The "worship wars" have seemed to settle down a bit, as I have not heard much static about contemporary music, lyrical shallowness, etc. So, since there seems to be relative peace on the matter, I thought I'd stir the pot! (just kidding).
Actually, as one who has led worship, been on "worship teams," and loves music, I thought that I would highlight three ministries that I think are "must haves" either for personal edification, or, in some cases, for use in the worship services of those that have a contemporary worship style.
Contemporary Christian music is sometimes lacking in real “depth” for lack of a better word. But, that problem is being addressed head-on by a number of really great ministries. What I offer below is a rather eclectic mix. No doubt there will be some that will love the list, and others who will find something critical to say about both the content and the form of the music (evidently, only those forms that were created by White European males in the 16-18th centuries really have the divine stamp of approval!):
1. Lampmode: http://www.lampmode.com/. This ministry produces Christian hip-hop music. Christian hip-hop, like other forms of contemporary Christian music, has sometimes suffered from lyrical weakness and repetitiveness. However, Lampmode is far different. The lyrics are saturated with the Gospel and a variety of theological concepts (as a matter of fact, they refer to it as “lyrical theology”). One of the founders of the ministry used to work with me when I worked in Philadelphia. His name is Shai Linne (his blog is here: http://lyricaltheology.blogspot.com/). Shai's stuff is amazing, and he is such a humble servant for the Lord. He has three cd’s out. I have the first 2: Solus Christus, and Atonement (http://www.merchline.com/lampmode/) . Well worth every penny if you decide to check it out.
2. Indelible Grace: http://www.igracemusic.com/. They have basically gone back to the rich classic hymns (particularly those found in the Trinity Hymnal: http://www.opc.org/hymnal.html), and have reworked them to contemporary music. All of the cd’s they offer are good, though some are better than others (Matthew Smith is a must though).
3. Sovereign Grace Ministries: This is their main site: http://sovereigngraceministries.org/
And this is the site that deals solely with their music: http://sovereigngracemusic.org/. They are writing new music that is lyrically substantive. Their stuff tends to be quite upbeat.
Anyway, for you music lovers out there, I thought you might find these very edifying for you personally. And, if you are leading worship, these might present some options for you that will really get the Gospel into almost every song.
By His Grace; For His Glory,
John
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You might find the following blogs of interest about C.J. Mahaney and the group he leads, Sovereign Grace Ministries:
http://www.sgmsurvivors.com
http://www.sgmrefuge.com
Hope this helps.
Thanks for the links Steve. Obviously, the links are to sites that are at odds with Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM)for various reasons.
I certainly respect those that evidently made a difficult decision to leave the various SGM churches that they did. Based on my general familiarity with SGM (writings, sermons, music, etc.) I must say that I was rather shocked by some of what I read. I have visited a couple of these churches in the past, and must confess that I never experienced anything like what is reported (though I do share some of the concerns noted concerning the "prophecy" that takes place).
Of course, I was never a member either. Also, I am only familiar with C.J. Mahaney based on his various writings and sermons. All that I have seen and heard has been edifying, and based on what I have heard and read, I have (and would) recommend his resources for the most part. Again though, I never sat under his pastoral leadership, so, I am at a disadvantage at that point in terms of first-hand knowledge.
Anyway, I say all of this to say that I do not support all of what SGM teaches, and if what is posted on the sites you linked is a balanced report, then obviously I would be quite concerned.
I do have some thoughts though on some of the negative comments I read. A few of the comments I read on these sites got basic facts about other people and church history wrong (the commments of one person in particular on Luther and Calvin was absolutely saturated with falsehood and misrepresentations).
Then another person commented about how they never heard themes such as God's wrath, holiness, sin, etc. mentioned in SGM. Personally, I am not sure how that is possible. It would seem that this person has never listened to anything Mahaney of even Harris has said, nor listened to even one song produced by SGM. To make such a comment in the face of the clear evidence seems irresponsible at best.
Don't get me wrong. I am deeply sympathetic to folks like you and the others you referred me to who come out of what they believe is a harmful church experience. I have been in a similar situation myself.
As an outsider looking in though, all I can do is read what one side (yours and the others) is saying, and then compare that with the limited knowledge that I have of SGM and their various leaders. I do not deny that there may have been or are problems. But, I hope you understand, there is a bit of chasm between what is stated in those blogs, and what is produced by SGM (ableit for the general public). Then, when those on the sites you linked make the spuroious commments that I noted above, it causes one to take pause and think that maybe there is another side the story. If one is willing to be careless and make false claims about certain things such as I pointed out above, then that causes me, who may be sympathetic, to start wondering if these folks are being completely accurate and forthcoming in their criticisms of SGM. I for one am willing to give you and the others the benefit of the doubt, particularly as it relates to certain members who were "dismembered" over their disagreement with the teaching of Gary Ezzon on parenting techniques. But, given what I know of SGM, albeit I confess is limited to what I mentioned above, and then given the mischaracterizations I noted above, it is tough to take it all at face value, and I would be interested in seeing the response from SGM concerning these matters. Maybe in the interest of full disclosure, you would be willing to provide links to any rebuttals to the criticisms. At the very least it would demonstrate what many of those are claiming SGM doesn't allow: freedom of expression, and allowing all sides of the issue to be heard. Just an idea.
Anyway, my post was about music, and the music that is produced by SGM, by such folks as Altrogge, Kauflin, etc., has been extremely edifying and saturated with the Gospel. So, while I would be quite concerned if what is posted on these sites is a full and accurate accounting of what is going on, neverthless it still seems fair to say that there is a whole lot of "baby" in the bath water. That doesn't excuse the problems. Rather, it emphasizes the fact that the church is always submitted to the Gospel, and the church itself is made up of fallible people. As such the church is always reforming, and in the case of SGM, they have certainly demonstrated an openess to that over the years.
In conclusion, thanks for you reply. Honestly, I was amazed that someone actually posted a reply, and then did so in matter of hours after I created the post. :-)
I am confident that you and the others will find healing in our Lord. And, maybe you and the others might seek to re-establish open lines of communication with SGM, with the hopes that SGM might come to a place where they seek to correct any inconsistencies they see. And for your part and the others, maybe it would be a time to reflect on the criticism, and ask how much of it is valid, and how much of it is not (I speak from personal experience on this one, and hind-sight being 20/20, there are many things I would have said and done differently in the situation I was in).
Thanks again brother.
In Christ,
John
John
I certainly see what you are saying here. From hearing what C.J.Mahaney says as well as others and much of what they produce in literature one who hasn't seen this first hand would have a hard time believing this. There certainly is quite a dichotomy.
I have personal knowledge of a few incidents and have seen their culture first hand. Thus I find quite believable a lot of what has been shared on these blogs.
Did you find the story of how Sovereign Grace Ministries Fairfax Church mistreated a couple whose 3 year old girl was molested by a 16 year old member of the same church? That is quite a sad story.
I am sure not all that is reported on the blogs is true and you indicate. The commenting is open so that anyone can post comments.
From what I have seen in person and read on the blogs, Sovereign Grace Ministries is a conformance type of group, similar to Japanese culture. As long as you don't question, then you will do fine. When you start to question, that is typically when issues occur to people such as described numerous times on the blogs I shared.
What is really sad is that SGM doesn't appear to be doing any soul searching not to mention trying to reconcile with the many they have hurt.
I am glad that these blogs have brought healing to a number of individuals who have been hurt by Sovereign Grace Ministries. For many just knowing that they aren't the only ones hurt has brought a lot of healing to them.
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