Evaluating Contemporary Christian Songs

I've been involved in leading and playing Christian worship music more than thirty years, and have witnessed how worship music has changed and developed over the years. And the changes have been fantastic. No doubt, I've changed and developed along with it, musically and spiritually.

We are in a wonderful era when it comes to contemporary praise and worship music. Because of the internet, there is now more availability, more access, and more exposure to Christian music than ever before. And because of technology, the development of mp3 players, phones, computers, and music software has made tons of music available at the touch of our fingertips. There are so many great bands and song writers today.

The style of worship music has changed radically over recent years. Even the chord progressions have changed. So many churches, including the one where I lead music, have decided to keep pace with the current Christian music culture. Musically, this keeps a church relevant and fresh. After all, if your church isn't playing at least some of the songs that your members are purchasing and listening to during the week, isn't there a disconnect? 

I like to classify Christian songs into 3 categories, based on Colossians 3:16, which separates songs into 3 categories, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."

Since the book of Colossians was written about 2000 years ago, there's no way to know exactly what the author was referring to  regarding "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs" and what they sounded like. However, in today's world, contemporary Christian songs can certainly be classified as well.

There are three categories of contemporary Christian songs: 

1)Spiritual Songs,  2) Praise Songs, 3) Worship Songs

Spiritual songs are songs whose lyrics are mainly about Christians.

Praise songs are songs whose lyrics are mainly about God, but not addressed directly to Him.

Worship songs are songs whose lyrics are addressed directly to God. 

Worship songs, if they are sung with sincere hearts, are what I call "melodic prayers", and are the most intimate. 

Here are examples of all three categories, using Chris Tomlin songs as examples. 

1. A Spiritual song: "Whom Shall I Fear" - (a song mainly about me or we, and uses "I" and "me" and "we" a lot)

2. A Praise song: "This Is Our God" -  ( a song mainly boasting about God, but not addressed directly to God, but addressed to each other, uses "He" and "God" a lot)

3. A Worship song: "Gratitude" -  (a song addressed directly to God, uses "You" and "Your" a lot)

Sometimes a song can contain a combination of these three types. But generally, a song can easily be classified into one of the categories.

Each of these 3 categories can be used strategically in developing the flow of a worship service. For example, a spiritual song can be one to start the service. Praise songs can then be used to deliver energy and conviction. Worship songs can be used in intimate settings, such as Communion or Prayer times. Spiritual or Praise songs make great endings to a service.

When listening to Christian music, it would be a good exercise to recognize what type of song you are hearing. When doing so, it can make the song more meaningful, and help you better relate to the lyrics.