Spiritual Outlook for 20 February 2011 - Church Music

The Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne caused a bit of a stir last year when he banned pop music and football songs from funeral services. At the same time as the Archbishop was making his stand, the fiercely independent and notoriously strict Free Church of Scotland voted to relax its rules and allow instruments and hymns to accompany their church services. So what constitutes church music nowadays? What makes one piece of music sacred and another secular? Justin Gregory talks to Archbishop Denis Hart, church historian Peter Matheson, Wellington Cathedral Music director Michael Fulcher and Parachute music director Mark de Jong on how to pray through music.