Date of Award

Spring 4-28-2017

Document Type

Thesis

Primary Advisor

Dr. Daniel Gordon

Abstract

Since the 1980’s, the rise of popular and rock n’ roll music has had a significant impact on the music in Protestant churches. The emergence of the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) industry, fueled by the popularity of these types of music, changed how many churches use music in their gatherings. The widespread use of popular music in the church (often causing hymnals to be discarded) caused a major rift among congregations, a term coined the “worship wars.” This argument is still being fought today. This paper is designed to give an overview of other times in history when the church fought over music, to study the causes and outcomes of these current worship wars, and to discuss how this generation of worship leaders can approach these issues in the churches today.

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