Music Controversy Strikes A Note Of Discord

There is a huge debate going on inside the black church community nationwide. The debate is not new, but it has gained considerable momentum in the past couple of years.

You could say a musical storm is brewing in the local black church. Ominous clouds of change have gathered on the horizon. The debate is between traditional services and praise services: Is there still room for both, or will one dominate?

The debate can be heard at family reunion picnics, in barber shops and family living rooms when two or more generations are present. Sometimes, feelings are hurt. Old habits don't change easily. The devotional service is somewhat of a sacred cow. It can't be altered significantly without offending someone.

The devotional service has been around for more than 100 years, whereas the praise service is contemporary and has developed during the past couple of decades. Both are preludes to worship.

The devotional service is rooted in a culture and time when many congregants were not able to read and a deacon led the devotional service by lining a hymn. The deacon reads a stanza of a hymn; the congregation sings along, and then they move to the next stanza. On the last stanza, the congregants are asked to stand while the hymn finishes.

The deacons kneel down to offer prayer. I remember the deacons saying, "Lord, I want to thank you for waking me up in my right mind. I want thank you for the blood still running warm in my body this morning." These prayers could easily exceed three minutes. At St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Dade City, that is how we practice our devotion service. I did not care for it when I was younger, but it works for me now.

The praise service is a more charismatic prelude. It generates considerable hand-waving, clapping, head rotation, talking in tongues. In the mega-churches, the praise service features a well-orchestrated choir. The emotions can't escape the appeal of the music. Much of the music is contemporary gospel.

Another difference in the praise service is that women are far more visible in the service leadership - roles traditionally reserved for men.

Rev. Donald Smith of Greater Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in Lacoochee says women are better singers than men and more suited to the praise service's needs. Their ability to blend a lighter touch on the gospel reaches an audience that was hungry for options other than the traditional service. Women can be found offering prayers routinely during praise services, and not just on special programs. Smith says his church uses both devotional and praise music.

Smith credits the rise of the praise service to Bishop Paul Morton, who broke with the Baptist church in 1992. Morton's Web site doesn't explicitly mention the praise service in his definition of a full gospel church. However, the language he uses clearly indicates he wanted to do something different. The liberation of women in the ministry, prosperity and music are some of the things he is identified with, other than good preaching.

The concern about the traditional devotional service is not new. As a child, I recognized that the younger people and many women waited until the devotion was over before they entered the sanctuary. It still happens in churches that practice the devotional service.

Willie Thomas, St. Paul's pianist, sees a greater contemporary gospel influence on the praise service music that annoys the devotional service lovers. Popular praise songs such as "Lord We Praise Thee" require greater spiritual imagination and interpretation. They are modern and reflective of the times.

Elder Mitchell Davis Jr., a local Pentecostal preacher, says the praise songs can be up-tempo or slow.

"What matters is who does the songs," said the pastor of Dade City's Church of God in Christ.

His church doesn't have a praise service but has a worship service that allows people to testify to the glory of the Lord. It combines tambourines, drums, clapping and other forms celebration. He sounded a caution, though: If the music does not glorify the Lord, it doesn't belong in the service.

The praise versus devotion discussion came up during a vacation Bible school class at St. Paul a few weeks ago. The average age for the class was 50-plus, and they were not for the praise service. Those who prefer the devotional service frown upon the praise service in the way Democratic presidential candidate Walter Mondale did in regard to Gary Hart's plan for the economy back in the '80s. Mondale asked, "Where's the beef?"

Beef or no beef, more congregational churches are incorporating praise services into their worship. Greater Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Lacoochee is an example. Even though the devotional service is still practiced, the church has established a praise team to start its service. The beef is there; you just have to look a little closer to find it.

In colloquial speech, the praise service is here to stay.

There is and always has been a generation gap in the black church on certain issues, and there always will be. Each generation feels the succeeding generation should accept things the way they are without questions. It was never intended to be that way, though. Each generation is to make the world a better place. It's OK to be different. The church is no exception.

Personally, I like good singing anywhere I can find it. The traditional devotion service is my preference. There are many good devotion leaders, but hearing Deacon Joe D. Sampson at Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist in Twin Lakes singing "Try Jesus" gets my blood moving. But that's just me. What works for others doesn't have to work for me.

In order to appreciate our creative genius, we have to remain open to change. Music is in a constant state of change, and so are people's musical tastes. There is room for the devotional and the praise service. I only ask that we cherish the one and welcome the other.