How should Christians think about “the worship wars”?

“I love the drums in church!” “I hate drums in church!” “I love the contemporary worship songs!” “I love the old hymns!” We call this the “worship wars” in churches—so much debate surrounds the music in our worship services. Why? When is criticism good and when is it not so good?

Calvary University’s Dr. Mike Dodds invited Dr. Ian Guthrie, Assistant Professor of Music at Calvary University, to explore this important subject of music and worship in our churches.

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RESOURCES MENTIONED BY DR. GUTHRIE:

Westermeyer, Paul. Te Deum: The Church and Music. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 1988.
Dawn, Mava J. Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down: A Theology of Worship for This Urgent Time. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1995.
MacArthur, John. Charismatic Chaos. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1993.