church music

In his chapter God, My Heart, and Music in the book Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World, Bob Kauflin writes,

Actually, it seems that God likes music of all kinds. No one style can sufficiently capture his glory or even begin to reflect the vastness of his wisdom, creativity, beauty, and order. That doesn't mean some kinds of music aren't more complex or beautiful than others. It just means no single genre of music is better than the rest in every way.

I have been studying Romans 14 a lot lately. In this thread, I am interested in intensively exegetical and theological discussion about what Romans 14 teaches about foods, days, and worship music.

Paul begins his teaching by saying the following:

Romans 14:1 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. 2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.

We must not judge of the number of the rioters from the noise they make, especially when their sweet voices are assisted by barrel-organs and by trumpets of titanic dimensions. Even the opponents of the innovations in worship, notwithstanding their zeal, have arrived at a solution of the difficulty which is timid, and not likely to be pacific. Had they condemned the innovations, they might have crushed a perilous movement in the bud, for the champions of such things rarely have courage to defend them at much risk of purse or person.

I believe that the biblical data strongly shows that stringed instruments are far more important in the worship of God than are either wind instruments or percussion instruments. My saying this does not stem in any way from my hating either wind instruments or percussion instruments.

Are some kinds (or styles or genres, etc.) of instrumental music *objectively* (i.e., not just because you prefer them) better than others?

If so, what makes them better and how do you support your view that they are better than others?

Aged baby boomers introduce choruses from the 1990’s as contemporary choruses. Are they right? The term is quite relative. Compared to the hymns of Isaac Watts, for example, they are contemporary. But only relatively so, IMO.

Others use the term as a code word for “rock” or “light rock,” which, at one time, was a taboo word in much of the evangelical world at large (esp. Baptists).

So when you hear the term, how do you interpret it?

Your comments make polls more interesting, so please feel free to opine.