By Dr. Fred Spann

Editor's note: Dr. Fred Spann served for many years in northern Brazil as a music missionary with the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. At our 2006 conference in Nashville, Tennessee, the Coro Sinfonico of the North Brazil Baptist Theological Seminary was one of our featured groups, and they presented an outstanding choral concert. The choir's director, Dr. Alcingstone Cunha, described Dr. Spann as "the American father of church music in Brazil," along with Bill Ichter, who also served as a music missionary in Brazil for many years. We thought it appropriate to publish this article by Dr. Spann as a tribute to their work in Brazil and in the United States for these many years, and in gratitude for inspiring an entire country to sing "a new song for the Lord." See other articles by Dr. Spann and by Bill Ichter in our 2004 and 2005 journals. - TWL

Let me ask you a Bible trivia question which is really not trivial at all: do you know what Psalms 33:3, 96:1, 98:1, 144:9, and 149:1 all have in common? It is sort of unusual but they all use the exact same words, "O sing to the Lord a new song."

In all Hebrew worship, songs were in constant use; evidently new musical expressions were encouraged as shown by the repetition of this phrase five times in five different psalms. This is, in reality, a basic principle for creative worship. With "new songs," worship avoids becoming mere ritual; worshipers steer clear of the horrible habit of boring, deadening duplication of worship acts. Singing "new songs" circumvents fixed worship services; using new songs evades the danger of worshipping in a weekly "rut."

Of course the critical word in this repeated phrase is "new." This expression might refer to an outburst of religious poetry inspired by some particular victory in the life of the author of the Psalm or a high point in the history of God's people, Israel. Momentous times in the lives of the people of God often lead His musicians to manifest an outburst of praise and thanksgiving. In the history of hymnody, seldom does revival come among God's faithful without some fresh outburst of praise. The Christian musician sees God working, he notes the signature of the Lord in what has happened in his life or in the life of others in his world, he notices the miracle of a transformation and is inspired by the Holy Spirit to write a new song.

We must be careful to insist on saying that a new song is always a good, or an appropriate, song. It can be and often is, but in music used in worship, "new" should never be equated with "novelty" as such. New songs can be very suitable, very apropos, very fitting and pertinent but novel music can also be shallow or superficial; only the true "test of time" with positive results in Christian growth serves to prove their lasting value. If the song text is based on the Bible, even though the music is new, its theme is old and everlasting. The truth is that the old songs that are genuine expressions become new to every man every time he discovers anew their truths for himself. We need singers that are made new, much more than we need new hymns.

The singer should realize with Jeremiah that "the Lord's loving kindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness" (Lam. 3:22-23). The hymn writer says it like this: "Morning by morning new mercies I see" (Thomas O. Chisholm). As we receive new mercies, new signs of the Lord working in us to sustain us, as He has in the past, so we desire to daily express praise to Him. So we must see to it that our songs of praise have this real "old-new" quality, and are not merely carried over from the ever-present contemporary music sound. In today's terminology some call this "crossover" music. Our hymns should not simply express a temporary need of the past, but all "new songs" should basically possess a universal quality immediately applicable to and through the person who sings. The hymnbook called Psalms is the basic source of inspiration and sets the standard for this universal praise.

Let us attempt to picture the man who wrote this "new song" to the Lord – Psalm 96. It is a "new song" not only because it recasts an old theme in new terms but especially because of its jubilant note, its colorful expressiveness and its wide horizon of thinking about God. It was written as "a call to worship," according to the heading in some Biblical translations. It was used for celebration in the temple during one of the Jewish festivals. The makeup of the congregation at that time, like in most of our churches today, was very mixed. Young and old were there with their differing interests and concerns. Men who have been successful and others who seem to have been failures were there. Persons who are genuinely religious and take an interest in all that goes on in worship as well as those curious ones who simply "look on" in irreverence during the service were present. And there were some home folks who have never left Jerusalem, their home town; but on the other hand, there were some who have traversed the known world of that time having received the influence of many cultures on their lives. There was pretty much a good mixture of people at the assembly just as in our congregations.

Yet these differences do not go deep. There is in reality a unity of faith. No matter from whence each came they know themselves to be one in blood and faith. They obey the same Law of God; though they may speak many tongues, they are children of the same faith. There is a strong bond that ties them together. True Christian hymns truly unite our hearts in Christian love: "Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love" (John Fawcett).

But while they unite their voices in "calls to worship" and/or "hallelujahs," singing of the psalms, as well as of our hymns and songs, depends primarily on capable musicians. Much of the singing was done antiphonally, one line by one part of the choir, or one Levite musician leading; the next by another cantor or group. The musicians in the temple were assistants to the priests to plan and maintain order in worship, to lead orchestras with instruments of many varieties. These assemblies were true festivals; you might even say festivals of music. It was a joyous, vigorous occasion and a "new song" must have been received with great delight on the part of all.

It is doubtful that all of us realize how much music influenced the faith of our "spiritual fathers" in the religion and life of Israel. Religious services were not sacred concerts; neither were they experiences wallowed in pure emotionalism. Without a doubt all the people sang; everyone participated; and that is very insightful. Remember that wise man who said, "Give me the making of the songs of a nation, and I care not who makes its laws?" And might we not properly add, "Let me write the music of the church, and I care not who makes the theology?" Laws and doctrine are very important, but they are ineffective unless they kindle the imagination. And singing, if it is well composed and properly done, greatly influences and enhances the imagination. Participants and listeners give value to the experience; God speaks winsomely to the soul. Has there ever been a revival of religion that has not expressed itself in a burst of song? And is there any greater need than this that inspired poets and musicians take the truths of the gospel and write them in beautiful "new" lines upon which the minds and the hearts of the people may contemplate? Secular music is important in society; it is a valuable cultural phenomenon. But we are dealing with something still more central to life when we talk about spiritual songs. "Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth" (Ps. 96:1). Eugene Peterson's Bible in contemporary language says it like this: "Sing God a brand-new song! Earth and everyone in it, sing! Sing to God – worship God!" (Ps. 96:1, The Message).

God gives inspiration and orientation to musicians who have the responsibility to sing and play in the temple. The leaders had to prepare the words and the tunes; they had to choose from the hymnbook - The Psalms - what selection was appropriate. Let us consider who might have written this hymn. We know something of the circumstances, the aspirations and moods of devotion of the lives of many of those who have written the hymns and songs we use today; they come from a great variety of people from widely differing backgrounds and walks of faith down through Christian history. However, the author of this Psalm is anonymous. We do not know whether the author was David, a Levite or group of Levites; we do not know whether they resided in Jerusalem or had lived in a strange land, revealing influence of another culture. But one thing we do know – the author was a man of real faith. He had a personal faith; he possessed a faith that made him glad to be obedient to the inspiration of God's spirit. His faith inspired the song; it was not the song that created the faith.

And the faith was not in himself, not primarily in his fellow man, but in God. Note that the hymn is in the objective mode: the personal pronoun "I" is not used. The author does not speak subjectively as many contemporary songs have a tendency to do; it is not "egocentric" at all, but is centered solely on God and His wonderful works. The words of Psalm 96 are positive exhortations and counsel, they are words of encouragement; in the old English, they are "bidding" words.

This hymn, as all good hymns should be, is chock-full of solid theology. The text is anything but flippant or frivolous, nor is it irreverent or imprudent or superficial or silly. We must constantly be on guard not to treat the truths of God's Word with blithe, mirthful or frolicsome tunes or choruses; this reveals disrespect and leaves the impression that emotional expression alone is synonymous with true worship and praise.

Notice the points in the text: The God whom the author worships is a great God very different from the idols of the surrounding heathen (vv. 4 - 5). The Lord to be worshiped is the living God who created the heavens and all that is seen on the earth (vv. 11 - 12). The author has crafted a text which is picturesque with metaphors and similes lending beauty in symbolic language. It is strongly suggestive of faithfulness and seriousness in worship (vv. 7 – 8). The universal God is worshiped through the universal language, which is music. And this God of unimaginable splendor has shown His power not only in nature but also in human history. He is King, even where His rule is not recognized; characteristics of His dominion are righteousness and truth. All this sounds very familiar, but we must remember that in those far-off times, gods were generally thought of as capricious, even malicious, and worship was little more than an attempt to buy their good will. Sacrifices were sometimes turned into orgies, or designed to placate deities who possessed strong tempers; this idea had to affect the Israelites. It is significant to see how the prophets like Amos and others began to preach the righteousness of God; gradually these themes were turned into songs for their festivals of faith. It was the Hebrews' heeding of these truths that made them different from other nations. God proclaimed through the Psalms the basic fact that there is no pure religion without sound morality. And the people listened, participated, lived and matured through those "new songs."

Such is the picture that paints itself in the mind as we read Psalm 96. It reveals how when a person of faith kindles the fire within him, it begins to smolder and burn; then it seems to burst forth in a glow of inspiration and causes many others to be affect by that newly created ember: a new song. All people of faith catch the vision and differences are ironed out adding richness to whole experience. God speaks through the creativity of new songs . . . [in] all the earth" (Ps. 96:1).

As one uses "new songs" in worship there are several guiding principles which should be seriously considered:

(1) Do not fear change. History is replete with examples of how traditions have been revered to the point of ossification. Some people strive against change until they are comfortable, then they settle in and don't want to grow. For most, however, a negative experience has made them pull back and say "never again."

However, all Christians should welcome the opportunity to grow spiritually through fresh, stimulating musical expressions. It is interesting to note that God did not reveal a clear, accurate method of musical notation for the music of the Psalms; of course He could have done so. Perhaps the creator realized that each generation should be sensitive to His Spirit's leading and compose their own musical modes to express inspiration and carry the message of the text to those around them. Change avoids stagnation; change is essential for growth.

(2) Continually examine motivation. Some people worship the form (or type, or performer, or group, or style, etc.) of the music much more than the Lord they should be praising. One should be especially careful of considering songs as entertainment. For all practical purposes, the so-called "praise and worship" songs which seem to engender minimum audience participation by the over-use of small "praise" groups with multiple hand-held microphones, encourages the idea that one is attending a performance; habitual applause after songs of worship is also indicative of this problem.

(3) One should not judge the use of new music until he has had first-hand experience with it. Each of us should attempt to place ourselves in the same frame of reference as the author of the music in order to approximate a genuine feeling for and understanding of what the composer had in mind when he placed notes on the score. Serious composers transmit deep emotions; they - consciously or not - reveal their world view and intimate personal ideas about God's work in their lives. They then trust others to catch the inspiration and gleam they received and follow it faithfully through re-creating their musical composition.

(4) Remember that satisfaction should be in the spiritual experience the music engenders and not necessarily the "esthetic" musical experience in itself. Disciples can mature through well thought-out, artistically designed texts containing authentic Christian content expressed in beautiful musical sounds. It should also be noted that music is a superb first-contact medium which, when performed well and with proper motivation, rarely produces barriers for the non-Christian. Rather, he or she usually desires to hear the message again and again.

(5) New music has a legitimate function in Christian ministry. Well-composed contemporary music may speak at the level of the common, secular man in unique ways. However, one must be extremely careful that the message is not blurred by inept presentation, overpowering accompaniment, and/or unintelligible diction.

(6) It should be emphasized that success with new music depends almost entirely upon dynamic leadership. Complacent, uninformed and traditionally uninterested leaders are usually reticent to venture into unexplored paths of contemporary Christian expression. But meaningful musical repertoire expands the Christian's vision of what God can do through his or her life.

(7) In new music, one would be wise to adopt the principle of always being creative and not merely imitative. Contemporary music uses the musical language of modern man; that language is the communication medium. In each new generation God has a purpose to fulfill. In fact, each generation has three specific functions to perform: to conserve what is worthy, to criticize what is used and to create and adapt new works. These functions can only be carried out correctly by taking a balanced look back to the past, outward to the present, and forward to the future.

Most music practices and worship materials must emanate from the "new creations," that is, from the hearts of believers. Of course the simplistic solution of placing religious words on popular tunes does not function because of cultural influences. Remember, God has made man in His own image, with the capacity to create marvelous music from the ever-expanding world of sound. It is an affront to man's creative urge to imitate popular music rather than create "new songs," that is, to communicate the old message in new musical terms.

Not all "new music" is valid in making a lasting contribution to the worship experience. Some new choruses, some new songs and some new solos pass on rather rapidly from the scene, like inferior popular song styles. They might give a fleeting glimpse of something new in the life of some immature Christian; it may be that they express a momentary value that participants and listeners need.

On the other hand, some new music, as is strongly implied in Psalm 96, should and will become rather permanent – certainly this Psalm is a supreme example. My appeal is that we make room for many modes of Christian expression, including valid "old" songs as well as fresh, well crafted new songs, because we have received a new life. As "new creatures" our goal should be to reach the contemporary world through the new song of that new life!

"Sing to the Lord, a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth" (Ps. 96:1).

 

Dr. Fred Spann is retired from the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, and now resides in Arkansas.