Former/Current Pentecostal Musicians
I have been a musician since I was 10 years old on the trumpet. I then picked up the French horn, the bass guitar, the drums, and the electric guitar, with piano chording thrown in for good measure. Much of my musical career has been in Pentecostal churches, although I now play for my local Lutheran church about once per month. I think that being a musician kept me in Pentecostalism for longer than I would have otherwise. It gives one a place to vent our musical talents on a regular basis – three times per week full of jam sessions and pretty good playing in most places. You get a sense of accomplishment and you get a certain amount of insulation from the rules and regulations that others are more closely scrutinized with. Perversely, the emotional ups and downs of Pentecostalism produce extreme stress, and Pentecostal musicians have an outlet to vent all of these frustrations. Thus, there are powerful incentives for musicians within Pentecostalism. If certain musicians have sufficient reputation, they can have more power than the pastor in some cases. For a pastor to have good musicians is a big draw for churches, and this means more people which means more money. Thus, musicians who know this can bargain for better treatment with the threat of leaving or something similar.
So, those of you who are lurkers and musicians, you must ask yourself: is this right? Why do I sacrifice my moral integrity for the chance to play or sing? Do I really believe this garbage or am I just putting on a show to allow preachers to manipulate people? Ask yourself if you are doing the right thing in serving such a corrupt system that manipulates people are you are the main instrument used for the manipulation.
When will you face the Truth that you are doing things that are really not right? When will you stop serving the wickedness of preachers? They cannot live without you, so why are you supporting the corrupt system?
Think hard about that.
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Sometimes I also wonder about the emotional releases and explosions during Pentecostal services. Perhaps all these rules and regulations in some places, and obeying the pastor in other places like shepherding causes people to have bottled up emotional problems where they can vent during these services of intense emotions. So perhaps the emotional intensity of the particular service is a “gas gauge” as it were as to the magnitude of the emotional problems of the congregation.
Think about it. If you are a Pentecostal and you think you are “saved,” why would you spend an enormous amount of time kneeling at the “altar” weeping and shedding buckets of tears? If you are saved once, why all the extra weeping and emotional displays? I know that there is this thing among Oneness Pentecostals that one sin can make you lose your salvation so maybe that is the reason. But also all this emotional abuse and restrictions have a vent during high emotive services. So perhaps in a Darwinian fashion, the system has developed its own way to cope with emotional abuse with all these intense services, which are usually driven by the musicians.
There is also this phenomenon among Pentecostals with musical addictions. I know several people on these boards over the years have mentioned that they had particular songs or bands that they had to listen to to get through the day. I think that I had a similar problem within Pentecostalism as I can recall. I always had to be around music to probably soothe the guilt and shame of being Pentecostal. Maybe I listened to that stuff constantly like an alcoholic drinks too often: it was a way to cover up things that really needed to be looked at and taken care of. The novelist Ayn Rand once mentioned that the root of all evil is evasion. Evasion is when one refuses to look at things in front of their eyes, and they refuse to face the facts of reality. Perhaps music in Pentecostalism swept us up into an induced emotional fog for the very purpose of evasion. We were getting drunk on music to forget the problems and the pain.
What do you think?
JP Istre
7 comments:
I think this is true. I've directed over thirty plays and written several and I know that the emotional manipulation of an audience works SO much better with music...and simple music that they already know.. If I want to re-inforce an idea, I will use music.
Again, you have hit the nail on the head. thank you.
Since you are part of the Lutheran Church I assume that you have heard about Ablaze. (Unless you are part of a different synod) The idea comes from the Natural Church Development headed by Christian Schwarz who is himself a modalist.
He claims he believes in the Trinity, but in his book "The 3 Colors of Ministry" he writes " In this book, the process of discovering and implementing one's gifts is linked to the three DIMENSIONS OF GOD'S NATURE.(7) He does not use three persons of the Godhead. In his book "The Threefold Experience of God" it is worse. "In my opinion, the widespread lack of understanding of the God who REVEALS HIMSELF IN A THREEFOLD WAY is the main reason for the shocking paralysis of vast sectors of Christianity." (4) (That is just the tip of the iceberg). This does not sound like the Biblical teaching of the Trinity teaching to me.
I am telling you about him because for too long this man and his ministry have flown under the radar and needs to be exposed. He has already influenced more than denomination under the name of church development If you go to his site (just google natural church development) you will not find a statement of belief. (Warning if you get migraines his site is a headache)
keep fighting for the Truth
Correction the book is called "The Three-fold Art of Experiencing God."
You said everyone was wasting their time on the alter wasting tears what if they were dealing with something financially or in their family that had nothing to with sin and maybe when they went to the alter they felt the spirit of god and they decided to turn their problems over to god everytime someone goes to the alter does'nt mean they've commited some kind of sin and you dont always need music to get on your knees and pour out your heart to god if you've been filled with the spirit theirs no telling when the holy spirit can take over Im an apostolic christian Ive gone to other church's and Ive never felt god like I did the first time I went to a pentocostal service it was'nt the music it was when I went to the alter and a minister laid hands on me and I was filled with the gift of the holy spirit the music is a form of worship and their are many forms of worship if you are only going to church for the music somethings wrong also in my church my pastor is one of the greatest pastors in the country he is truely a great man of god each time he preaches I pray to god that become half the man he is you see apostolics are extreme christians we try to take everything we do for god to a whole other level I go to the alter as much as possible because I want to be as close to Jesus as I can not to repent everytime but to be touched by the spirit Hallelujuah!!!!
you said they were just going to the alter for sin what if they were going for financial problems or family problems and they needed to feel the spirit of god and when the felt the spirit they decided to turn over their problems instead of holding on to them like a stone
Wow, glad I stumbled upon this. I am a Pentecostal. And last night at church, service was so amazing that even our musicians and every single singer was at the altar praying. God's spirit was so strong that you Couldn't focus on "what song to sing next". So our altar service was filled with nothing but praising God, no one playing music. My "talent" that God has blessed me with is singing.. It IS a way to say things you mean, when you can't find the words to say. And it touches others. When I use my voice, it's for Him, not for my glory. The Bible says "Sing into the Lord a new song".. And that's exactly what we strive to do!! God is so worthy to be praised, who gives you a right to yell like a "crazy person" for a famous person, or for a ball game, but yet we can't praise God in that way? He is the one who created us, and I believe we should praise Him in our own way.. Whether it is weeping at the altar, a simple raise of a hand, shouting around the building, clapping... Loud or quiet.. Etc. our form of worship is directed to Him, not others. Everyone has the privilege to come before Him with their worship to Him. I hope this shed a little light on why "Pentecostals" and whoever else may worship God in an "outgoing" way. When you are at church or even watching a TV broadcast at home of a service, try focusing on Him and not others. Give Him what He deserves and longs for from you, your love and praise being poured out from your heart.
And criticism of others worship never got anyone anywhere. I don't believe that God looks down on us and criticizes us for what we bring to Him... Unless you ARE putting on a show or in other "untrue" forms.. But I promise you, I am who I am.. Not putting on a show for Him!! And who are we, as humans to judge another's ways of praising God? I will be more outgoing at times and more quiet at times, but I'm not going to look at someone doing the opposite of me and assume they aren't "correct." I am just glad that when we do fail Him, He is there to lift us up when we are ready to be forgiven and come to Him with a humble heart. He is truly indescribable, and so glad He loves EACH of us. Maybe not our ways, but He loves our souls and wants to Spend eternity with us all. He is merciful beyond our comprehension.. Loving beyond measure. (I had to add this to my previous post above)
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