I really rejoiced to see your post on this subject. This has been much argued amoungst our servants and I found your words echoed my opinion on the matter. It always angered my to hear that music is evil of itself and it was even suggested to me once that those in africa who have been allowed to use drums and sway to the litergy were of lesser spiritual standing!

I wanted to make a couple of points. I found it very interesting how similar Egyptian Hymns are to modern Egyptian music! In our church they have taken to playing CDs over the loud speaker and many a time I find myself listening to a belly dancing tune! It seems strange then that they should object to modern ‘western’ music being used to praise God. It seems in the past culture has already had an influence on hymn tunes. Why is it different now?

Secondly, in response to the above post by “Billious-MicMek”. He/she claims that we are not Australian Orthodox but i beg to differ. I was born here. I am australian. Coptic means Egyptian and whilst I have an Egyptian heritage, I’m more Australian than Egyptian. Yet I believe in all the orthodox precepts and love all our Coptic hymns. I speak arabic poorly and am constantly disappointed when a visiting Priest or the Bishop insists on speaking arabic and I really have little idea what they are saying. Furthermore, my husband, my brother-in-law, several of my cousins spouses and some of my orthodox friends are subjected to poor attempts at translation to achieve any spiritual benefit as they have no egyptian heritage and don’t understand a word of arabic except maybe “yala”… I really wish to see our church recognised as a multi-cultural church because in my experience that is exactly what it is and what it should hope to be.

Anyhow, enough rattling on… God bless and please pray for me.

p.s. for those who organise plays in arabic.. perhaps subtitles??

“When the Hebrew St Mark the Apostle came to Alexandria, he did not impose Hebrew musical styles on the Egyptians”

But we are not Australian Orthodox. We are Coptic Orthodox.. So we already have our own culture and tradition. We are definately not exactly like the Coptic community in Egypt eg. we eat vegemite instead of fool every morning. But I havn’t seen many people opposing vegemite as much as they oppose western music.

“In fact, the kind of person who usually enjoys Coptic music the most is the musical personality type.”

I personally think deacons are the ones that enjoy coptic music the most as they truly go deep in the spiritual meaning of it. Some can explain to you a spiritual meaning for every “hazza” of the hymn.

I personally think the we in the Western world as Coptic Orthodox are in a recession of spiritual english hymns. There is very little english spiritual music out there so we are searching for more resources from other churches. And the evidence for this is that in Egypt there is no spiritual hymns on the music of the traditional arabic music. So why should we move to western music?

I don’t know how the band selects their song. And I am not sure whether these songs are the same contemporary songs I hear on the “WOW Worship series”.

So, again, my criticism of contemporary music and the relevance of that to what is happening (which has already happened in my church- and I have very very mixed feelings!) might be very little.

I must confess Abouna, that I was into contemporary Christian worship songs. I liked Third Day, I was given some Hillsong CDs and other things. When the band started singing some of these songs, I sort of knew what they were choosing from. I am not in any way a Theologian, but I believe strongly that some of their choices were either poor or inappropriate. The head singers are involved in Hillsong, and to criticise their choice is to criticise the church they are most devoted to. I hope this does not happen in your church.

I have no problem with using different musical styles and rhythms, but what I think is the problem that will be faced, is that contemporary ‘worship’ and music that is sold today, is the product of consumer marketing, rather than soul-searching and God pleasing. The multi-million dollar industry is run by opportunists of the psyche of Simon the Musician, rather than of David the Shepherd. I know that I should qualify that statement, and I hope to do so later, if you think this point is worth exploring.

If you espouse the music, you give greater exposure to young people like me, the stores such as Koorong and WORD. Great places, for sure. But driven by the unguided, heterodox consumers, they advertise foxes like Joyce Meyers and Benny Hill.

It is not just that we often do not have contemporary Christian music being sold in our Church, it is that anything that has the word “Christ” (not used in a phrase of profanity) is considered Christian, and would be mixed in the same album. Further, their theological validity are not tested. And moreover, I find that young people are either “very tolerant” or “naively accepting”.

The bottom line, I feel, of contemporary Christian worship is it is what can be sold to the public- not what is faithful to Christ and His Church. For many of these artists, this is their livelihood- not that is an evil thing! But, I think there is a huge compromise! It is not what glorifies God the most or what does the heart speak- but what would people like most that will be known and popular, and finally reach our parish.

I think what has been lost with contemporary worship is that it is not a flavoured ice-cream. Hymns are for God. They are not meant to touch us (directly, I think)- aren’t we suppose to be touched by God Himself? I really do think that many Christians, including myself (if I can be called one) have sold themselves short, with the quick fix of contemporary rhyme. But then again, I don’t think that the psalms of David really cure the vexed spirit of King Soul.

The relevance of the above, of course, is very little. It more or less warns of a danger, rather than gives any intelligible argument against the usage of Theologically correct and wholesome contemporary songs. As a Church, do we not pray “let us sing to Him a new hymn”.