Contemporary Gospel Music Debate: Transformative (Conservatives) or Confirmative (Liberals) Perspective
- January 14, 2020
- Posted by: RSIS
- Categories: IJRISS, Social Science
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume III, Issue XII, December 2019 | ISSN 2454–6186
Serah Madiiga Kitsiiri
Abstract –Music has been for long time perceived to be powerful and its impact on human beings cannot be doubted. However, Christians argue on the way gospel music is being packaged. The conservatives have held the view that gospel music should stick to the biblical standards without emulating what secular music portrays. On the contrary, the liberals feel that emulating what secular music portrays gives room to reach the people for purposes of transformation. The Purpose of this paper is to discuss the two perspectives concerning gospel music which have been a point of debate of late. To achieve this, the paper reviews the existing literature on the subject matter.
Keywords: Contemporary Gospel Music, Transformative, Conservatives, Confirmative, Liberal, Christianity
I. INTRODUCTION
Evolution has been a topic that has since been controversial in the church in the sense that purely devoted Christians deny its authenticity and reality. As a matter of fact, it is deemed to be a theory and most imperative with little or less evidence attached. However, the church has indirectly accepted that evolution in some other areas has and is affecting its endeavors. Christianity has undergone evolution in the name of accepting the changes that the world brings on the table so as to accommodate everyone. The gospel traditionalists established, propagated and passed across the fundamentals of pure Christianity. The fundamentals ensured that there is a clear distinction between what is sacred and what is secular, spiritual and carnal, so that worldliness and profanity would not find roots growing deeper into the church (Ellen, 1972). However, the truth of the matter remains that, like the devastation of a flood, truth, principles, traditions and moral ethics have been eroded and swept away and the process has not stopped (Krista, 2010).
Music is a very sweet thing that has the power to change and make an individual different all together. Categorized into two, secular and gospel, music has existed for a very long time as history may show (Wallin, Steven and Merker, 2001).
