It’s hot. The smell of sweat and sawdust is thick in the revival tent. Another stanza of, “Just as I Am” begins and there’s no sign of stopping. Some folks are crying, singing, and kneeling. Others are walking down that “Sawdust Trail” of a center aisle to shake the preacher’s hand. What was making them move? Was it the sermon, the song, the smell, or the Spirit?
Or was it the music?
The spirit of revivalism is alive and well in many of our church services today. One article in our Journal lists six marks of revivalism. I want to consider how four of those marks are intensified by the way we use music in our gatherings. In particular, I’m concerned we’re using the “worship set” to stir up tears and feelings instead of “love and good works” (Heb 10:24).
1: WEAK ECCLESIOLOGY
Without a right understanding of why we gather and what we should do when we gather, we can be taken by the siren song of revivalism. If God really doesn’t care what we do when we gather and it’s up to us to design a “worship experience,” then everything is on the table. We will use whatever
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