Present Tense Vs. Past Tense Songs?

[worshiptrench]

I was recently talking to my lil brother as we headed back from a Dave Crowder concert. We were talking about lyrics and some of the emergent content of songs such as Can You Feel It.

Can you feel it? Can you feel it?
The love in this place can you feel it?
Can you feel it? Can you feel it?
The grace in this place can you feel it?
Life makes it so hard sometimes to know what’s real
When I can’t feel You there
When I can’t feel You there
When I can’t comprehend that
You are there You are there
You’re everywhere

Soon we drifted onto a discussion of the content of songs that ask God to do something in the present tense that He has already done in the past. My lil bro pointed out that he changed a song with the lyrics in His church from “rain down peace” as a request of God in the present tense to “You’ve rained down peace” since Christ has already done that. We had an interesting discussion. I have been reading through the Psalms a great deal lately. It is interesting that David is so open in his worship. Tannen calls it “ritual lament” but Phillip Yancey calls it “b#%ching” -even stronger language in its connotation. And therein lies my tension.

Surely David knows cognitively that God is present yet he says, “I don’t feel you, are you there? Are you taking a nap while I am wasting away?”(paraphrased of course). So that leaves me very open to songs that express what God has already done as needed as an experience in our daily lives. In the previous example, I know cognitively “You’ve rained down peace” but I don’t feel it so “rain down peace” in my life. We feel and it is part the fullness of our faith.

Yet emotions, while not wrong, are not the prime driver of our faith and growth. So to sing songs asking God to “rain down peace” don’t paint the full picture for those who seek peace. Part of their feeling peace is realizing that He has already done so in Christ, so in that sense “You’ve rained down peace.”

So therein lies my quandary. Sure you can express verbally that we are asking God to make known to us what He has already done in Christ, but that doesn’t work before every song that is worded that way. What to do? What to do?

(if it is okay, i'd love to copy and paste your reponses to the blog as well, tell me if you object in your comment or just cut and paste it there.http://www.worshiptrench.com/?p=191)

[milepost13]

we've made changes or chosen to stop or not use a song based on what you're talking about here. I don't have much time right now, but I'm with you. I'd rather limit our song selection to teach good theology in our worship time on Sunday mornings than to have to use a song that will certainly be interpreted the wrong way and have to go back and try to explain.

[russhutto]

I'm thinking that if we just chose/wrote our songs more carefully this woulnd't be a huge issue.

I'm a HUGE proponent of each expression of the body utilizing their "inherent" creative elements, specifically songwriting, in this case. Instead of just mindlessly doing the latest, greatest worship "flavor" of the moment just because everyone else is.

I will admit, however, that this is pretty tough to do on a regular basis, and it's so much easier as a "leader" to just pick and choose from all the GREAT stuff that's available.

[Stevie Nature]

I have a few thoughts.

1) I'm absolutely thrilled that there are worship leaders out there that are having these discussions instead of just playing what's on the radio or the same few songs from the hymnal. Thinking about worship. hmmm novel idea. :rolleyes:

2) I'm a huge advocate of accuracy in lyrics. We've had to throw out more than a few songs. We've also had to change some lyrics to be more accurate. My pastor says that when we sing we're also teaching. Our music should contain something worth teaching.

3) As far as the past tense vs. present tend issue I don't see a need to completely eliminate this from our music, though I agree that it would be difficult to preface every song with an explanation. The Bible is full of the now and not yet. (Though, I guess technically, that would be future vs present tense.) I love what the man said in Mark 9:24. "I believe; help my unbelief." We know things to be true though we don't quite feel it. This is a tension that we ought to be honest about, though I confess I'm not exactly sure how.

[worshiptrench]

I get the already/not yet (wow that Master's in NT theology IS useful. hahaha!).
I also am more open than my brother is to songs expressing our need to experience a reality in Christ already complete as His work. "Rain down" I can do as well as "He rained down." Though I am not loosey goosey on that.

For example we changed the magnum opus worship tune Lord I Lift Your Name on High from "to show the way" to "You are the way." Picky but accurate in light of modern scholarship of Crossan and others who say Jesus was a noble ethic teacher who showed the way of the Kingdom of God. But that is not a present tense vs. past tense issue but a Christologically accurate issue.

[Stevie Nature]

I get the already/not yet (wow that Master's in NT theology IS useful. hahaha!).

LOL!!!!! Just one correction. I'm working on a Masters. Don't have it yet. It's going to be quite a while. Full-time work + part-time ministry + family = 1 to 2 classes a semester.

For example we changed the magnum opus worship tune Lord I Lift Your Name on High from "to show the way" to "You are the way." Picky but accurate in light of modern scholarship of Crossan and others who say Jesus was a noble ethic teacher who showed the way of the Kingdom of God. But that is not a present tense vs. past tense issue but a Christologically accurate issue.

Picky but accurate is the way we have to go given our culture. I absolutely agree that changing the words is the way to on "Lord I Lift Your Name On High". Our people are inundated with this liberal watered down historical Jesus stuff all the time. I mean you can't watch something on TV about Jesus without seeing Crossan or some other Jesus Seminary type. The church needs to be the correcting agent. I applaud you brother.

[worshiptrench]

hahaha. yeah I was referring to mine but that is kickin' that you are getting it. more worship leaders need them. don't quit. i have my paper ready for submission for NT Ph.D candidacy (The Ethical Versus Kerygmatic Purpose of the Philippians' Christ Hymn) but this isn't the season for that with three little kids (7,5,3) and all. I had a prof say once you should get a D.a.D. before a Ph.D. Good thoughts.

We must keep pushing for totally accurate theology in our worship songs. Bob Kauflin at worshipmatters.com has some great thoughts on this. He is rather unique in his perspective as Reformed Charismatic or Charismatic Reformed. It is unusual to see those with Calvinist leanings also espousing Charismatic giftings. He writes great stuff that is balanced (myself, I don't speak in tongues, etc. though I don't believe the gifts have ceased, just not my gift. I am not cessationist nor a sensationalist). His integrity is way way above approach.

[Stevie Nature]

Shane Barnard addresses the idea of knowing something is true while at the same time longing to more fully experience it. It his song "Vision of You" off the pages CD he writes:

Awaken what's inside of me, tune my heart to all You are in me.
Even through You're here God come.
May the vision of You be the death of me
And even through you've given everything, Jesus come.

He's basically saying that even through he knows that God is omnipresent, he's asking to experience God's presence more deeply.

He also says in, "Be Near",

The dark is light to You, the depths are height to You,
Far is near, but Lord I need to hear from You.

God is both immenent and trascendent. Space is not an issue for God, but it is for us, and so Shane asks God to be near in a way that we can discern.

Anyway, those are a couple of examples I can think of that deal with the know vs. experience aspect of Christianity.