The direction of CCM music

D

Decoder

CCM is contemporary Christian music. I am noticing a feature which I do not care for: the 'top hits' syndrome removes very good material by displacement and by market forces, instead of by the wisdom or solidity of the content. This probably is not something you can see in a decade, but the fact is that there is very sound material (not counting older hymns) that gets set aside.

Add to this, there is a priority placed on 'relevance' not worship. So if there is human drama, the song is good; but there are few songs that are worship for the historic reasons--God's acts in history--as opposed to immediate instances. This weakens to truth. Some songs go into repetition that adds very little content.

This is not to say that older hymns will be easy to tap into. Sometimes the artist has to do a clever touch-up like 'How Marvelous, How Wonderful' in recent years was done in an upbeat style by a very authentic Celtic band and most people would not realize it was a 150 year old hymn.

Sometimes it is best just to read the lyrics of older hymns, but definitely do not neglect them; they have far more power than the existential style.
 
Decoder said:
CCM is contemporary Christian music. I am noticing a feature which I do not care for: the 'top hits' syndrome removes very good material by displacement and by market forces, instead of by the wisdom or solidity of the content. This probably is not something you can see in a decade, but the fact is that there is very sound material (not counting older hymns) that gets set aside.

Add to this, there is a priority placed on 'relevance' not worship. So if there is human drama, the song is good; but there are few songs that are worship for the historic reasons--God's acts in history--as opposed to immediate instances. This weakens to truth. Some songs go into repetition that adds very little content.

This is not to say that older hymns will be easy to tap into. Sometimes the artist has to do a clever touch-up like 'How Marvelous, How Wonderful' in recent years was done in an upbeat style by a very authentic Celtic band and most people would not realize it was a 150 year old hymn.

Sometimes it is best just to read the lyrics of older hymns, but definitely do not neglect them; they have far more power than the existential style.
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Definitely agree! CCM to me is more about rhythm and noise than it is a message.
 
Decoder said:
CCM is contemporary Christian music. I am noticing a feature which I do not care for: the 'top hits' syndrome removes very good material by displacement and by market forces, instead of by the wisdom or solidity of the content. This probably is not something you can see in a decade, but the fact is that there is very sound material (not counting older hymns) that gets set aside.

Add to this, there is a priority placed on 'relevance' not worship. So if there is human drama, the song is good; but there are few songs that are worship for the historic reasons--God's acts in history--as opposed to immediate instances. This weakens to truth. Some songs go into repetition that adds very little content.

This is not to say that older hymns will be easy to tap into. Sometimes the artist has to do a clever touch-up like 'How Marvelous, How Wonderful' in recent years was done in an upbeat style by a very authentic Celtic band and most people would not realize it was a 150 year old hymn.

Sometimes it is best just to read the lyrics of older hymns, but definitely do not neglect them; they have far more power than the existential style.
Click to expand...
CCM, like many things these days, is becoming "me" centered, focusing more on the performer rather than on God and His wonderful works for man and creation. To me it sounds like a lot of noise that masks any verbal message a piece might contain. Personally, I prefer a Charles Wesley or Fanny Crosby song to anything in the CCM realm.
 
BibleLover said:
CCM, like many things these days, is becoming "me" centered, focusing more on the performer rather than on God and His wonderful works for man and creation. To me it sounds like a lot of noise that masks any verbal message a piece might contain. Personally, I prefer a Charles Wesley or Fanny Crosby song to anything in the CCM realm.
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Amen!
 
BibleLover said:
CCM, like many things these days, is becoming "me" centered, focusing more on the performer rather than on God and His wonderful works for man and creation. To me it sounds like a lot of noise that masks any verbal message a piece might contain. Personally, I prefer a Charles Wesley or Fanny Crosby song to anything in the CCM realm.
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This is just me.......from what I have observed from some of the meetings I have attended, the "New" CCM or Christian (?) music is geared to excite the congregation and to heighten their emotions.
 
I remember when CCM was still young (early 70's), the performers were exceptionally careful not to perform in a way that would draw attention to themselves...I guess that was short lived. (Man's insatiable urge to bring glory to himself).
 
Doctrinally, there is a problem with the direct appeal to the Spirit. (Some of my Acts 1--4 study here will touch this). Besides the 'me' focus, there is this direct pursuit or request to the Spirit. I don't happen to find this in the NT. One can think of Gal 3, where Paul reminds his readers that the Spirit comes when the Gospel is preached (the doctrine of the Gospel in Gal 3 is a bit broader than what we would call evangelism).

But we also have the historic record of Acts, where 2-3 times the Spirit was given to launch the mission of the Gospel, or a sub-group effort--among Samaritans, among Gentiles, etc.
 
Not a fan of most CCM
Most seems to be rock music Christianised.
But I never much liked rock music to begin with. 4/4 beats can get boring fast..it's always the same.
 
Major said:
Agreed!
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Yes, I can remember when applause was not wanted in worship services.

Another thing that happens in CCM today is that the music directors don't seem to know when a song is group-friendly vs a specialty. Those that are group friendly are usually smoothed, streamlined, and have resolution. We may really like a song, but it may be something only a highly trained band can play, and it doesn't help a group bond to try those and get in too deep.
 
I find CCM to be a bit more of a personal devotion rather than collective ..eg 'I' rather than 'we'
When you are singing together as a congregation it just feels silly to make it out like you are a solo performer or you are having this personal epiphany with God....! All on your ownsome. Then somebody comes out of nowhere with this raging guitar solo and there's screaming and moshing (the 90s alternative rock did make it into church after all)

I guess an example is 'I'm trading my sorrows' or many songs that have 'me' and 'my' in the lyrics. I also find it a bit strange to be singing a song ABOUT worship. Rather than just straight worshipping. I remember one song that had lyrics like..'Im coming to the heart of worship, it's all about you it's all about you Jesus' and then I think well, doesn't He already know that.

I guess there's a place for songs like that but when there's a song that has lyrics like 'sing praise, sing praise' over and over. You might as well sing 'Thank you very much for your kind donation, thank you very much thank you very very very much' that they used to sing in telethons.

Or 'Thank you for being a friend'

Or what about the one (I forget titles) where one of the lyrics is 'I'm dancing on the mountain top' when you are actually doing no such thing.

I guess I'm a bit critical but I find Sunday School songs for children a lot easier to sing and more straight forward. Plus they have actions..and you can take the song wherever you want it to go. Don't really need any instruments either.
 
I actually like 'I'm trading my sorrows' as a song but you can't sing it too much as the 'Yes Lord Yes Lord Yes YES Lord' gets a bit much and you run out of breath.
 
Lanolin said:
I actually like 'I'm trading my sorrows' as a song but you can't sing it too much as the 'Yes Lord Yes Lord Yes YES Lord' gets a bit much and you run out of breath.
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Out of breath? Then you may need this CCM song, (warning it is a bit long on narcissism, and short on biblical truth).....



This is the air I breathe
This is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me

This is my daily bread
This is my daily bread
Your very word spoken to me

And I I'm desperate for you
And I I'm I'm lost without you

This is the air I breathe
This is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me

This is my daily bread
this is my daily bread
your very word spoken to me

And I'm, I'm desperate for you
And I'm, I'm lost without you

And I'm desperate for you
And I'm, I'm lost without you.

I'm lost without you.

I'm lost without you.

I'm desperate for you.

(Cry out to live)

I'm desperate for you..

I'm lost, I'm lost, I'm lost without you..
I'm lost without you

I'm desperate for you
 
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For some reason, I always like “Day by Day” from Godspell. There’s some decent modern stuff, like “Reckless Love” and “What a Beautiful Name.” I think it’s more of the Lauren Daigal type stuff I’m not a big fan of.

But it’s interesting to consider if your taste in Christian music differs depending on where you are in your walk. If modern music opens the door for future believers, I’m all for it even if it’s not my cup of tea! As long as it’s biblically sound, of course.
 
'What a beautiful name' is a good song. I suppose you can all sing together 'Jesus Christ OUR King' instead of how it's usually done with the solo vocalist singing 'MY King'

You can tweak lyrics to fit better to the situation.

I liked Scripture in Song...I know they have carried on from when they started in the 70s and 80s but I wasn't a christian back then never heard of them. However their songs still stand up today. I notice they've been re-recorded by others but it never sounded as good with solo vocalists who were trying to over-sing them you know how they add all these flourishes and fancy it up.
 
Decoder said:
Yes, I can remember when applause was not wanted in worship services.

Another thing that happens in CCM today is that the music directors don't seem to know when a song is group-friendly vs a specialty. Those that are group friendly are usually smoothed, streamlined, and have resolution. We may really like a song, but it may be something only a highly trained band can play, and it doesn't help a group bond to try those and get in too deep.
Click to expand...

Yes.
 
Skipper said:
For some reason, I always like “Day by Day” from Godspell. There’s some decent modern stuff, like “Reckless Love” and “What a Beautiful Name.” I think it’s more of the Lauren Daigal type stuff I’m not a big fan of.

But it’s interesting to consider if your taste in Christian music differs depending on where you are in your walk. If modern music opens the door for future believers, I’m all for it even if it’s not my cup of tea! As long as it’s biblically sound, of course.
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But that right there is the "Rub".

It is my personal opinion but it seems to me that Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) is a modern golden calf. Christian words are mixed with pagan music and used in worship. Few people understand the dangers of this practice and we reap some very destructive results.

The American philosopher Henry David Thoreau (19th century) wrote ........
“Music can be intoxicating. Such apparently slight causes destroyed Greece and Rome, and will destroy England and America.”

“Plato," when he writes The Republic, spends one paragraph on economics; he spends forty pages on music.
 
Major said:
But that right there is the "Rub".

It is my personal opinion but it seems to me that Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) is a modern golden calf. Christian words are mixed with pagan music and used in worship. Few people understand the dangers of this practice and we reap some very destructive results.

The American philosopher Henry David Thoreau (19th century) wrote ........
“Music can be intoxicating. Such apparently slight causes destroyed Greece and Rome, and will destroy England and America.”

“Plato," when he writes The Republic, spends one paragraph on economics; he spends forty pages on music.
Click to expand...
On the other hand, if you are coming from the pagan side of things, it could help lead one in the right direction.
Problem is, it is mostly ‘Christians’ attending the CCM concerts.
 
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