The Evangelical Lutheran Church Must Be Constantly Vigilant as It Sings the Christian Song

Abstract

In recent decades, Christian churches, including Lutheran churches, have significantly increased their interest in and utilization of contemporary Christian music. WELS congregations have been limited in their ability to produce songs considered contemporary, and therefore have made use of popular Christian radio songs and even pulled songs from other Evangelical churches, which are often categorized as Christian Contemporary music. The purpose of this paper is to review, compare, and evaluate the traditional Lutheran understanding of music with concepts that flow out of mainline American Protestantism, especially from Arminianism, Revivalism, and Evangelicalism. From a study of the theological background of this kind of music this paper will examine concepts that will differ from the Lutheran approach. A fuller understanding of the study and background of Christian Contemporary music from a Lutheran theological background will help to establish a norm for evaluating Christian Contemporary music. Establishing such a comparison will help pastors evaluate resources as they establish biblical criteria for utilizing music from popular contemporary sources.