Dissonant Chord

It was 1324 and Pope John XXII was so steamed about the current crop of musicians that he issued a blistering edict denouncing them for “preferring their new inventions to the ancient chants of the church.”

Just 675 years later, the Vatican released its own CD featuring messages from Pope John Paul II patched on top of popular music in an attempt to reach out to young people.

The change illustrates the debate raging in churches worldwide over the replacement of traditional music, such as hymns, organ preludes and chorales sung by choirs, in favor of contemporary Christian music accompanied by synthesizers, guitars or rock ‘n’ roll bands.

Traditionalists fear that 2,000 years of rich musical history will be lost. But many pastors worry that people who don’t want to sit through serious sacred music will skip church altogether if they aren’t offered alternatives.

Churches these days have little control over what music is acceptable for young Christians. The gospel and contemporary Christian music scene is now a booming, $550-million industry, with major record labels such as MCA devoting whole divisions to its growth.

Orange resident Dan Slater, 40, a lifelong Lutheran who grew up in the traditional style, said that while he appreciates the richness of the old, he finds himself drawn to the more contemporary services.

“It’s uplifting,” he said. “Usually the words are more modern and relevant. And the melodies are a lot easier to sing and catch on to. I really have an appreciation for the old style, now that I’m older, but the bottom line is that any church today that is successful and growing has put aside traditional worship.”

But Sharon Zimmerman, an Orange Lutheran with two young children, said she prefers the traditional worship and music because of its meaning and staying power.

“Some contemporary songs seem to be trendy and die out after a few years,” she said. “There’s nothing to hang on to. I didn’t appreciate it at the time when my old grandma would remember all these Bible verses and songs, but I appreciate it now because you get it into your head. It’s something you can memorize and hang on to in your heart.”

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Some say the music debate simply reflects broader questions over formality and ceremony in church. “Some people refer to it as the Worship Wars,” said Bill Dyrness, dean of the school of theology at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena.

David Clemensen, director of music ministries at Irvine Presbyterian Church, said the challenge of bringing together the old and the new has broader implications for all churches today.

“Discussion about musical style is a smoke screen for issues of theology as to whether one is part of a church that repudiates tradition or one that values tradition,” he said. “One of the unspoken subtexts of the argument has to do with professionalism.”

Indeed, for Hayden Blanchard, the strumming guitar of the self-taught musician--no matter how talented--rankles a bit.

“I’m strictly a traditionalist and, at my age, I don’t intend to change,” said Blanchard, who at 65 is music director of St. Norbert Catholic Church in Orange.

Like most of his counterparts in churches across the county, Blanchard is classically trained and spent his college years learning the great works of sacred music from Gregorian chant to compositions of the Renaissance, baroque and later periods.

“Those of us who have spent our days perfecting our art in some ways resent it when someone who plays by ear gets up and satisfies the congregation,” he said.

But those who find their faith and comfort in the old heritage of the church need not fear, he added. “It won’t wither away as long as you have people like me.”

Similarly, Audrey Jacobsen, chief organist at Holy Family Cathedral in Orange, is not worried about losing her job any time soon. For her, the trend away from the traditional can be viewed as an evolution.

“It’s an ancient role,” she said of the church’s music. “It is part of the heritage of the Roman Catholic Church, which goes back to the 6th century and Gregorian chants.”

The subject is not an easy one for pastors or church musical directors. It’s divisive and, some added, destructive. After all, they said, the point of the music is to sing to God, not to hold a talent show.

“Our primary thing is not to please people,” said Ron Rogalski, pastor of worship ministry at Calvary Church of Santa Ana. “That is a factor, but what we’re doing is trying first to please God with our music and our worship.”

Music, he said, “is a mystical thing. You can’t put a finger on it. Music is probably one of the best ways to connect with God and worship because it touches our heart. We can express in music our faith, express truth, express our love for God. You’re using an instrument that everyone has--your voice.”

For many, the solution is more or less a division of interest, with traditional services in the mornings and contemporary at night.

The Rev. John Rallison, pastor of St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church in Fullerton, recently broke his services into traditional--complete with chorales and chanting, a singsong manner of reciting the liturgy--and contemporary, with a 20-minute break in between.

“I struggled with it and prayed about it and searched the Scriptures,” he said. “But we’ve come to a point in America where the culture of the church is so different from the culture of the people that it’s becoming a barrier to the message. Our whole synod has a struggle with it.”

While his church is home to both an organ and a synthesizer keyboard, the keyboard is becoming more dominant.

“We live in an era when many people are either totally unfamiliar with traditional church or they are turned off to it because they were forced to go when they were growing up, much like eating spinach,” he wrote in a newsletter about the new services.

Other churches try to find a happy medium, blending elements of old and new musical styles.

Chris Singer, assistant music director at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Orange, said both types of worship must have a place in churches today, but both must retain their own styles.

“If you do traditional worship, you need to do it well,” he said. “To put something new into it is kind of shameful. However, God is doing wonderful work with contemporary music. It’s something people can sing.”

“Do I want to see us do away with that kind of worship?” he asked. “No. I think it’s very important we don’t lose that worship because God doesn’t look down and say, ‘Hey, I just want the coolest thing.’ ”