praise and worship night and it was loud. It was really loud. It was so loud my three year old couldn't decide between covering her ears and raising her hands. (If you've never seen a three year old raising her hands in worship, you're missing out.) People were just free to worship the way they wanted. Some were sitting, some were standing, some were raising their hands, some were clapping. It was awesome. Just what I like.

The night would have sent my Grandmother, well, either one of my Grandmothers, into hysterics. And I understand that. Not everyone has the same tastes. What matters is if you're really there to praise God. If you prefer hymns, if that's what gets you into a worshipful mindset, cool. Not me though. I want the electric guitarist to peel into a rockin' solo after the second chorus before going into the bridge. I want the drummer on a full set of drums hitting them as hard as he can. I want a piano player that can play circles around Jerry Lee Lewis. And I want a worship leader who's there to worship God with all his might.

I think it's funny (sometimes offensive) when people talk about one genre of music as more inspired, respectful or just plain better for worship. When you look at the history of worship music, there was a time when gregorian chant with multiple parts was seen as scandalous and distracting, let alone an organ. Some hymns were set to old bar room songs because that's what the people knew and could relate to. People are going to worship in different ways because people are different.

So if you like accapella music, cool. If you like a full pipe organ, great. If a full orchestra playing through the old standard hymn book gets you in a worshipful mood, I'm all for it. But me, I want a rock and roll praise band and people in the audience standing up and singing at the top of their lungs while they clap or raise their hands. But, hey, that's just me.