Singing Communities

So...having given my research seminar last Friday the latest statement i would like to propose is...every Christian community should congregationally sing. This doesn't mean therefore that every time Christians meet together they should sing, but rather that every Christian should be part of a community that has congregational singing as a key part of its worship time.

Not going to go and give away all my research, but this is what I'm hoping to argue! Let me know what you think!

Gb,
R xx

To sing or not to sing...Is that the question?

Thanks guys for all your comments, i've been reading and thinking a great deal about this whole masculinity thing, and many male friends have come to the same conclusion as me, that it is a sociological issue! As we associate worship with emotion, and men (on the whole...please forgive the stereotype in order to make my sweeping statement!) do not like to air their emotions in public!

So, where does that leave singing? I know many a seriously blokey bloke who find music and singing an entirely integral part of their worship, and have little or no issue, yet there are some who cannot entertain the thought! My apologies if this sounds like i am having a go men...i really am not, but what is the issue? That singing is seen as feminine and emotional, or that you really just don't like to sing?! Would you sing on the terraces?? What makes it any different to singing in church? I'd say that footie chants are as fervently emotional as worship songs may be. Is it because you can't be heard on the terraces? A group of people will learn a new song more quickly in a loud environment where the individual voice can't be heard and therefore mistakes are less embarrassing, rather than in a small group where mistakes are easily identified??? Does this mean that all worship music should be loud!?!!?

Changing tack a little, I'm hoping to base much of my work on a theology of music in worship on a very biblical foundation by Kleinig drawn from Chronicles, but i'll blog a little more in a while about that!

If anyone knows of any emerging communities who have developed a reasoned theology for their own use of congregational singing in worship i'd love to hear, as so far i've come across little substantial reasoning as to why singing has been thrown out apart from..."because we didn't like it".

Hmm...that turned into a minor rant! Sorry folks...will try and be a little more positive next time! And..ladies...what do you think about singing in worship?? Don't let this all be about blokes! lol!

Gb,
R x