Performance and Church

I recently went to a Christian concert with some friends and it started a discussion on whether music could be over performed (especially in church).  This is an issue I have wrestled with for years, and I am going to try today to explain my thoughts.

First, let me explain what I am referring to.  I am talking about artists intentionally adding elements that go beyond playing the music itself in order to entertain, increase interest, or heighten the message. 

What are some examples? Bodily movements such as bobbing the head, dancing, facial expressions, and so on.  One common thing you have probably seen is concert pianists apparently exaggerating head movements when playing.

In the case of the concert we went to, the musicians (string players) sometimes moved close to each other and danced around a bit (especially on some Celtic-type music).

Conservatives tend to be uncomfortable with this sort of thing because they are wary of performance in church. 

Is this concern warranted?  Undoubtedly yes for one reason: performance can be abused.  The whole point of much secular music is trying to draw attention to the performer through ridiculous circus-type theater.  Even if the silliness is innocent (it often isn’t), that kind of thing does not belong in a church where the focus should not be on the performer.  We do not need Christian Liberace piano players.

But conservatives can way overreact on this issue.  Bodily movements during music are Biblical.  So is dancing.  So is excitement.  These things are within a Biblical framework as acceptable and even encouraged so long as they do not go against other Biblical guidelines.  So, we need to be careful not to condemn artists too quickly just because they are outside our comfort zone.

At the very least, we can give them the benefit of the doubt that they are engaging in genuine praise to God. 

But what if all the performance is planned?  Let’s say that the artist is just performing practiced activities (choreography) and possibly not even thinking about God at all.  Is that a problem?

Again, I think you have to be careful.  There is not one of us that does not put on a performance every day.  In some cases we are hypocrites.  But in other cases, we are doing things that we might not feel like doing because we know we need to do them.  See the difference?

That is true for musicians too.  There are times when I do not feel like playing music and I am not on a spiritual mountain.  But I still am going to do everything I can to communicate godly messages in a concert.  That is what I am supposed to do.

That is why many Christian musicians are not spontaneous in their concerts–they want to best communicate their message.  Sometimes those movements are rehearsed.  Sometimes what they say is rehearsed.  Very often, the same things are said and done night after night.  But we need to give them a break.  After all, we don’t complain about the preacher rehearsing his messages.

Here is what I am saying.  Worship does not have to be spontaneous.  And if it is rehearsed, that does not mean it is not genuine even though it has in some ways become more of a performance.

In the case of this particular concert, I have seen those musicians enough to know that much of what they did was rehearsed rather than spontaneous.  But it was not outside Biblical guidelines and there was an ongoing effort to focus the attention on God.  I had no problem with it. 

But I will say this.  I really admire musicians who can communicate without the trappings.  In fact, my favorite song by far at that concert was a simple rendition of “Were You There” where the lead singer just stood there and sang. 

That opens a can of worms however about what works at a concert and what doesn’t.  I will talk about that some other time.