Monday, September 15, 2014

Is All Music Created Equal? Part 4

Is All Music Created Equal? Part 4
          Why all the philosophical fuss over the sacrificial system of the Old Testament?  If a minister of music is going to refer to worship music as musical offerings presented to God, then it stands to reason that that musician should believe in the concept of presenting God the best and most appropriate musical offering that he or she and the worshiping body of believers are capable of offering.  Therefore, the notion that all music is created equal is not congruent with the philosophical concept of our sacred musicing being musical offerings presented to God.  Every honest minister of music minister or music educator who is knowledgeable of music composition and music theory will have to admit that all the creative efforts of composers and arrangers are not on the same level of musical quality and profundity and therefore not of the same appropriateness and value as musical offerings.
          As I mentioned earlier, references to the Old Testament sacrificial system appear in the New Testament in Hebrews 13:15 “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” (For more references to the sacrificial system, also see Romans 12:1, Philippians 4:18 and 1Peter 2:5.)  So, since there are references to the concept of sacrifices made unto God in the NT without any reference to this concept not being compatible with Christian worship, I see no philosophical problem with worship leaders referring to their worshiping by musicing unto God as musical offerings.  I am simply contending that there is no logical philosophical reasoning behind the notion that these musical offerings should not be the very best and most appropriate offerings that a Christian is capable of presenting.  If one accepts the concept of musical offerings presented in the Bible, then it stands to reason that all musical offerings, regardless of what they represent; how they are presented; and what they contain, are not necessarily equal in their nature or value.

 

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