As the church loses sight of its core mission, less entertaining elements of church life are becoming endangered or lost altogether. Tools of the Church that were once essential to shaping hearts of virtually impotent. The tragic result is a Church where edification and wisdom passed down through the ages are now kept from individuals who seek them.

Pressure to make worship more appealing in liberal circles is depriving churchgoers of singing spiritual benefits. Jazz vespers or evening worship services has become a staple in churches from Seattle to Cape May, New Jersey over the past two decades. The smooth sound may draw a crowd, but as fine as the jazz may be, it routinely denies worshippers the opportunity to sing, since lyrics and jazz are either nonexistent or performed by a soloist. This is no small matter. Singing has long been critical to worship- it prepares the soul, loosening up the body and the spiritual alike. This is why revivalist services in South Africa and elsewhere in the developing world devote an hour or more to collective song before the sermon begins. It is why believers from atheistic or agnostic backgrounds have told me time and again that they came to love God through the singing of hymns. Sermons without song can stimulate the brain, but the heart -which is the part that ultimately matters in the eyes of God -is more likely reached after listeners have had the disarming experience of raising their voices together in joyful praise.” (G. Jeffrey MacDonald, Thieves in the Temple, 2010, p. 38-39)