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Abstract
Congregational singing in many Canadian evangelical churches has undergone a significant shift. Organs have been replaced by guitars and drums; hymnals are left in the rack in favour of text on a screen; hymns are out and compact pop-style worship songs are in. These changes have been welcomed by some worshippers but have caused consternation in others as local congregations have struggled with musical preferences and worship styles—a process that has often resulted in a "worship war." Some congregations have remained musically traditional; some wholly embrace the new Praise and Worship songs, while others offer separate services for each musical taste. As well, some churches have opted to use both traditional and contemporary songs in one service. This dissertation asks, "What is the experience of congregational singers as they sing both traditional and contemporary worship songs in a stylistically blended worship service?"
Using hermeneutic phenomenology, modes of being-in-song-in-singing are explored, together with a musical ethnography that examines the context of the singing—a Canadian congregation whose blended worship services have choruses accompanied by a guitar-based ensemble and hymns sung with an organ and piano. The phenomenological and ethnographic insights are subsequently discussed, using the paradigm of authenticity as articulated by philosopher Charles Taylor. The dissertation concludes that blended musical worship is a phenomenon that challenges individuals to examine their notions of authenticity in worship. If blended worship is to be sustained, the self-centered authenticity prevalent in popular culture and most clearly seen in the experience of those who prefer the contemporary style of worship singing, needs to shift to a more inclusive authenticity that encompasses what Taylor calls a "horizon of significance" outside the self. When singers accept the challenge to grow beyond expressive individualism, they may be able to value and embrace a diverse church community with its differences in musical preference.
