"A History of Contemporary Praise & Worship" (Lester Ruth and Lim Swee Hong)

TITLE: A History of Contemporary Praise & Worship: Understanding the Ideas That Reshaped the Protestant Church
AUTHOR: Lester Ruth and Lim Swee Hong
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2021, (368 pages).

What questions would pop up when we talk about worship? For many Churchgoers, it is about the music and the songs they sing during service. Others would then talk about hymns, spiritual songs, and contemporary praise and worship. When we talk about the latter, one of the most contentious issues would be the battle between traditional vs contemporary worship. Generally speaking, this is another way of pitting old-style hymns against new-style contemporary songs. It could be a generational divide. It could also be in terms of personal tastes or theological differences. Some might even start a debate about musical instruments such as the legitimate use of electric guitars, drums, and synthesizers, etc. complete with neon lights. Which leads us to a question less often asked: What is the history of the contemporary Praise&Worship songs? Now, that's a question! In their interactions with students, believers, and regular churchgoers, two professors of music and worship have come together to share with us the questions that have inspired their theological thoughts and reflections. Readers familiar with the wide range of contemporary P&W worship songs would be delighted to read about famous organizations, songwriters, and singers like Bethel Church, Jack Hayford, John Wimber, Hillsong Church, Sandi Patty, Sandy Yu of Stream of Praise Ministries, Maranatha Singers, Integrity Music, Elevation Church, Saddleback, and many more. Some of the questions they considered include:

• How is music used to inspire people toward experiencing God's presence?
• How dependent is worship on the use of good technology?
• What are the roles of music, worship service, and pastoral ministry?
• What is the background behind the contemporary music we have today?

Answering all of the above, especially the latter, the authors lead us through the history rivers: a) River of Praise & Worship; and b) River of Contemporary Praise & Worship. They do this by focusing on three areas:

1. Theologies
2. People
3. Worship practices

Theologically, they compare the desire for "presence" versus the liturgies of "purpose." "Presence" is essentially about experiencing and praising God with songs that promote the manifestation of God's presence with the people. Based on the theological conviction that God inhabits the praises of His People, worshipers believe that such Praise & Worship is a gift from God to be used to enjoy the manifestation of God's Spirit in the midst. The other river focuses on the purpose of connecting worship of God with the needs of the people. Thus, "Purpose," is like the seeker-sensitive style of attracting and maintaining the interest of worshipers in the Church. Spurred by the Church Growth Movement in the 80s, the desire for meeting needs, resulted in many churches creating separate services for contemporary music vs traditional hymns. On People, relatively speaking, the strategy of "Presence" pays more attention to enabling the worshipers gathered to experience God, while the one on "Purpose" tends to be focused on attracting people from outside. In practice, many churches would be doing or would claim to be doing a bit of both. Moreover, the Praise & Worship trend grows to become familiar rituals beyond the Church to include other gatherings such as conferences, fellowship groups, Bible studies, and camps. On Worship Practices, the Praise & Worship movement began in a Pentecostal environment way back in 1946, at a time when there was a strong desire for experience. From the Latter Rain in the 50s to the Charismatic Movement in the 80s, the popularity of the Praise & Worship styles continued on a global scale. This set the stage for the creation of the Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI), an organization that manages songs of praise used in churches that adopt the contemporary Praise & Worship styles. Soon many mainline denominations also came on board. Megachurches began to pick up steam and experienced phenomenal growth. 

The authors trace the growth of the P&W movement from the 40s to the present; from the early beginnings in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, to the global scale. They conclude by observing how the two rivers inform and inspire each other in what they refer to as a "confluence of the two rivers" into what we now call Contemporary Praise & Worship.

My Thoughts

Nothing occurs without context. The rise of Contemporary Christian Music happens out of a context of desiring deeper worship in God. That is indeed good news as it demonstrates how the Spirit has been leading the people of God. In tracing the history of the P&W movement, readers get a chance to glimpse at the way this has been done. As the famous Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard once said, "Life is understood backwards but it must be lived forwards." Thus, it is only when we look back can we better understand why things happened as they did. One of the key findings is the way the Pentecostal Church was used to spark the fire of P&W revival. This is because the Pentecostal movement had placed "praise" at the forefront of their liturgical services. I am aware of many other denominations, especially the conservative ones, that are suspicious of anything coming from a Pentecostal background. I think it is important not to throw away the baby with the bathwater. Granted, there are some excesses in some Pentecostal churches related to misguided attribution of the work of the Spirit. That should not mean we can be dogmatic about how the Spirit must or should move. For that matter, even the prosperity gospel churches do have powerful stories of the impact of the P&W styles they use in their congregations. Moreover, if one experiences more of God, who are we to stop that? Whatever it is, I think we ought to humbly learn the beauty (and power) of worship, albeit from a Pentecostal origin. 

In every generation, there is a search for more meaningful worship. What works in the 50s might not necessarily work in the 60s, and so on. Churches that catch the movement did not just copy the format lock, stock, and barrel. They adapted it according to their congregational make-up. This is a key aspect we can learn from. By learning from the historical roots of P&W, we can start our own adaptation. Having said that, change is difficult everywhere. People are often creatures of habit and changing anything pertaining to worship can be most difficult. Consider the context of the first murder in the world, where Cain and Abel were players who worshiped God differently. The latter gave his best while the former retains the best for himself. I think as long as we offer our best, God knows and God will bless accordingly. 

For those interested in the past, present, and future thrusts of the contemporary P&W scene, this book is a gem that is not to be missed.

Lester Ruth (PhD, University of Notre Dame) is research professor of Christian worship at Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina. He is a historian of Christian worship with a particular interest in the history of Contemporary Praise & Worship.

Lim Swee Hong (PhD, Drew University) is Deer Park Associate Professor of Sacred Music at Emmanuel College of Victoria University, University of Toronto, in Toronto, Ontario. He has taught in the United States, Canada, and in his native Singapore and often leads global seminars and conferences dealing with worship and sacred music.  

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book has been provided courtesy of Baker Academic and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.