A Meaningless Ditty?
Todd Rhoades, of Monday Morning Insight, recently reported on the day Chuck Colson "yelled in church."
Colson said:
When church music directors lead the congregation in singing some praise music, I often listen stoically with teeth clenched. But one Sunday morning, I cracked.
We had been led through endless repetitions of a meaningless ditty called, “Draw Me Close to You.”
The song has zero theological content and could be sung in a nightclub, for that matter.
When I thought it was finally and mercifully over, the music leader beamed at us and said in a cheerful voice, “Let’s sing that again, shall we?” “No!” I shouted loudly. Heads all around me spun while my wife cringed.
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Well, now Brother Chuck, you just need to chill out a bit, and enter into worship. They'll sing one of your songs eventually.
I'll grant you that some of the newer songs lack theological depth and are often repeated more times than necessary. (I heard Dr. Earle Wilson call them 7-11 songs. They have seven words and you sing them over again eleven times.)
However -- Draw Me Close is a song of of deep personal love and devotion to God. It was birthed in reverence. You can find the story behind the song HERE.
I wish all the people in my congregation had this longing: to desire God alone.
I would not call it a "meaningless ditty" -- any more than some older songs of a similar nature from the hymnal.
Whenever anybody enters worship with his teeth clenched, that should be a clue. It's time for an attitude check.
Perhaps, it's a call, as the song says to "lay it all down again. . ."
When I first read about Mr. Colson's tyrade in another post some weeks back, I actually got heated enough to write to him. I simply told him that while I have always appreciated what he had to say, this comment of his was arrogant and had nothing to do with building up the body of Christ.
ReplyDeleteI received a form letter back, thanking me for my correspondance...
oh well...