andygoodliff

Article in Evangelical Quarterly

I have got an article in the latest Evangelical Quarterly 81.3 (July 2009):

'"It's all about Jesus": a critical analysis of the way in which the songs of four contemporary worship songwriters can lead to an impoverished christology'

Abstract: This article examines the songs of four contemporary worship songwriters in regard to the christology they present.  The article argues that although the majority of songs are focused on Jesus, they fail to articulate a sufficient christology. It is claimed that this is due to an inadequate attention given to the doctrine of the trinity and to Christ’s priestly and prophetic offices. The article concludes by suggesting that the broader context and expectations of contemporary worship songwriters means that it is difficult for a richer christology to be developed.

Critizing Contemporary Worship Songwriters

John Stackhouse, an evangelical theologian, posted about the lack of word care  - theologically and poetically - in the songs of Chris Tomlin. This generated a mass of comments - lots of them saying Stackhouse is unfair to criticize Tomlin - please! We're quite happy, or at least many evangelicals are quite happy to knock open-theists like Clark Pinnock or non-penal substitutionists like Steve Chalke in public, but somehow worship songwriters are untouchable? When its the theology (or perhaps lack of theology) of these songs that shape most people's faith. I think he makes lots of good points, I have an article forthcoming in the Evangelical Quarterly making some other critical comments about contemporary worship songs. Stackhouse's concern, with which I agree is we must be able to do better than a lot of the rubbish that is churned out year after year. Its not all bad, but the commericalisation of the worship industry means that too much music is being produced and its almost as if it sells who cares what we're singing.  The main issue is that Tomlin and others are not theologians or poets, but they are good at writing catchy tunes. Ben's comments here are fair, but I'd argue that Townend and Getty are writing in a different genre , more like the hymn, than the three minute pop song genre that Tomlin, Tim Hughes and Matt Redman are writing in. The hymn has more scope for communicating theology, the pop song is more limited - this is evident in the same tired words and phrases that are used over and over again. Furthermore, as Pete Ward has shown (see his Selling Worship) the songs of Tomlin and co. are designed for encounter with God, not to communicating who God is - the emphasis is on the worshipper's response, not the one to whom they are responding - so that often the song can be addressed to simply 'Lord' or even 'You'.

 

worship leaders and the displacement of Christ

Where it appears, the title of "worship leader" should be critiqued, for it suggests a model of worship in which Christ has been displaced from his rightful place. In the Middle Ages it was the priest, now it is worship leader. Christ' displacement is accentuated by the focus, either implicitly or explicitly, on the leader's personality, charisma and gifts. In this regard, it is noticeable how the leader's causal greeting has replaced the traditional call to worship in many services. It is almost as though the worship leader is the host, welcoming people as he/she woudl to his/her home. Also interesting to observe is the role of the "worship team", usually consisting of a music group, whose task it is to open worship with a "worship time". This consists of a bracket of worship choruses, interspersed with the leader's exhortations, humorous asides and extempore prayers. A lot of effort goes into creating the right atmosphere. Music has come to assume a priestly role in much worship, insofar as it is regarded almost as the primary vehicle by which people enter the presence of God.

(Graham Redding, Prayer and the Priesthood of Christ, T & T Clark, 2003, p. 298n.30)

tenebrae service

This evening I organised with the help of Hilary Jappy (a member at Bunyan) a tenebrae service. I was first introduced to the creative delights of a tenebrae service by Maggi, when Hannah and I made a visit to Robinson College Chapel back in 2005. Ever since, I've hoped to find an opportunity to plan a similar like service. So thanks to Maggi (we borrow your structure), Geoff for some of the music ideas, to the person who put together this version of the service and all those involved tonight. Here's what we did :-

As people arrived ‘Passio’ - Sanctuary, The Heart Has Its Reasons [track 8, 8.25min]

Introduction and Explanation

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross    (verses 1, 3, 4)

1. THE SHADOW OF BETRAYAL                                          

R4: (Psalm 41:9)
    A reading from the Psalms:                        
    Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.
R2:  (Matthew 26:6-25)
    Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant.
R3:    Why this waste?"   
R4:    This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.
R2:    Aware of this, Jesus said to them,
R1:    Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful
thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but
you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.
R2:    Then one of the Twelve--the one called Judas Iscariot--
    went to the chief priests and asked
R4:    What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?
R2:    So they counted out for him thirty silver coins.
    From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked,
R3:    Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?"
R1:    Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.
R2:    So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover. When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said,
R1:    I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.
R2:    They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other,
R3:    Surely not I, Lord?
R1:    The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born."
R2:    Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said,
R4:    Surely not I, Rabbi?
R1:    Yes, it is you

(coins thrown onto the floor)
Music ‘Part One: Exposition – Canons’ - John Law, The Art of Sound Volume One
(slices of lemon are passed round – the bitter taste of betrayal)

2. THE SHADOW OF DENIAL                                                

R4:  (Zechariah 13:7)
    A reading from the prophet Zechariah
    "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd,
    against the man who is close to me!"
    declares the LORD Almighty.
    "Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered...."
R1:  (John 10:14-15)
    I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know
me- just as the Father knows me and I know the Father- and
    I lay down my life for the sheep.
R1: (Matthew 26:31,33-35)
    This very night you will all fall away on account of me,
    for it is written:
R4:    ‘I will strike the shepherd,
    and the sheep of the flock will be scattered’.
R3:    Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.
R1:    I tell you the truth, this very night, before the rooster
crows, you will disown me three times.
R3:    Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.
R2:  And all the other disciples said the same.

(sound of a rooster crowing and the words ‘I do not know the man’)
Sing Jesus remember me - Taize               

3. THE SHADOW OF SEPARATION                                       

R4:   (Psalm 13)
     A reading from the Psalms:
     How long o Lord? Will you forget me forever?
     How long will you hide your face from me?
     How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in
     my heart all day long?
      Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!
R1:   (John 16.16-20)
      A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a
      little while, and you will see me.
R2:   Then some of his disciples said to one another,
R3:   What does he mean by saying to us, “A little while, and
      you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and
      you will see me”; and “Because I am going to the Father”?
R2:   Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them
R1:   Are you discussing among yourselves what I meant when I  said, “A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me”? Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy.

(Piece of cloth torn apart in three places and the words – the pain of separation, the agony of being torn apart, the ache of being broken-hearted)
Sing How long o Lord – Brian Doerksen

4. THE SHADOW OF ANGUISH                                                

R4: (Psalm 31:9-14)
    A reading from the Psalms:
Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress;
    my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief.
    My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning;
    my strength fails because of my affliction,
    and my bones grow weak.
    Because of all my enemies,
    I am the utter contempt of my neighbours;
    I am a dread to my friends --
    those who see me on the street flee from me.
    I am forgotten by them as though I were dead;
    I have become like broken pottery.
    For I hear the slander of many; there is terror on every side;
    they conspire against me and plot to take my life.
    But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God."
R2: (Mark 14:32-41)
    They went to a place called Gethsemane,
    and Jesus said to his disciples,
R1:    Sit here while I pray.
R2:    He took Peter, James and John along with him,
    and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled.
R1:    My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death, 
    Stay here and keep watch.
R2:    Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed
    that if possible the hour might pass from him.
R1:    Abba, Father, everything is possible for you.
    Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.
R2:    Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping.
R1:    Simon, are you asleep?
    Could you not keep watch for one hour?
    Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.
    The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.
R2:    Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him. Returning the third time, he said to them,
R1:    Are you still sleeping and resting?  Enough!  The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

(silver cup on stand)
Sing Stay with me - Taize               
Music ‘Carlotta’ - Ennio Morrione, The Mission [track 6, 1.18min]

5.THE SHADOW OF TREACHERY                                               

R4: (Genesis 37.18-20, 23-24a)
    A reading from the book of Genesis:
    They saw Joseph from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired to kill him. They said to one another,
R3:     Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into of the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured him, and we shall see what becomes of his dreams.
R4: So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the coat of many colours that he wore; and they took him and threw him into a pit.
R2: (Mark 14.43-50)
Immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; and with him there was a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying,
R4:     The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.
R2:     So when he came, he went up to him at once and said,
R4:     Rabbi!
R2:     and kissed him. Then they laid hands on him and arrested
him. But one of those who stood near drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear. Then Jesus said to them
R1:     Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit? Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. But let the scriptures be fulfilled.
R2:     All of them deserted him and fled.

(the words 'the kiss of Judas was a slap in the face' followed by the speaker being slapped)
Music ‘Betrayal and desolation’ - James Horner, Braveheart [track 13, 1.25min fadeout]
Sing My Lord What Love Is This - Graham Kendrick (verse 1 and chorus only)

6.THE SHADOW OF HYPOCRISY                                          

R1: (Isaiah 53:7)   
    A reading from the prophet Isaiah:                   
He was oppressed and afflicted; yet he did not open his mouth;
    he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
    and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth. 
R2:    (Matthew 27.15-24)
Now at the festival the governor Pilate was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas. So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them
R4:  Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?
R2:  For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. While he was sitting on the judgement seat, his wife sent word to him
R3: Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him.
R2:     Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. The governor again said to them,
R4:     Which of the two do you want me to release for you?
R3:     Barabbas.
R4:     Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?
R3:     Let him be crucified!
R4:     Why, what evil has he done?
R3:  Let him be crucified!
R2:     So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water [pause as Jug of water is poured into big metal bowl] and washed his hands before the crowd, saying
R4: I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.

Music ‘Minas Morgul’ - Howard Shore, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King [track 6, fade up, track five, 0.43min stop]

7. THE SHADOW OF DEATH                                                    

R4:     (1 Samuel 9.15-17)
    A reading from the book of Samuel:
“Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed to
Samuel:
R1:     Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be ruler over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have seen the suffering of my people, because their outcry has come to me.
R4:     When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him
R1:     Here is the man of whom I spoke to you. He it is who shall rule over my people.
R2:     (John 19.4-7)
Pilate went out again and said to them
R4:     Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.
R2:     So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them,
R4:     Here is the man
R2:     When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted
R3:     Crucify him! Crucify him!
R4:     Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.
R3:     We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.

(sound of hammer hitting nails into cross)
Music ‘Angry Flames’ - Karl Jenkins, The Armed Man [track 8, 1.25min stop]
Sing Were you there when they crucified my Lord

8. THE SHADOW OF HUMILIATION                                          

R1:  (Isaiah 53:1-5)
    A reading from the prophet Isaiah:
    Who has believed our message and to whom
    has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
    He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
    and like a root out of dry ground.
    He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
    He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows,
    and familiar with suffering.
    Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised,
    and we esteemed him not.
    Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows,
    yet we considered him stricken by God,
    smitten by him, and afflicted.
    But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our sin;
    the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
R3:  (1 Peter 2:21-23a)
    A reading from First Peter:
    To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you,
    leaving you an example, that you should follow in his
steps.
    "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his
mouth."
    When they hurled their insults at him, he did not
retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. 
R2: (Mark 15:16-20)
    The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace and called together the whole company of soldiers.
    They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him.
    And they began to call out to him,
R4:    Hail, king of the Jews!
R2:    Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spat on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.

Music ‘This Love’ - Craig Armstrong, The Space Between Us [track 2, 4.20min begin fading out]
(crown of thorns is placed on head and cross is picked up and carried out, people follow)

Matt Redman

Greenbelt comes ever closer ... and I saw yesterday that Matt Redman, the worship songwriter will be making an appearance. It's time to come clean, I like Matt Redman. My late teens were dominated by a diet of Matt Redman worship songs. Although in the last four or five years I've distanced myself from the Soul Survivor style of worship and ministry (and embraced a much more contemplative, liturgical and alternative approach to worship), I still enjoy listening to the latest Matt Redman song. I think, generally (with some exceptions), he writes good and help songs for worship. Those who have emerged after him, are still someway behind him in terms of lyrical and theological quality. I get the sense also that Redman is someone interested in theology, albeit probably a bit too much John Piper for my liking.

Ten Matt Redman worship songs for the church

1. Show me the way of the cross (from the Friendship and the Fear, 1997)

2. Befriended (from Where Angels Fear to Tread, 2002)

3. Gifted Response (from Facedown, 2004)

4. So fearfully and wonderfully made (from Beautiful News, 2007)

5. You never let go (from Beautiful News, 2007)

6. You led me to the cross (from the Father's Song, 2000)

7. Let everything that has breath (from Intimacy, 1998)

8. O Jesus, Son of God (from the Father's Song, 2000)

9. Blessed be your name (from Where Angels Fear to Tread, 2002)

10. Justice and Mercy (from the Father's Song, 2000)

ten theologically inept songs?

Reflecting on the Baptist Assembly Catriona said she thought the song 'these are the days of elijah' was theological drivel. So here's nine other songs I think are theologically inept (in no particular order). I could have chosen more.

1. these are the days of elijah - i see what's he trying to do, but it just doesn't work

2. above all powers - i can't stand the chorus with the lines 'like a rose, trampled on the ground, you took the fall, and thought of me, above all' - it doesn't even make sense!

3. oh to see the dawn (the power of the cross) - it's way too emotive, it's way too penal substitution and it's way to cross centred, like many songs, and so the resurrection appears as an unnecessary extra.

4. all who thirsty - when you actually read the words, what are they on about?

5. i will be yours (eternity) - i just don't get this song!

6. our God is awesome in power (warrior) - from the 80s and 90s phase of military songs. see also 'called to a battle (thunder in the skies)

7. over the mountains and the sea (i could sing of your love forever) - it feels like phrases stuck together without and really meaning (a bit like noel gallagher does!)

8. filled with compassion - the lyrics are so awful

9. down the mountain the river flows

10. don't let my love grow cold - what is the chorus on about? the problem sometimes of singing scripture

The most annoying are songs which frustrate me are songs which describe the resurrection as something Jesus did: 'he rose again', when it is more theologically correct to say 'he was raised' (rom 4.24; 6.4, 9; 8.11; 1 cor 15) and also songs which are so overly Jesus-focused, that they fail to recognise God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit (for example, 'Jesus be the centre' could if re-written be a great trinitarian song).