Paul Luckraft reviews ‘It’s not about the music’ by Dan Lucarini (EP Publishing, 2010)

Subtitled ‘A Journey into Worship’, this is an excellent book for those who want to understand better the nature of worship – especially in relation to what has been happening in our church services in recent times.

In his previous books, the author explained why he left the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) movement. Here Lucarini examines the subject of worship from a biblical perspective and comes to the conclusion that ‘it’s not about the music’. He is aware that this will be a challenging statement for many, but his case is well-argued and well-established from Scripture.

Worship in Scripture

Lucarini warns that people can tell a lot about the God we worship by the way that we worship him. Getting that right should be a priority. In the first chapter, he sets out the aims of his book; primarily, it is to explore what the Bible teaches about worship and from there understand the type of worship that pleases God most. Through this, we will develop a resistance to worldly fashions and styles “that are like viruses infecting our personal and public worship” (p22).

Biblically, the author starts with Jesus’ statement about worship in John 4:21-25. The need to worship ‘in spirit and in truth’ provides the main focus. Here is the ‘strong meat’ of worship that will guide our thinking in coming chapters.

In chapter 3, Lucarini examines the Hebrew and Greek words usually translated as ‘worship’. These words have very specific meanings and should not be changed to suit us. We should change our methods and styles to fit what God has decreed - then we will discover the true essence of worship: namely, the total submission of our minds, hearts and flesh to God.

The most common biblical act of worship was to bow down, often flat on one’s face. While this doesn’t have to be a physical action, it should be the dominant attitude in our worship.

Lucarini warns that people can tell a lot about the God we worship by the way that we worship him.

Critiquing ‘Worship Inc.’

In the next few chapters the author explores the role of sacrifice in worship. He shows that the New Testament reveals three sacrifices expected of worshippers: our body, praise and koinonia (fellowship). It is in these pages that we discover what Lucarini means by his title. Praise is not primarily about music, but about “the fruit of our lips” (Hos 14:2). “The words that come from our lips are the most important part of the offering” (p61).

Lucarini goes on to explain how many modern songs start with the music, then add words to fit the rhythms and moods that the music has created. Most songwriters, he claims, are musicians - and so music dominates their output. The words are often secondary and hence trite or misleading (even biblically inaccurate). He compares this to some of the great hymn-writers of the past who started with the words, producing great poems of praise which could stand alone as worship without any music. Only later was a tune written or found as a setting for the words.

The author is particularly scathing of the contemporary Christian worship scene, which has become an industry dominated by the need to produce albums that outsell others. He calls this ‘Worship Inc.’, a market-driven enterprise designed to pour profits into the coffers of those who produce and promote such ‘worship’. Driven by musical performers, this entertainment business uses all the latest gimmicks to stimulate demand for new products. It also introduced the concept of the modern worship leader - someone who produces a ‘track list’ of songs for the rest of the congregation to follow.

In the latter part of his book, Lucarini draws “with much honour and respect” upon the classic writings of AW Tozer, picking up on his theme of worship as ‘the missing jewel’. In line with Tozer, Lucarini believes that prayer, the public reading of Scripture and the breaking of bread should be as much part of worship as songs and musical items.

The author is particularly scathing of the contemporary Christian worship scene.

Plea for Reform

If we have fallen well below the ideals outlined in Scripture, then what should be done to restore biblical worship? Lucarini offers many solutions, but in particular invites us to go on our own journey into worship to discover for ourselves what the Bible teaches.

There is much more to commend in this well-written and thought-provoking book on a vital topic. Each chapter concludes with a summary and the book ends with three very useful appendices. The first two provide a complete list of Old Testament and New Testament verses on worship (110 and 72 verses respectively – plenty to keep you busy!). The third appendix contains guidelines to choosing music for use in church. Eight biblical guidelines are provided, with Scripture references, together with useful questions such as “Does it appeal mainly to the spirit or the flesh?” and “Does it promote the things of this world?”

The author has succeeded in making an impassioned plea for reform wherever our worship practices have gone astray and followed the world rather than the Word. His book should be read not just by worship leaders and pastors, but by everyone involved in worship – which means every one of us!

‘It’s Not About the Music: A Journey into Worship’ (220pp) is available from Amazon for £9.99.

A warning sign to the nation.

Carillion’s collapse is not only a disaster for its 43,000 employees but a blow to the whole national economy, with up to 30,000 businesses affected in Carillion’s wider network. Of course, all our politicians have gone into ‘blame game’ mode.

The only MPs who can claim to be guiltless of the policy that led to this Private Finance Initiative (PFI) are those on the far left who opposed this dangerous venture into the state trying to get its public services on the cheap.

The short answer is – it is not possible! There is no such thing as free money.

PFI was an idea generated in John Major’s Government but implemented when Gordon Brown was in charge of the Treasury in Tony Blair’s New Labour Government. So, both our main political parties have egg on their faces for the monstrous folly that has put millions of pounds into the pockets of venture capitalists at the expense of the British taxpayer.

Reckless Debt

At a time when interest rates were high and the Government wished to keep borrowing to a minimum it must have seemed attractive to let private investors put up the capital for big construction projects and to delay purchase of the assets over a period of many years. But buying anything on the ‘never-never’ only delays the pain. We are now told that projects valued at £60 billion are costing the British taxpayer £199 billion.

Both our main political parties have egg on their faces for this monstrous folly

It seems almost beyond belief that our politicians could be so incredibly naive to put our hospitals and schools in the hands of these greedy rogues, who have lined their own pockets at public expense. In simple terms, the Government handed out contracts for the building of hospitals and schools paid for largely by foreign investors, who have leased them back to the Government at exorbitant rates of interest in conditions that make vast profits for the investors.

Even after Carillion had issued ‘profits warnings’ indicating that it was in financial difficulties, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling awarded them a contract on part of the High-Speed Rail (HS2) construction.

Carillion have been in trouble for a long time but instead of following a policy of clearing their debts on each project before moving onto the next, they recklessly increased their debts in a kind of commercial Ponzi scheme, by taking on more contracts to help pay off the interest on earlier commitments. Eventually the point was reached where their debt mountain became so massive, and the profits had all been squirrelled away by greedy management, that it became impossible to pay off the debts and the banks would not lend any more.

Day of Reckoning

This has all the feel of the darker side of capitalism and was probably the kind of operation that Marx had in mind when he said that capitalism contains within itself the seeds of its own destruction. I’m not making a case for Marxism, but simply pointing out that there were some things that he got right.

The fundamental weakness of Marxism lies in its dogma of ‘economic determinism’ which sees all human beings as products of their environment. All thought thereby becomes conditioned by matter, because it is a product of matter in motion, which philosophically sets aside the whole notion of human accountability.

It is beyond belief that our politicians put our hospitals and schools in the hands of these greedy rogues, who have lined their own pockets at public expense.

It was this conviction of human accountability to God that was the driving force behind the ministry exercised by the prophets of Israel recorded in the Bible. Listen to this from the Prophet Amos:

You hate the one who reproves in court and despise him who tells the truth. You trample on the poor…You oppress the righteous and take bribes and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts. (Amos 5:10-12)

Amos then goes on to tell the leaders of the nation who are eagerly awaiting the Day of the Lord that it will be a day of darkness not light, because God is a God of truth and justice who holds human beings accountable for their actions.

It is this accountability to a higher authority that is missing in our secular humanist society today. The very existence of these concepts of truth and justice depend upon our recognition of the God of Creation who built these values into the fabric of the universe. When we take God out of the equation we actually destroy the whole structure of society because there are no ultimate values or accountability. Without God we human beings are on our own to make up our own rules that suit our particular needs at the time.

The Underlying Problem

But we live in a moral universe that we ignore at our peril, as the Carillion debacle vividly portrays. The big question now is whether or not our political masters will have the courage not only to take responsibility for clearing up the mess of the disastrous policy of former Governments, but to recognise the reason why the nation is having to bear the huge cost of this folly.

We live in a moral universe that we ignore at our peril.

Will we recognise that by departing from the ‘gold standard’ of the word of God we have brought all this trouble upon ourselves? And will we come humbly before God seeking his ways that lead to blessing and prosperity?

It may be that God has allowed the Carillion economic disaster to come upon us as a warning sign to the nation that all is not well; and that unless we face up to the bigger moral and spiritual problems in the nation we will never get the economy right or solve the nation’s social problems.