1. Why do you say that the contemporary worship music movement was hard to leave?
My personality and heart are thoroughly painted over with pietism. I’m an experience oriented person. The light rock, soft rock, popular radio-kind of contemporary sound and singing found in some reformed churches, and many evangelical ones, is so very attractive to me. Emotionally speaking, I easily melt with the contemporary sound. It was hard to leave it behind.
2. What does Pietism have to do with it?
Pietism, as a teaching and practice of Christianity, was handed down to us from the old Lutherans who started to fear that the Christian faith had become too academic and intellectual. In the 1670s there was a push to deal with the cold, doctrinaire kind of Christian worship and preaching that had come out of the Reformation period. This push invited authors, pastors and Christian lay-folk to promote a living faith and a personal heartfelt piety and devotion. As the years went on, pietism touched down in Colonial America. Men like John and Charles Wesley and Jonathan Edwards stirred many with heart-application for Christianity and revival; they breathed life and unction into worship, preaching, obedience and service.
G. Mark Sumpter
1 comment:
Brother Mark, you need some comments on your blog, friend. I did send your blog to Eric Waggoner, so maybe he will post up sometime. Anyway, I hear you. We are made to worship God with mind, emotions and will (entire heart). I once heard Tom Monroe from Covenant say that when we are singing, we are engaged threefold and unified in thoughts, emotions and actions. Yeah, that is good. I think it was Augustine who said "When a man sings to God he prays twice."
Don't know if that is exactly what you were sharing, but it is "where I am at" or at least want to be.
:-)
Mark, I humbly suggest you shamefully promote yourself with the bloggers out there. Get the word out.
Peace,
Matt O.
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