Seems to me that almost everything now included in the category of 'sacred' was roundly condemned when first introduced!

Things like musical instruments, the compositions of Bach, the voices of women, etc.

And we were weird enough to adopt the practice of castrating boys for the sake of keeping their voices lovely.

What happened to taking the best of every culture and using it to praise God?

This is from the GIRM, USA translation. It's about visual and plastic arts, but I think applicable to music.

254. At all times, therefore, the Church seeks out the service of the arts and welcomes the artistic expressions of all peoples and regions. The Church is intent on keeping the works of art and the
treasures handed down from the past and, when necessary, on adapting them to new needs. It strives as well to promote new works of art that appeal to the contemporary mentality.

How's that for a little balance? Even if it's not as much fun as trashing all things contemporary.

Maureen,
Even though Haugen/Haas sometimes has the melody of a child's song, and often sounds like a funeral dirge, that's not why it's inappropriate for Mass.
Continuously referring to the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ as "Bread and Wine" is theologically unsound. Marty Haugen belongs to the United Church of Christ, whose beliefs could not be more opposite Catholic dogma. This is reflected in his lyrics again and again. Continuosly referring to and praising ourselves, or taking the focus off of God the Father is not contemporary. It's sacreligious. It would be fine for a UCC service, or a Methodist service to refer to 'bread and wine' because that's all it is at one of those services.
I don't think anyone meant to offend you by suggesting that works by Palestrina were more beautiful, sacred, melodic, and timeless than something written by the Haugen/Haas crowd.
By the way, we don't castrate boys anymore.
This isn't really about music. It's about theology, at least, to me it is. Constantly watering down theology leads to a generation of improperly catechised adults.
We, we, us, us. It's all those fellows ever write about. How great we are. Look at me! Not Christ on the altar! It serves to turn our thoughts inward, when our own selves should be the furthest thing from our minds when we are in the physical presence of Jesus, the same Jesus who was laid in a manger, the same Jesus who hung on the cross.
Just my two cents.
-God bless

"We, we, us, us. It's all those fellows ever write about. How great we are. Look at me! Not Christ on the altar!"

Let's not forget all those horrid insipid pieces where the congregation is expected to think they're Christ, via songs like "Anthem" (we are called, we are chosen, we are Christ for one another), and many others where the congregation is expected to sing the voice of God or Christ in the FIRST person ("Be still and know that I am God"; "I am the Bread of life", etc.).

BMP

"What happened to taking the best of every culture and using it to praise God?"

Is there anyone who says we are not to take the best of every culture and use it to praise God?

Or are you possibly suggesting that the particular songs whose use Fr. Keyes has decried are the "best" of anything?

For that matter, a question in return -- what happened to offering our BEST to the Almighty? Not the most popular, not the most fun, not the most comfortable -- the best?

And I don't think we should have problems with the so called Voice of God songs per se.
(Look at some of the propers.)

But I do think we should be ashamed to put doggerel in His mouth, which an awful lot of the ... awful lot do.

I loathe those 'voice of God' songs.
I can't really say why, compared with the propers, but they just make my skin crawl.
Deo gratias, I don't know 'Anthem' or any of the others mentioned. My parish uses polyphony, Gregorian chant, and Masses by Mozart, Bach, etc. And I only know 'I Am the Bread of Life' from my brief stint in Catholic school years ago.