Comments on: Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs: Sojourn’s Worship Music Set List For Sunday Morning, June 29, 2008

By: Jamie Barnes

Jamie Barnes — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:57:34 +0000

Good question Donn - thanks for the inquiry. To answer briefly, we believe that playing worship music inside of what would be considered a “secular venue” is simply a part of our call as Christians to “go from village to village preaching the gospel” ( Luke 9:6). Just as Paul and Silas could sing from prison ( Acts 16 ) we have the freedom to preach ( and sing ) the gospel wherever we may find ourselves. Worship is not just something we do on Sundays inside a designated building - but is something that should permeate every nuance of the Christian life. ( Col 3:16-17)

As Bobby mentioned above…the day we were invited to play inside The Hard Rock Cafe was set aside by an organization called “Taking It to the Streets” which sets up local worship leaders and various venues across the city to play Christian music. That particular song as well as every song we played that day are a part of what we would normally sing inside our gathered Sunday services to glorify God, build up the body of believers and announce to the unbelieving world what we hold true of Jesus Christ. We feel we have Biblical authority and a responsibility to sing these songs outside of our gathered walls as well in order to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.

I hope this helps answer your question. Feel free to write back or to respond to me personally if you need anything else. God bless. -j jbarnes@sojournchurch.com

By: Mike Cosper

Mike Cosper — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:45:41 +0000

That’s an interesting and odd question Donn. The Sojourn band was invited to play (along with a number of other bands) at the Hard Rock for an event called “Takin It To The Streets”. So we played a lot of music that we sing at our services.

Are you suggesting that music that is performed in “secular” space is somehow made unclean for use in church worship? For example - I once heard Alison Krauss sing a number of Gospel songs on A PRarie Home Companion - performed in a secular space. Are those songs now tainted?

By: Bobby Gilles

Bobby Gilles — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:37:32 +0000

“Absent From Flesh” is a worship song — actually it is an old Isaac Watts hymn. It isn’t, for instance, a song that we heard at Hardrock Cafe and then decided to play during a worship service. It is a song that we sing at our worship service, that we took to Hardrock Cafe.

For the larger issue of what we believe regarding Christians playing music in what would be called “secular” venues, and the issue of “sacred v. secular” music, check out my audio interview with Worship Arts pastor Mike Cosper on the subject: http://www.sojournmusic.com/2008/07/01/why-do-some-of-our-worship-leaders-also-record-and-perform-secular-music-an-interview-with-sojourn-pastor-mike-cosper-on-the-sacred-v-secular-debate/

By: Donn LeVie

Donn LeVie — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:57:00 +0000

How do you biblically justify performing a piece of music for worship that was performed in the Hard Rock Cafe? Just curious as to what scriptural guidance you used to arrive at your decision for this piece.