Don't shine, Jesus, Don't shine.

I was recommended this by David Straw on the Anglo-Catholic Central message board.

I'm in thorough agreement. Why at university I had to be part of a "worship band". To be honest, I'd rather have been playing the vapid and saccharine music instead of singing meaningless words which, in some cases verge upon the heretical. There were times when I could only cope with the tripe by playing Renaissance instruments. My renditions of "All over the World" on Soprano Krummhorn and "One shall tell another" on Bass Rackett have probably faded from memory.

But the purpose of modern church music is clear; it acts as entertainment in order to goad people into worshipping God by playing on their feelings. The overarching result is sheer superficiality and isolation into one's own experiential circle. There is no grappling with deep issues, there is no education into praxis, there is no engagement in the Divine beyond the "clap hands, here comes Jesus" phenomenon.

Pass me my cornemuse, please!