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Contemporary Worship Music - A Biblical Defence

Rave on?

Contemporary Worship Music:
A Biblical Defence
By John M. Frame
Presbyterian and Reformed. 212 pages
ISBN 0 87552 212 2

A book on such a hot potato written by a classically trained musician who is also a Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics at Westminster Theological Seminary has just got to be worth reading, especially when the writer dedicates it thus: 'To the New Life Churches, who swim against the current of Reformed opinion for the sake of the Reformed gospel.' That wording alone should whet the appetite.
The book is well laid out, the chapters of actual text averaging 13 pages per chapter and all of which are helpfully sub-divided and sub-headed. The contents page allows you to see at a glance the scope of the material which not only argues a case but seeks to deal with the many questions which arise when considering contemporary worship and its music (CWM). Is CWM authentically Christian? Does it edify? Does it dumb down worship? It is post-modern? Also included is a chapter on 'The Case Against CWM' as well as one on a 'Theology of Worship'. The author handles with loving graciousness the criticisms levelled against contemporary worship music and is at great pains to recognise the concerns of those who have experienced worship forms and songs that have been anything but edifying; an 18 page review of Marva Dawn's Reaching out without dumbing down is added as an appendix.
John Frame is not pleading a one-sided case here, he is not speaking from mere theory and opinion - he has a position of strength. His theological approach can be judged from a second appendix (25 pages) 'Sola Scriptura in Theological Method' (a chapter worth reading for its own sake) and his practical experience from his ministry as Worship Leader of the New Life Presbyterian Church, Escondido, California.
There is one area which this book does not mention; that of modern hymns. The author's own list of contemporary songs (chapter 12) has no mention of Christopher Idle, Timothy Dudley-Smith, Jim Seddon, Michael Baughen, Michael Saward, and such writers (maybe the UK is somewhat better off than the USA in that respect?). When we are considering contemporary worship, we need to remember that the choice is not just between the hymns of past generations and modern choruses; for example, Hymns for today's church is a good source of excellent hymns to enrich the repertoire of today's churches.
A book worth reading. It is what it says: a defence of CWM, and it will cause you to think hard about your biblical perspectives on worship. That challenge, however, is essential if the language and form of our worship is not to become an incomprehensible barrier to today's generation.

Donovan Rowland, Guildford