The Importance of Quality Christian Music
Music is a powerful force.
You know this is true! Think about how many radio jingles are stuck in your head. How many annoying children’s songs do you wish you’d never heard? Why are these tunes taking up permanent residence in your brain?
Words set to music have a way of staying with us because of their rhyme and rhythm. That’s why advertisers pay big bucks for a catchy jingle that you’ll never forget. Their slogans will be with you forever.
This is why it’s so important to choose our music carefully, and even more so, to choose our children’s exposure to music carefully. While we already must guard their minds from some pretty awful secular music, it’s also important to choose wisely when it comes to Christian music. Good doctrine and bad doctrine can become a part of us, depending on the songs we hear and sing.
Why hymns?
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16). Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs can help us capture the power of music and use it to disciple our children at home.
Notice that before the admonition to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, Paul says to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…” This is key. Knowing God’s word is not an option. Worshiping through song is not an option. Both go hand in hand.
1. Theology
Our doctrinal beliefs are not only expressed by the songs we sing, but they are shaped by the songs we sing. If you’re singing truth, you’re memorizing truth that will serve you for a lifetime. But if you’re singing error—if you’re singing mere sentimentality or general theistic truth that could be said of any god—it’s not building your soul. (Jeremy S. Begbie)
Oh, the errors that are being sung in thousands of churches today! Popular mega-churches are churning out most of the music that Christians sing together every Sunday morning. So many of them are shallow, man-centered, and unbiblical lyrics designed to create an “atmosphere” that heightens our feelings.
It was recently reported that the majority of popular worship music sung in American churches come from just four church groups. Why does this matter? The theology of these churches is bad. “Because of the [songs’] market success, these churches have changed the spiritual practices and sometimes even the theology of congregations from many traditions. The study did not look specifically at the lyrics of the most popular songs. Baker did say she’s looking at those lyrics for a different project and found a few trends. For example, she said, few of the most popular songs talk about the cross or salvation. ‘A lot of it is, what is God doing for me now? And what has God promised to do for me in the future?’ she said.”
Bingo.
If you’ll pay attention, you’ll find that so much of modern worship is man-centered. Worship is not about us. It’s about praising our Lord.
Friends, check your music against the scriptures. Know the scriptures well enough to spot bad theology in church music. And be bold enough to take a stand for solid, theologically sound music. (For a rabbit hole of resources on why the music coming out of these churches is unsound, check out this post by Michele Lesley, hear from ex-Bethel worship leader Jesse Westwood, and listen to this podcast between Holly Pivec and Dave Jenkins on The Dangers of Bethel and the NAR movement.) It is absolutely true that theologically bad music reflects the bad theology of a church.
John MacArthur said, “The corruption of a culture is on display in its music.” This is equally true of the “Christian culture.”
Since songs have such a permanent effect on our minds, it’s important that we choose songs that fill our minds with the truth. If this is true for us, it’s doubly true for children. The world is filled with little ditties for children that mean nothing. Now don’t get me wrong: I’m not against fun music. But alongside the silly songs, we can fill our children’s minds with quality music that commits biblical truths to memory.
Hymns do exactly this.
I know this is true from my own childhood experience. When my parents were saved, our first church was a tiny Baptist church in rural Texas. We faithfully sang from the hymnbook at every service, three times a week. Oh, to go back to those days before projectors and screens!
Those sweet days were over 40 years ago, but the hymns are still with me. Even though we attended a few different churches over time that sang various blends of hymns and worship songs, I am eternally grateful for the solid lyrics that I have committed to memory.
This little snippet is one of my favorites:
Oh, what grief we often forfeit!
Oh, what needless pain we bear.
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.
In our modern American churches, too many have strayed completely away from hymns. It’s a great part of the historical church that is missing from corporate worship, and it’s to our detriment.
2. Worship
We were created to worship God. All throughout scripture we see admonitions to praise God with our words and with song.
1 Chronicles 16:23-31 says, Sing to the LORD, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his dwelling place. Ascribe to the LORD, all you families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him. Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness. Tremble before him, all the earth! The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, The LORD reigns!
Jeremiah 20:13 tells us to Sing to the LORD! Give praise to the LORD! He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked.
In Psalm 99:1-3, we are reminded, The LORD reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake. Great is the LORD in Zion; he is exalted over all the nations. Let them praise your great and awesome name— he is holy.
And the author of Hebrews reminds us to worship God acceptably with reverence and awe (Hebrews 12:28).
To know God is to love God. To understand His attributes is to be in awe. When we read God’s word and daily remind ourselves (and our children) of His goodness to us, it is not a chore to worship. It is something we cannot contain!
How do you start?
I hope you are fortunate enough to attend a church that sings hymns regularly. But even if you aren’t, you can make them a regular part of your life at home.
Use hymnals. Get your hands on several. You can find them used for free or very cheap, or you can purchase new ones. Make them familiar to your children. Show them how to sing from hymnals.
Listen to them. Hymns can be a natural part of every day in your home, thanks to technology. Whatever streaming service you use will have hundreds of hymns available in every style. I love to start our morning with hymns playing during breakfast, chores, and the beginning schoolwork. They don’t have to be loud; just let them be the soundtrack to your morning.
Copy them. Let your children practice their print and cursive with the lyrics of great hymns. This aids in memorization (and handwriting!).
And if you’re still not convinced, read Theology That Sticks: The Lifechanging Power of Exceptional Hymns by Chris Anderson. It’s encouraging, though-provoking, uplifting, and extremely practical.
For more ways to get quality hymns into your children, check out the helpful resources on my website for using hymns at home (and in your homeschool). Some are free, printable downloads and some are curricula you can purchase.
Remember: Let the word of Christ dwell in you (and your children) richly.