Editing out the less positive

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April 2006

Editing out the less positive

Andrew Lake reflects on a trend in popular worship…

My unease began when I was listening to a Hillsong lyric based on the Lord's Prayer. Something was missing! Then I realised it was the part 'forgive us our sins as we forgive…' It reflects the trend in Christian music to edit out the less positive feelings of the Christian's experience.

Of course it's risky to criticise the 'praise and worship' style without seeming to quench the Spirit when the adverting hype uses adjectives like 'anointed' and 'prophetic'. The contemporary style with the catchy lyrics and the foot-tapping rhythm is great but the fact is that 'praise and worship' music does not measure up to the Psalms. It fails to mirror the depth and breadth of the one songbook all Christians share with the effect that a whole generation of Australian Christians are being taught that real spirituality is about experiencing ecstatic feelings about God and that there is no place for the negative emotions which are in fact a normal part of being human.

When we take an honest look at the 150 biblical Psalms we find the spectrum of human emotions: from anger, confusion, grief and sorrow to joy, gratitude and contentment. This mirrors what the Gospels record about Jesus' feelings.

Of course it's painful to read or sing Psalms of depression like 88 or of anger like 137. But with God's grace we may even look beyond ourselves and recognise that even if these Psalms don't resonate for me in my safe and happy world, there are brothers and sisters somewhere in the world, whether in Sandy Bay or Sudan, who do feel like they are in a dark pit. By all means let's do 'praise and worship' music at church and get uplifted, but let's not fall into the trap of thinking it's the be all and end all. Let's struggle with the Psalms, but not edit them.

When it comes to the church year the 'praise and worship' culture does Easter and Pentecost well but baulks at Good Friday. On the cross Jesus didn't try 'praise and worship' therapy but cried out 'My God, my God why have you forsaken me?' In fact the whole psycho-spiritual drama of the Passion takes us way outside the comfort zone of 'feel good' spirituality. Don't take my word for it. Just compare what different churches have on offer at Good Friday.

	The Anglican Church in Tasmania Search
	a healthy church...transformingLIFE
	Home About Contact us News Issues Parishes Prayer Calendar Youth Resources

				April 2006

		Editing out the less positive Andrew Lake reflects on a trend in popular worship… My unease began when I was listening to a Hillsong lyric based on the Lord's Prayer. Something was missing! Then I realised it was the part 'forgive us our sins as we forgive…' It reflects the trend in Christian music to edit out the less positive feelings of the Christian's experience. Of course it's risky to criticise the 'praise and worship' style without seeming to quench the Spirit when the adverting hype uses adjectives like 'anointed' and 'prophetic'. The contemporary style with the catchy lyrics and the foot-tapping rhythm is great but the fact is that 'praise and worship' music does not measure up to the Psalms. It fails to mirror the depth and breadth of the one songbook all Christians share with the effect that a whole generation of Australian Christians are being taught that real spirituality is about experiencing ecstatic feelings about God and that there is no place for the negative emotions which are in fact a normal part of being human. When we take an honest look at the 150 biblical Psalms we find the spectrum of human emotions: from anger, confusion, grief and sorrow to joy, gratitude and contentment. This mirrors what the Gospels record about Jesus' feelings. Of course it's painful to read or sing Psalms of depression like 88 or of anger like 137. But with God's grace we may even look beyond ourselves and recognise that even if these Psalms don't resonate for me in my safe and happy world, there are brothers and sisters somewhere in the world, whether in Sandy Bay or Sudan, who do feel like they are in a dark pit. By all means let's do 'praise and worship' music at church and get uplifted, but let's not fall into the trap of thinking it's the be all and end all. Let's struggle with the Psalms, but not edit them. When it comes to the church year the 'praise and worship' culture does Easter and Pentecost well but baulks at Good Friday. On the cross Jesus didn't try 'praise and worship' therapy but cried out 'My God, my God why have you forsaken me?' In fact the whole psycho-spiritual drama of the Passion takes us way outside the comfort zone of 'feel good' spirituality. Don't take my word for it. Just compare what different churches have on offer at Good Friday.