Needless to say, God is bigger than any box we may try to fit Him in and is capable of using anything to reveal His glory so just one caution… Remember the the last seven words of a dying church. “We’ve never done it that way before!”

With that said, in an outreach setting secular songs are sometimes the best way to illustrate the human condition. As special music, clearly separated from the act of worship in a church setting, secular music can set the scene. It can work as long as the motivation is God centered and the song illustrates the focus of the Word.

During worship, inside a church on a Sunday morning, Id have to agree that secular songs can trigger past memories and distract people away from the intimacy of what great worship can be. Tread lightly. In this setting, anything that tugs people away from the worship dynamic is never good. Secular music is just one example of this. Lack of skill, tuning problems, poor sound, cheer leading, lack of adequate rehearsal time can be equally injurious to a worship setting. I sometimes wish there would be as much outrage about these things as the use of secular music in church. But thats for another day.

I believe that “secular” can be interpreted in many ways, especially in reference to music. In some ways, I feel like God could view even a worship/Christian song as secular if it were sung with the wrong motives. In the same way, I believe that singing a “secular” song with good, pure lyrics can please and glorify Him. As far as boundaries and crossing the line, I think that songs like “Your Body is a Wonderland” is pretty clearly an “off-limits” song for the church. It’s slightly amusing and ridiculous to me to think about a congregation singing that song together in church, as if that exalts God in any way….? Weird.

However, there are some songs like “Everything” by Lifehouse that completely relate to a Christian’s relationship with Christ. I believe singing that or something similar with the right heart and the right attitude blesses God and can bring a congregation of believers and non-believers alike together in a setting of worship.

Anyways, I strongly believe that if a worship team in a mature congregation properly addresses the reason for playing a secular song, the congregation should be able to listen to it and find the value that the team intended. Of course, most churches are made up of a variety of people with differing maturities, so listening to a secular song would mostly be distracting.

Relating to Bob’s final paragraph, I knew not only the lyrics to these songs but also what people associated with them. I was embarrassed that these songs in all their words and underlying innuendos were playing.
The most convicting and constructive statement made by Bob is that every aspect of our services, not just the music, should be used to communicate truth. I believe all of us in the church, especially those involved in planning and carrying out, should keep this in mind.

No, don’t wanna be the only one you know
I wanna be the place you call home

I lay myself down
To make it so, but you don’t want to know
I give much more
Than I’d ever ask for

Will you see me in the end
Or is it just a waste of time
Trying to be your friend
Just shine, shine, shine
Shine a little light
Shine a light on my life
And warm me up again

Fool, I wonder if you know yourself at all
You know that it could be so simple

I lay myself down
To make it so, but you don’t want to know
You take much more
Than I’d ever ask for

Say a word or two to brighten my day
Do you think that you could see your way

To lay yourself down
And make it so, but you don’t want to know
You take much more
Than I’d ever ask for

….Tell me that wouldn’t be appropriate for a church service.

Comment by Tiffany — March 5, 2008 @ 10:23 pm

Tiffany, I teach youth Grade 6-9 and I use that same idea about once a month. Can you tell me names of songs you have used?