Modern Christianity: Worship in the Modern Era

Christian Worship in this Modern Era

Humanity is in constant motion, and with that motion comes change and advancements. 

Just looking back on the most recent past, 25 years ago, 50 years ago, a century ago, we have made huge strides with technology, communications, and social injustice. Are we perfect, is all of it fixed? No, of course not.  But reflecting on how much 100 years can change, it’s amazing to think back, but also to look toward the potential future growth.

Why does this matter? 

When you are driving your regular commute, chilling at home, on job with your headphones in – what types of music fills your playlist? I’m sure everyone has that one good oldie tune or two, but are you only listening to music from 100 years ago or older? I didn’t think so. Don’t get me wrong, I love the occasional classical or operatic masterpiece and there are hymns that to me are timeless, but popular music is my go to. I would assume many of you are that way too.

So why do we keep trying to use mostly or only hymns and older tunes in the church? 

Why do we get so wrapped up in hymns being this everlasting church routine? Notice I didn’t say tradition. A tradition would suggest an intentional and purposeful choice. Not just, “we sing them because that’s what we always do”. Honestly, I’ve grown sick of that response lately. I have heard that in so many gatherings in a variety of denominations. It feels lazy and is not what our outward faith should rest on. Churches create these weird habits and routines and yet none of them can tell me why that practice is in place. Is our faith so stale that we just repeat the same meaningless actions because “that’s just what we do.” No! 

Worship in the modern era has to change, and it starts with the individual, then spreads within the Church. We have to make our worship intentional again. Name the purpose, name what reason you have for doing anything. Why do you worship? Why do you praise God? When you are singing Amazing Grace for the 1000th time in your life, do you just drone along or do you stop and think about the words? There is so much power in words and letting any song become nothing but background noise is when we individually and congregationally become stagnant, lukewarm; we can’t grow because we stick with what is comfortable and familiar. We can find several passages in scriptures that tell us that is not a good thing.

I’m not saying we can all be or should be that big fancy mega church where service feels like a rock concert, but we have to focusing on the past traditions and embrace our times. Make worship relevant again. While there may be some people this applies to, I imagine most of us aren’t farmers. The reason so many hymns are centered around farming is because that was relevant then. It was music that was created for that modern era. Each new era sparks new cultural changes and with it musical changes. We shouldn’t ignore it, this needs to be talked about more within the church.

Does that mean throw out the hymnal? No. 

It does mean we need to be intentional in which ones we use and why we use them. I can’t remember the title of the hymn but it was talking about faith in the form farming and symbolically refers to us, people, as corn. I had to hold in a chuckle, cause like… why are we corn? Why am I talking about my faith like I live a rural farm life? It doesn't feel meaningful, because that is not my way of life.

Something I have grown fond of is new renditions of hymns. They use a modern style and instrumentation, they add new sections that re-theme the whole song, and they are amazing!

I typically am a musical purist, and that absolutely applies to most  modern/ contemporary music. Maybe I’m a hypocrite but I like keeping new music the way it is, but hymns are what I want redone. They no longer share concepts that apply to our culture and their styles are considered older and with each new generation will continue to shrink in popularity. This has been the case forever. When hymns were popular I’m sure there were churches hesitant to switch over, because they weren’t the traditional music yet, hymns at one point were the modern music if you can believe it.

So we are stuck in a repeating cycle; each generation will face this struggle. The best thing we can do is be kind but also open minded. Just because your view works and is liked does not mean there isn’t another idea that could also be useful.  Sometimes we have to swallow our pride and recognize we can’t always be right. Sometimes we need to step back and look at what's new before we decide what we think of it.

These topics must be approached slowly and gradually, there will always be that one person that doesn’t want things to change, that is a heart challenge for them, and while it can be hard to choose against them, it is ultimately their choice if they dig in and refuse to even try. This is just one of many examples when we must turn to Jesus for direction in how we proceed and how we handle their feelings and opposing opinions. 

Some of you reading this might be that person, or you know someone who is that person. Change can be scary. Change can be frustrating. The easy choice is always to want consistency and comfort, push away the new and weird.  Our faith can’t grow and the church cannot grow though if we practice our faith with that mindset. We aren’t called to be comfortable, in fact we are told that following Jesus is hard. That applies to all aspects of faith. The best way I can think to encourage you is to have an open mind and a forgiving spirit. Be kind and respond with kindness.

Society is going to keep changing, we must also constantly be changing to better understand and reach the world with God’s love. It’s hard, it requires time and intentionality, but it is also rewarding to see what just a little change can do. 

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