Comments on: Should we not demonstrate musical excellence in church?

By: Joel

Joel — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 03:40:37 +0000

It seems to me that Bob is saying the same thing you are: it’s all about the heart of worship using music as a medium, not about achieving the best music as a priority over actually worshiping God.

I know that Bob has said that playing our instruments SKILLFULLY, as it says in Psalm 33, is something to keep in mind. But in the end, it’s all about playing skillfully for His glory, not for musical excellence’s sake.

I think that’s what Bob is trying to convey and if that’s the case, I agree with him.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 23:57:54 +0000

I would argue that if musicianship is getting in the way of worship than you aren’t operating out of excellence. Much in the same way a raging, finger tapping solo every 10 seconds is technically harder but musically worse. So Bob seems to say, beneficial restraint is “not achieving musical excellence”. I would say, beneficial restraint IS musical excellence. As the old saying goes, the notes you don’t play are as important as the notes you do play.

By: James

James — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 23:49:07 +0000

But at the same time I think there is a question of accessibility. As a worship leader I agree with Matt Redman in the idea that you are the Lead Worshipper. Some times as a musician striving for excellence the music and the worship time becomes inaccessible and to a point esoteric. There can become a point where the musicianship gets in the way leading worship I think. Really musicality is only part of the picture in leading worship and that you would rightly argue that it is that part of the picture that we are most letting slide. My guess is that Boob is warning against a pendulum shift to far that way and you are lamenting a pendulum shift too far towards mediocrity.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 23:31:50 +0000

BTW I meant Django

By: Kyle

Kyle — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 23:26:15 +0000

Certainly God uses mediocre musicians in powerful ways in worship, I pray that I could be one of them. I completely agree that the heart is what’s important in honoring God. That being said we have to look critically at how we are doing that, where we are failing to honor God in our lives, especially as leaders. As worship leaders our leadership in music is our physical expression of our hearts so if the 2 aren’t lining up there’s a problem. I offer here that our hearts should be to offer our best sacrifice of praise. That doesn’t mean that we’ll all play guitar like Jango or sing like Jeff Buckley, but it’s just that we are offering our best. But if our attitude is one of, my best is a distraction or not appropriate for the church, then I think we’ve missed the point and incorrectly applied a pure desire, not being a distraction, to our artistic expression of worship.

By: James

James — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 22:49:45 +0000

I think that we always go back to the heart. If we are putting musical excellence above the real goal of worship we are getting into a tenuous situation. At the same time mediocrity is not something to be striving for either. I would rather have mediocre musical talent with a heart after touching the heart of God then excellent musical ability that has excellence as the main goal. Of course this is not what you mean and I know that, because really we would much rather have musical excellence with a pure heart for touching God over either of the other two. I think what I am trying to say is I can see both the supposed point of the guy in the video and what you are trying to convey Kyle.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 21:25:16 +0000

Perhaps Bob wasn’t trying to express that. That’s why I attempted to confront the idea and not Bob himself. So Bob served more here as inspiration for a topic, and this viewpoint is one I know many in the church believe and Bob even gives some examples in this interview. So certainly I give Bob the benefit of the doubt, or even if he does disagree with me and I didn’t take him the wrong way that’s fine too. I’m sure we don’t line up on everything.

By: Joel

Joel — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 21:17:07 +0000

When I got to that part of the interview, I took it to mean that Bob wasn’t pursuing musical excellence as a goal: he won’t achieve the excellence that he has the potential to achieve because he won’t be striving for that excellence as a goal.

I interpreted his statement as saying music will not take priority over Christ. If he is going to be the best musician he is capable of being, that is going to take some sacrifice in other areas, and for Bob, I believe he meant that he would spend less time with Christ to achieve that.

I don’t mean this to sound rude at all but I think you took him the wrong way.