Well, the problem with Frank is he likes the liturgy of the 6th century but not the morality. Case in point, Frank is liberal on the social issues but in the age of Justinian, Justinian not fundamentalists evangelicals made the remarked about God punishing Sodom and Gomorrah for their homosexual sin. Now, I don’t think that God punishes people all the time for homosexuality as the emperor Justinian thought but to go almost the opposite extreme is to take a very modern view of things that is divorced from ancient Orthodox teachings or culture. Case also in point,Justinian was far from a model Christian but in his day you called a spade is a spade not so in the modern world.

I know that the music category is “Christian,” but it is just entertainment. Sounds a bit cynical I guess, even stodgy, but for me it is just another category. I don’t see it as Christian in any meaningful sense.

Thanks for the congrats, Andrew. I do appreciate your loving comment. I do my best to be a contributing voice, but also realize I need to sit at the feet of many others before I can do so from a position of authority and priesthood.

I have been warned by a very wise priest who speaks with me often that I will have to fight the status quo of Orthodoxy. I take much encouragement from Father John Peck’s article about the future of Orthodoxy in America.

I do appreciate that sound advice. This Tuesday I am taking an exam for my insurance license and hope to build a career out of this if I can. I realize I have to be bi-vocational and find ways to support a family. This advice is well received and deeply appreciate. Thanks 🙂

Cynthia:

There is a time and place for everything, and the yahoo entertainment and carnival music (i.e. Christian rock) seen in many contemporary churches makes Christianity and its worship a farce. I was even a visitor to one non-denominational church, and the two aspiring female rappers at the altar were waxing philosophic on DA MAN UPSTAIRS, YO. C’mon! You would not see such spectacles in the Jewish and Muslim faiths and people seem to treat these faiths with a hush of awe and respect. American Christianity needs to reclaim its dignity and respect, and there is no better place to start than in the tradition of good ole American Protestant hymns. Using Jesus as a punchline in music whether intentionally or inadvertently to make money and Christianity “cool” is silly. There are two different Christian radio stations in my area playing two genres (respectful and disrespectful) of their music, and I can emphatically testify that one elicits a feeling of awe and reverence, while the other makes you feel corny and embarrassed. It sounds as if the Copts are understanding “a time and place for everything.” Music is a very powerful and effective media and when conveying the power of Jesus Christ should be done so wisely and respectfully. Hey. Wouldn’t it be great to have a show called “COPTS” as a reality show alternative to the show “COPS?” You would see Coptic Orthodox monks and priests busting up parties and Bible studies playing Christian rock, heavy metal, and rap music. Yes, I was actually in a Christian bookstore and it was selling a c.d. entitled, “Heavy Metal Praise.”

I think the Copts are smart, they observing a traditional liturgical service but allowed young people to do contemporary music at a bible study. There is a group in Greece that uses modern music about God but was almost ban in Greece. The group wants to observed the proper liturgical service at church but wants to sing outside of church contemporary music. A smart moved would be to copy the Copts which observes traditional liturgy but allows for modern expression at a bible study. .
REPLY

Nice to hear from you, Father J. I am addressing solely the pop culture appeal of Christian rock music from the entertainment angle. It’s catchy, loud, has a good beat, and serves the short attention span of this fast food generation. Contrast that with the reverential lengthy Orthodox melodies, especially the Greek liturgical atonal/monotone chanting, and I think more would be inclined to embrace the former. As far as Christian music falling on its own face because of its supposed shallowness, I don’t know if I necessarily agree with it. CCMI (Contemporary Christian Music Industry) is huge, making mega bucks on cheesy lyrics and subpar music. In fact, in 2000 Christian artist, Michael Card, had issued 104 Theses Against the CCMI (akin to Martin Luther’s 95) for supposed abuses and misrepresentations of the Christian music genre. My point of all this is that Christian rock music and worship music is very American pop culturesque and appealing, and to me, cheapens the reverence and respect for Jesus Christ. How can you go from Handel’s “Messiah” to “Jesus Freak” by DC Talk? I had seen a book some time ago by Dan Lucarini entitled, “Why I Left the Contemporary Christian Music Movement,” or something like that, but I have the author correct. Christian rock and worship music has appeal like the Big Mac. It’s cheap, quick, and easy.

Alexis, the critique is sound but don’t you think entertainment as worship denominations will fall of its own weight? What I mean here is that I don’t think it is even a concern. The people who see the shallowness and have abandoned (or never embraced) it are.

The unfortunate thing is that the vast majority of the Church’s leadership both clergy and lay will do whatever it can to maintain the status quo at the expense of young men like John. Ask any number of clergy who have expressed their creative thoughts on a variety of matters.

My advice to John is simple. Honor and nurture your deeply held beliefs as they are a gift from God but never put yourself in a position where any Orthodox hierarch can control your life or your ability to raise and support a family. Develop a nice portable side career that can support a priestly ministry. Only when you are 100% sure you have achieved this should you then seek the priesthood.