Hive and Jive

We celebrated Independence Day with swimming and a barbecue. Very fun. Very hot weather.

In the evening, Melissa, my sister and I spent a couple of hours on YouTube listening to a playlist of 90s and 2000s rock hits, reminiscing about our high school and college years. When people were getting ready to leave we ended the night with U2's Beautiful Day. My dad happened to be in the room, which prompted me to say, "I think even Dad would like this one." Pops isn't known for his love of hard rock.

Some things come to mind as I think about this. First, I grew up with a pretty anti-rock music household. The church denomination I attended was in what was called the "holiness movement", which meant distancing one's lifestyle away from anything not tied to the church. No dancing, no gambling, no drinking, no playing cards, no movies, and definitely no rock and roll. They get this idea from a verse that talks about being "in the world, but not of the world."

I can take the charitable perspective and say these rules came from the early founders of the church who had to battle their own demons. They had self-control problems and wanted to put as much distance between themselves and their temptations. I can also take the cynical approach and say this is part of the playbook for high-control groups, who set up rules so they can maintain power over their followers. The weight of tradition could also play a part, where future generations follow what previous generations have done because it's tradition.There's probably truth in all of these.

As a teenager, I would have discussions with my dad over contemporary music. He felt it didn't belong in church (the exact phrase was "hive and jive"). I would tell him that the organ used to be a tavern instrument and, back in the day, would have been looked at similarly to an electric guitar. Ah, the rebellion of youth.

Now, I have a slightly different take on church music. Modernity won out and most large church services look like a Coldplay concert and a TED talk. There's a funny saying I came across online when discussing modern worship music: "You didn't make church better. You made rock and roll worse." It makes me chuckle.

There's a part of me that really likes modern church music. The swells, the drama, the rhythm. It's really nice to listen to, and really fun to play. But there's a downside. Egos get very inflated when we start showcasing the performing arts. It starts becoming all about admiring the beautiful and the talented. Placing them on pedestals. If the group isn't careful, the untalented get brushed to the side. I made a YouTube video describing this situation from an old song my dad shared with me, Trouble in the Amen Corner. Being on the outside of the cool kids club isn't fun.

I'm not sure what could or should be done. People have natural talents and abilities and it would be a shame to not display them. Maybe there's a way to honor everyone and, if it's not music, find some other way to showcase each individual. As I've mentioned in other entries, churches should be known for their sense of belonging and unconditional love. We all matter, regardless of how well you can rock out.