creating disturbances

I recently came across these comments by an American Pastor. He was writing to complain about all the new trends in worship music. He said:

“There are several reasons for opposing it. One, it’s too new. Two, it’s often worldly… The new Christian music is not as pleasant as the more established style. Because there are so many new songs you can’t learn them all. It puts too much emphasis on instrumental music rather than godly lyrics. This new music creates disturbances making people act indecently and disorderly. The preceding generation got along without it. It’s a money-making scheme, and some of the new music upstarts are lewd and loose.”

Oh by the way, this pastor said these things in 1723. And do you know whom he was talking about? Isaac Watts, author and composer of some of the most famous classic hymns of the church. Those are the criticisms that Isaac Watts faced 300 years ago as he wrote hymns like “I Sing the Mighty Power of God”, “Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed”, “At the Cross”, “Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us”, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” and the famous Christmas song “Joy to the World”.

The revolutionary controversies of today often become the established and cherished traditions of tomorrow. Aren’t you glad that God keeps doing new things to shake up the world? And when someone gives you a hard time about forging forward in a new direction…just think of Isaac Watts being attacked for “creating disturbances”. Get out there and create some new disturbances for Jesus!