What are the dangers of performance music in a church gathering? Is there any role for “performance”?
Performance music can focus our attention on the performers, or even on the music, rather than God.
Performance music can wrongly encourage a culture of passivity and entertainment. In many cultures today, especially in the West, we are used to being entertained: we see professionals acting on TV and in movies, we hear professional musicians on our iPods, and we have learned to expect entertainment even at church. But Christian worship is not fundamentally about being entertained. It’s about actively, personally engaging with God. When Christians gather to worship God they should not be passive consumers but active participants.
For more great resources from Mark Dever and 9Marks Ministries, visit www.9marks.org