Darker insights into worship as industry

Anything you do and you love it, you're rich. you're a millionaire , man. Hubert Sumlin Blues player

I've been watching "Before the Music Dies" (here). It's a critical analysis of what has happened in the popular music industry and the rampant commercialism which is suggested is threatening and even heralding the death of good and creative music. I think the critique is relevant to popular worship.

"The twenty million people who buy a Britney Spears’ record aren’t music fans they’re popular culture fans." I am becoming sad about the loss of good musicianship. What has happened is art and commerce are mixed up together and it's not a healthy relationship. Commercialism drives but kills the life of music. Commercialism creates certain patterns and reproduction as replication. Therefore only music that matches the already successful is promoted or played. This is reflected in churches as well. But a deeper dilemma exists.

Wynton Marsalis says of students and perhaps this is the problem that I have come across places, in some worship people - "The only thing they are really interested in, is you telling them how right they are and how good they are. ...We live in a country in a massive state of delusion where the idea of what you are is more important than you actually being that. ... We're not willing to work to the degree to live up to that."

Marsalis is, I believe right. That makes me so sad that Christian culture is no different from the rest of culture! I have found this problem in some of those leading worship. Erykah Badu in the documentary, notes there are 3 types of artists, those who write from experience and the pain - the blood of it, those who imitate, and those who simply follow instructions. I really wished there were more in front of congregations, who were the first who know the reality and less of the imitators and NO-one following instructions. Mike Pilavach's For the Audience of One, prepared me for this critique. I learned in reading why Matt Redman's songs seem so authentic to me. Get a copy and read it!

Where are those who understand how music moves people? Those with the proficiency to create good music. Those who who are called to lead people in worship and see them change. Those not satisfied with second best.

'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.' Luke 4:8