{"id":6369,"date":"2011-10-25T14:35:45","date_gmt":"2011-10-25T14:35:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.musicademy.com\/?p=6369"},"modified":"2021-03-25T13:20:24","modified_gmt":"2021-03-25T13:20:24","slug":"worship-wars-8-swindoll-weighs-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musicademy.com\/blog\/worship-wars-8-swindoll-weighs-in\/","title":{"rendered":"Worship Wars 8: Swindoll Weighs In"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"choir\"<\/a>I loved reading books by Chuck Swindoll during my college years. Indeed a number of his books had a profound impact on my life. Just recently, I read one of his new releases,\u00a0The Church Awakening: The Urgent Call for Renewal.<\/em> Swindoll devotes the fourth chapter to worship and makes some profound observations about worship wars in the church today.<\/p>\n

Early on, Swindoll talks about the difference between the\u00a0essence <\/em>of worship and the\u00a0expression<\/em> of worship. The\u00a0ESSENCE <\/span><\/strong>of worship has to do with our internalizing our adoration. He defines it as\u00a0\u201ca clear, definitive, conscious connection with the living God.\u201d<\/p>\n

The\u00a0EXPRESSION<\/span><\/strong> of worship moves us into the outward forms of worship\u2026the ways we express our praise to God. That may be as varied as whatever culture is expressing it. (See also the previous\u00a0post on missionary mindset<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Swindoll says that Worship Wars occur when people clash over the expression of worship. To get a taste of Swindoll\u2019s writings, read through the following quotes:<\/p>\n

\n

What God intended for His glory and for our corporate and personal growth\u2014worship\u2014has been transformed from a soul-deep commitment to an ugly, carnal fight.<\/p>\n

If there is anything that brings delight to Satan, it is the disruption of the worship of God.<\/p>\n

When any man-made tradition or expression of worship\u2014old or new\u2014is held on equal par with the Scriptures, we have gone too far. When we demand our own tradition\u2014be it one of music, dress, \u2026 you name it\u2014the requirement we insist on results in nothing less than legalism.<\/p>\n

When a sense of personal preference lords over biblical priorities, the worship of God is vain and meaningless.<\/p>\n

Christ\u2019s plan for the church is not uniformity\u2026not unanimity\u2026but unity. When you are connected with the traditions of men, you are soon being told to get in line.<\/p>\n

When\u00a0nonessentials threaten unity, they should die.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Swindoll goes on to give examples of nonessentials: guitars, pipe organs, pianos, a cappella singing, choirs in robes, full orchestra, full band, praise ensembles, pews, no pews, etc.<\/p>\n

\n

Christians\u2019 love for one another should be preeminent. Christian unity and genuine worship can only occur in a context of love.<\/p>\n

James 4:1\u00a0 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don\u2019t they come from your desires that battle within you?<\/p>\n

When self-centered desires reign supreme, there will never be unity in the body of Christ, much less in worship.\u00a0 But when self-sacrifice is the priority, unity falls into place.<\/p>\n

Any expression of music can be used potentially to worship God\u2014but we must stay sensitive to cultural tastes.<\/p>\n

What we want to cultivate in our churches:\u00a0 Not a group of selfish people who come together to be entertained, but a body of selfless believers who are learning how to worship God as a lifestyle.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Lots of insightful thoughts. Next week I will begin to share with you my inner struggles around the issues of worship styles and my thoughts on what churches should be considering as they determine what style or styles of worship they should offer.<\/p>\n

Kenny Lamm<\/em>,\u00a0senior consultant for worship and music for the <\/em>Baptist State Convention of North Carolina<\/em><\/a>, is a frequent worship conference leader with a strong focus on equipping leaders in North Carolina (USA) and Southeast Asia. His blog, <\/em>Renewing Worship<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0features posts that\u00a0explore ways to renew–impart new life and vigor to–the worship in the local church.<\/em><\/p>\n

Other posts you might like:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Worship Wars \u2013\u00a0Part 1<\/a>,\u00a0Part 2<\/a>,\u00a0Part 3<\/a>,\u00a0Part 4<\/a>,\u00a0Part 5<\/a>,\u00a0Part 6<\/a> and Part 7<\/a><\/p>\n

So you\u2019re going to be a worship leader<\/a><\/p>\n

Video clip from Q&A at live worship seminar<\/p>\n

How to move a church from traditional to contemporary worship styles<\/a><\/p>\n

Ask the expert \u2013 warring musicians and choice of keys for worship songs<\/a><\/p>\n

P.S. Enjoyed this article? We\u2019d love you to share it with others!<\/p>\n

Hover over any of the Social Share buttons below or click the Facebook button above.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the biggest way you can help us, and we really appreciate it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I loved reading books by Chuck Swindoll during my college years. Indeed a number of his books had a profound impact on my life. Just recently, I read one of his new releases,\u00a0The Church Awakening: The Urgent Call for Renewal. Swindoll devotes the fourth chapter to worship and makes some profound observations about worship wars […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10197,"featured_media":6290,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWorship Wars 8: Swindoll Weighs In | Musicademy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.musicademy.com\/blog\/worship-wars-8-swindoll-weighs-in\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Worship Wars 8: Swindoll Weighs In | Musicademy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I loved reading books by Chuck Swindoll during my college years. Indeed a number of his books had a profound impact on my life. 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