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				October 2006
		Christian Music Andrew Legg believes that Christian music is in crisis throughout the Western world. At first glance this might seem a strange and unsupportable claim to make, particularly given the financial success of the Christian music business world in recent years. On a recent, and admittedly not all too frequent, visit to Koorong bookshop in the city, I was truly overwhelmed at the amount of Christian material, media and music that was on display. I daresay what I saw was only the tip of the iceberg as well. There were Bibles in every colour and type imaginable. There were even covers for Bibles that you could choose if you didn't like the colour of your own. Christian CDs and DVDs of every kind almost jumped off the walls. Unlike the rustic charm of the Christian music that existed when I was growing up in the 70s, this music had the full weight of business, extensive market research, targeted demographics and international distribution to support it. Why then, I asked myself, are the numbers of Christians in the developed Western world in marked decline? Why is it that the only places where the numbers of Christians are growing significantly have the greatest poverty and the worst access to this minutiae of Christian material? Are we so good at the business of being Christian that we have come to rely on ourselves for our own salvation? The bookstore is not the problem. I am. We are. They even make an iPod now that conceals itself within the fabric of a jacket, with the speakers in the lapels, presumably so that the soundtrack to our life can now be heard in full digital 6:1 surround as we actually walk into a room. The music at St Clement's where I worship, like the church itself, has been and should always be a little different from this. We are an eclectic, multi-racial, multi-generational church, and selecting music to satisfy our many needs and tastes is not always easy. In the end, all I want to do is worship God. I really don't mind how. Church traditions, unlike the nature of the Almighty, change like the shifting sands. At one time, singing anything other than unison melodies was considered inherently evil. Later on, percussion was considered evil. The musical interval of a diminished fifth (a distance between notes) was, for the greater part of the 15th and 16th centuries known as the devil's interval, and musicians were strictly forbidden from using it in compositions. Interestingly, it is now one of the key intervals that underpins all contemporary music - including Isaac Watts, John Wesley, Keith Green, Hillsong and Planet Shakers. Ultimately, we define our own tradition, but this only works when we allow God to define us. Completely. Music ministry is not just about musicians. It's about all of us. I recently attended a church where the youth were leading the worship. …the music was, frankly, dreadful. As a music educator, I understand perfectly the most difficult thing for a young drummer to master is…(the) control of volume. I know full well that the last thing to develop in a young singer is control of pitch. More than these, I acknowledge also that the most difficult musical technique for young bands to develop is the ability to play together and get a balanced sound. I wasn't going to be critical, and I didn't say a word. Nevertheless, it still sounded dreadful. However, something remarkable and truly inspiring happened, just as everything threatened to get completely out of control. The leadership of the church, the deacons and senior pastors, and the senior members of that longstanding congregation, all of whom were attending the service, began to sing so hard, so loud, so strong, and with such Holy Spirit conviction, that they, with the angels, carried these wonderful young people, along with themselves and me, into the very throne room of God. For those who have ears to hear. Passionately in Christ, Andrew Legg This report first appeared in Andrew Legg's parish's annual report and is used with kind permission.