Worship includes singing TO God, not to the pew-sitters

                  Book Review of

What is Worship Music,

By Paul S. Jones

I purchased this not realizing that it was not a full-length book.  It’s actually a pamphlet in a series called “Basics of the Faith”, by Paul S. Jones.  It’s a primer on the basics of worship music.  Without the end notes, this booklet is 38 pages, but they are packed with solid Biblical reasoning and references.

Jones establishes through Biblical references how worship music is essentially nothing more than prayer, or preaching/teaching put to music.  Whereas prayer is typically one person speaking praises to God, hymn music is a means for the people, as a whole, praying to God collectively as one.

As Jones says, “Any communication to God (verbal or nonverbal, spoken, sung, written, or thought) is prayer.”  This distinction is important, especially in light of today’s contemporary worship services where much of the “communication” that takes place in today’s churches is not directed toward God, but toward the pew-sitter, in the form of entertainment.

Jones goes on to say: “…the rise of music as entertainment within the church undoubtedly contributes to…” a false understanding of the purpose of worship music.  Jones argues that if we understood church music properly, we would understand that worship music is nothing more than praying to God.  This is why he then boldly asks, “How many spoken prayers end with applause…?  It’s a rhetorical question, because it’s clear that you could attend church all your life, and never hear applause for a prayer.

Yet in a plurality of churches in America today, it is uncommon to NOT hear clapping and applause for music performed in worship services.  That’s because the people incorrectly assess worship song and singing to be a lower-tiered religious exercise.  Jones clearly shows that worship in song is no different than prayer, or preaching, or teaching, because each of these activities is speaking to God what we have learned, or asking His favors, or glorifying who He is.

When we pray, or listen to a sermon, it is incumbent upon us to engage the words mentally, so that we properly immerse our hearts in the doctrine that is being presented.  The same is true of worship music, or attending a Sunday School class.  This is why Paul admonishes us: “I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.”

The bulk of today’s improper worship music arises from a singular focus of today’s churches on attracting new members.  As Jones puts it, “Another mistaken notion is that worship music’s purpose is to attract the unsaved, and then the teaching ministry will take care of the rest.”

I heartily recommend this little booklet, as an excellent primer on worship music.  Other books that go into greater depth are noted in the end notes, but I would additionally recommend Tim Fisher’s book,  The Battle for Christian Music.