Modern music trends have been pointed downhill for many decades. Rock, rap, ect. have been born out of a spirit of rebellion. Unfortunately, this wordiness has crept into the churches via “Christian” rock and Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). (CCM, while not as bad as Christian rock, tends to have fluffy, anointed, unscriptural lyrics.) However, I have noticed another sad trend of CCM. CCM writers, lacking the anointing to write real spiritual music, “…songs and hymns and spiritual songs…” (Eph 5:19) are now ripping off the great hymns of the faith. CCM, being unable to produce anointed music, has now turned to defiling anointed music. Hymns are being modernized, and given contemporary elements, such as drumbeats, as evident in some cheap hymn collections that I possess. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. CCM is now taking hymns and gutting them, adding modern choruses, replacing the melody, and changing the words.
If this sounds absurd, here are a few examples. A couple years ago, I came across “My Savior My God” by Aaron Shust, a CCM song that I actually liked. The lyrics carried an anointing, and the music was (marginally) acceptable. I decided to get the CD with the piece, thinking that the rest of the artist’s music would possess the same anointing. To my shock and surprise, it did not. The rest of the music on the CD paled in comparison to “My Savior My God,” the song that I had wanted. Then, I discovered that the lyrics for “My Savior My God” had been taken from a hymn entitled “I Am Not Skilled to Understand.” Compare the lyrics below:
|
I Am Not Skilled to Understand I am not skilled to understand I take Him at His word indeed; That He should leave His place on high And oh, that He fulfilled may see Yea, living, dying, let me bring |
My Savior My God I am not skilled to understand I take Him at His word and deed That He would leave His place on high Chorus (2x’s) My Savior loves, My Savior lives Yes, living, dying, let me bring That He would leave His place on high Chorus (2x’s) Chorus: (2x’s) My Savior loves, My Savior lives |
Shust even admitted plagiarizing the hymn and replacing it’s original melody:
I was reading my “One Year Book of Hymns” and stumbled across a hymn entitled “I Am Not Skilled to Understand” whose words blew me away. I didn’t bother searching for the melody; its obscurity indicated antiquity. So I started from scratch…
– CD Insert, Aaron Shust, Anything Worth Saying
While Shust’s music isn’t as bad as some that I’ve heard, it shows that CCM artists are modernizing hymns as they are having trouble producing anointed music of their own. This is seen in Shust’s music by comparing “My Savior My God” with the rest of the music on this album.
“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” is a majestic old hymn. CCM artist Chris Tomlin has taken this hymn and tacked on an upbeat, contemporary chorus, while leaving the original lyrics intact. However, he did modernize the melody with an added drumbeat. He released it as “The Wonderful Cross.” When I heard this piece in person, there was a glaring difference between the traditional hymn and the added chorus. The chorus is faster, it lacks the majesty of the hymn, and just does not fit in. You can hear the alterations here. User discretion advised. Here the original here.
| When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
When I survey the wondrous cross Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, See from His head, His hands, His feet, His dying crimson, like a robe, Were the whole realm of nature mine, |
The Wonderful Cross
When I survey the wondrous cross See from his head, his hands, his feet Chorus: O the wonderful cross, O the wonderful cross Were the whole realm of nature mine |
Amazing Grace has been described as the anthem hymn of the Christian faith. However, CCM artist Todd Agnew has taken great liberty to alter this hymn to produce his hit, Grace Like Rain. This piece modernizes some of the words, and adds a chorus. However, the worst part is the melody. The original uplifting melody has been scrapped and replaced with one that is dull and melancholy. This modern counterfeit sounds horrible. In my opinion, Grace Like Rain is a horrible butchery of Amazing Grace. You have to hear this to believe it. Hear the counterfeit. Warning: user discretion advised. Hear the original Amazing Grace.
| Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, T’was Grace that taught my heart to fear. Through many dangers, toils and snares When we’ve been here ten thousand years |
Grace Like Rain
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound Chorus: ‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear Chorus When we’ve been there ten thousand years Chorus Chorus |
Contemporary Christian Music artists, having adopted worldly music styles, are having trouble producing music that is truly Spirit-filled. To make up for the lack of anointing, they have turned to the old hymns of the faith, stolen their lyrics, and replaced the traditional tunes with contemporary ones. “Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.” (Prov 22:28). The landmark hymns need to be restored, not removed. There is an ongoing movement to bring back the old hymns, and produce new ones. But turning hymns into CCM is not acceptable.
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