Blog about the Role of Music in Christianity

http://omeka.lib.fsu.edu/files/original/55cca3d670c3a47bdea70fca0bcaa9ac.pdf

PDF of blog about role of music in Christianity 

By: Catherine Cier, Spring 2016

Music has always been, and still is, a very dominant figure in today’s society. It has many different influences; however, one interesting one is that of the Christian religion. Christianity has used religion to bring together denominations, grow in faith, and worship God. Music is observed in many different denominational services and masses, all with the ultimate goal of worshiping God. Hymns are a very traditional approach and often include a simple organ accompaniment, or solo singer. Each denomination, while similar in the use of hymns, has their differences in the flexibility with which they praise. For example, Methodist’s are stricter than Catholics. Methodists are, in fact, one example of a denomination that uses very little accompaniment; however, they use hymns to preach to the community and often roam the streets in groups getting the word out. On the other hand, Catholics engage in full choir and band at most masses to get the full musical experience. Hymns may be used from the Gospel, just with more musical elements than traditional masses.

However, Catholic masses and other denominational services have seen a shift in the use of contemporary Christian worship music often found on the radio. It is more appealing to an audience as it sounds like a modern pop song but still preaches the Gospel messages. This has recently become more prominent as the concept of Satanic worship and its influence over modern popular music has arisen. There is more of a push for Christian artists to keep music faith based and help the community avoid the sinful music.

This blog aims to give more insight on these ideas and describe how the Christian faith has grown in both community and understanding through music.