Last week I went to a rock concert at a small protestant church in Dunn Loring, Va. It was the first time I had been to such a concert, I am not a big fan of Christian music, however, my cousin (who’s Catholic) loves to listen to Christian rock music. I accompanied him to the concert. I have several reservations to ‘Christian Rock’, the main reservation is dealing with the ‘how’ and ‘why’ in worshiping Christ through suck ruckus, such mayhem. How can we worship Christ in ‘Chaos’? It’s a strange dividing line that these rockers try to walk between the darkness and light.
Upon our arrival at the concert, I was shocked to see that it was first of all places inside the sanctuary of the church and that there were no religious symbols visible save for a cross painted on the wall with the title of the church ‘The Vine’ written above it. The epicenter of the church at the front where Christ should be centered was a stage and that was were the heart of the worshiping took place. There were no pews that I could see or chairs for that matter save a few that were stacked in the back. I immediately looked for Christ and yet I couldn’t see him. I saw a throng of people gathered around a stage and as the loud music began to blast out of the 9ft tall speaker columns on both sides of the stage I witnessed people gather around this epicenter of false worship and I wondered to myself if this was really geared towards God or if all these people were either willingly being duped or were just fools for believing that such music in a CHURCH could honestly be misconstrued with worshiping and praising GOD.
I felt first of all totally out of place. Every now and then I would hear the name God screamed out through the speakers or a phrase about worshiping God and not abandoning hope. I saw a few people raising their hands as if they were little receptors that would grasp at the graces flowing out from the stage. The music was entertaining and my cousin was having a blast and I was enjoying the tunes and beat of the music, and yet again, I just didn’t feel right in that setting. It was so opposite of what I am used to experiencing in a Catholic Church and when I thought on that, I thanked God that I was a Catholic and I didn’t have to experience such chaos when I go to worship each Sunday at mass. For chaos is what it truly is and so many mainline protestant churches are like this now. They have a large stage at the front of the church and they remove the pews for people to gather and stand around and they play about 5 contemporary songs throughout the service and have the worship leader give a light message about how much God loves you and how your saved and that is it. The epicenter of the worship is around a stage!! People experience emotional music that moves and lifts them and they feel closer to God during these moments and they actually think that is worship!!! THAT IS NOT WORSHIP!
I understand that these concerts that are held in a church setting are geared towards bring people out of the death metal crowd and try to draw them to Christ, in this picture I took at the concert, you can see an example of the people that are attracted to these events. Most of the people at the concert were similar in appearance to this, I think it was good that they were at this concert and not at a “lamb of god” concert (lamb of god is a satanic band from Richmond, Va). I none-the-less thought it was sad that they too were tricked into the idea that this was it when it came to worshiping God and by tricked I mean that they were experiencing such music in a church setting and not in a concert hall where this should have been held.
There was something that was missing from this experience, from this church and from protestant churches in general. What is missing? The Presence of God! What I was experiencing there was a lack of the presence of God. As Catholic’s we believe in the True Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist and we have Christ in his true presence in the tabernacle in the front and center of Church. Everything in Church is designed to point everyone directly to Christ and with reverence we pay our homage to God in quiet and peace. When I walk into any Catholic Church, I immediately feel the ‘Presence’ of God. It is a calming feeling, you KNOW that Christ is truly there in his true presence and the Church reflects that presence. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that God is there. I have heard many stories from different Priests who say they encounter non-Catholics every day who walk into an open Catholic Church and note the difference they feel. They encounter Christ on a different level and they truly note the presence in the Church.
After going to this protestant church and experiencing the missing presence of Christ, I never want to ever experience such a thing again. This is one of the fundamental reasons why I would never leave the Catholic Church. What is worship without the true presence of God? What does that stage and all that chaotic noise do for you other than burn out your hearing and trick you in the false worship of God? If only these people would go into a Catholic Church and experience worship as it was designed by God, instituted by him at his last supper, and worshiped through for over 2000 years! Nothing on this earth compares to a beautiful Catholic mass.
On the way home from the concert, I reflected on what I have experienced and imagined what those people would think if the heavy metal was cut off and some beautiful Gregorian chant was played. How many of the people would have left the show unable to grasp the beauty of such heavenly music, true hymns of worship. At that thought, I wondered at what music is played in heaven to worship God. Do the 9 choirs of angels head bang and play loud heavy metal music to God in their worship and scream out long guttural sounds in what they think of praise towards God, or do you think they play beautiful music to our Lord, soothing chant? Even though my cousin enjoyed the songs, I asked him the same question on the way home and he said that he felt that such music was most likely played in Hell. It was a thought provoking question and I agree with him wholeheartedly. When we worship God, we should worship as the angels worship, as God created us to worship him. To worship God is not to experience chaos.
No related posts.
About Michael
. I don’t know about you, I always come across devout followers who are...
Hello, dear brother in Christ,
I’d like to thank you for sending me an invite to follow you on Twitter. I find these media truly interesting and useful, because technology opens for us humans a door to a number of possibilities of communication, and a brand new way to share the joy we feel in God’s grace and light.
As I recall my recent past, I wasn’t what we’d call precisely a model Catholic. A very beautiful and touching spiritual experience has brought me back to the certainty that God is all love, and that He wants us to be happy and fulfilled above all things.
For some people, it’s easier to understand the message in the terms they speak, like the peoples at the first ever Pentecost. What’s this language we all humans share? I believe it’s Love, for we are all sensitive to it, we experience love from the very moment we come to life or while we grow up… The greatest love can be found in the arms of our parents, our life-partners, our children, our students or teachers; but also among alcoholics, drug-addicts and emotionally disturbed people who wish for something better. It’s the former three who have rescued me from a path of saddness I used to live at.
We humans can express this love in many ways, from the humble flavour of a cup of coffee in the middle of a starry night, surrounded by nature, to the warmth of a friend’s hug. Love is in the very essence of art, in the form of beauty, in a speech, in a cathedral, on a painting, in the notes of music.
God can speak to us in many ways through music; but what matters here is the intention of the heart (both singer and listener), and how open we are to receive the messages the Holy Spirit sends us through the lyrics, which takes a little discernment from our part. Eventually, we grow solid criteria on which music can help us to build our personal and collective relationship with God; then, we throw away what doesn’t serve such purpose.
How has God reached me? He’s done it through music! Not only through devotional songs (catholic, protestant, muslim, etc…), but from reggae, pop, rock… common music: “Stairway to Heaven” by AC-DC (an instrumental cello cover) or “Strong enough” by Apocalyptica. There’s also Matisyahu, who’s hassidic-jewish reggae-singer… I consider myself quite open to listen almost any kind of music (maybe except for mainstream death, black or hardcore metal… or awful reggaeton, which are hardly even music!)
As Internet opens a brand new way to share the Word for us, I think we should be open regarding our musical appreciation: Some people understand the feelings within chants, but some others find the same enlightment through a rock song. God owns everything in the world, nothing we do is entirely strange to Him… Let’s worship God the best we can: Some people dance, some people recite… and some others play music.
Even as I like christian music, that wouldn’t be enough to make me change from Catholic Church, since here I find “something more” than just feeling nice: I can feel nice because I know Christ is present among us at the mass, under the shape of bread and wine; because I can find the path to redemption through the lives of the Saints, and especially of our Holy Mother.
Christians in general, as well as Jews and Muslims, are waiting for Christ’s second coming; but we the Catholics can see him every Sunday: That makes us really privileged people, aren’t we?
Blessings all the way from Mexico
Arminius,
Thank you for that heart felt and sincere post regarding music and faith! I hope my readers didn’t think of me as just a prude who wanted to put a kibosh to rock or music in general. That was not my intent if it was perceived that way. I too love music. I am a product of the 1980′s and listen to that genre of music most of the time. However, I am also into rock and sometimes heavy metal tunes can really lift me up when I am having a rotten day. There is a place for music in this world and certain places where it is not wanted, when it comes to music being played in a Church setting, it should reflect music that honors God, it should bring glory to those who hear it, the intent of the music isn’t to capture and lull the listener.. it is to grasp at the very threads of the human heart, the veins if you will, and bring that right to the heart of Jesus, to rest upon that Sacred Heart and to live in Christ!
During a break in the show, I stepped outside to get a breath of fresh air and to try and regain some of the hearing that I had lost. As I turned to go back in, I stopped and noticed a white marble plaque in the wall. It read “Methodist Church – Relocated 1976″. That had at one time been a Methodist church. And now it was a concert hall for a non denominational church. It made me sad in a way to see the degradation of the Christian faith. At one time, that Church was full of pews and in it sat families who listened attentively to a preacher who preached the good word. It seems that the former Methodist church died out like so many other churches and in it’s place is a church that lives off the modern mentality of ‘take what you can and make a new church’ mentality.
I found a most interesting article in my search and I decided not to include it in my main post. This is from a protestant who wrote about 9 ways in which this modern way of worship is not healthy for Christians. http://quizzerextrodinaire.blogspot.com/2009/10/9-ways-modern-day-church-has-gone-wrong.html
God Bless!
Michael
I’d like to contribute as a C of E Protestant living in a mainly Catholic country. I feel exactly like you do when I visit Catholic churches (only opposite). I feel like a visitor in Catholic Churches and Cathdrals and at home when I go into protestant churches. I think I just need to get used to the difference.
Language and music are always changing. Why should the church lag behind?
Those people enjoying the rock music have stepped inside a church – who knows how they will grow now that the seed has been planted?
Anji,
“Language and music are always changing. Why should the church lag behind?”
Because while language and music change, God doesn’t change and our worship of him shouldn’t either. Just because a new fad is in, doesn’t make it right to try out. In post Vatican II the Catholic Church took on your request and they decided to update things and try out new and ‘improved’ ways of worship. It was disastrous and the Church still suffers today from it. There were desecration’s that occurred that no doubt tempted the wrath of God. I remember watching a video on Youtube about a clown mass, where the Priest was dressed as a clown as well as all the congregants and there was juggling on the altar and bubbles were blown, ect.. funny music was played. IT WAS A NIGHTMARE! That doesn’t belong in a Church. In the 90′s a Priest decided to ride his harley davidson up the isle during the procession and parked it on the altar next to his chair. That is just another abuse that should never have been allowed. These experiments never end well.
The Jews are extremely strict in their ways of worship, I have been in a Indian-Syriac Catholic Church and before I was allowed to enter the sanctuary I had to remove my shoes. When Moses entered the area of the burning bush, he had to take off his sandals. God doesn’t like chaos and there is a reason why the Catholic faith has survived for 2000 years unbroken, even with the strange things that have been allowed to occur.
And your right, a seed has been planted. But what kind of ground was the seed tossed?
“And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: a sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”—Luke 8:4-8.
Great Blog!
Thanks Jimmie!
I’ve come back and re read your post and reply twice. I don’t think anyone who was at that concert would expect to find rock music there all the time. Some of them will come back and find that peace. The most difficult part is going through the door for the first time.
I don’t think I’d like to see a Harley Davidson ridden by a Priest INSIDE a church either