Congruency in Our Musicing part 9

Congruency in Our Musicing part 9

            It should be evident to any serious Christian musician that some things that can be realized through the art of music are too secular to be properly connected with our worship of a holy and most awesome God!  Everything that a musician is capable of doing with the great art of music is not suitable or appropriate for worship merely because he or she is a Christian.  Christians therefore need to recognize the difference between secular and sacred music and learn how to utilize both in their lives.  As I have often taught my college students, the use of sacred and secular music is not either/or but rather wise choices and usage of both.  For instance, it is perfectly proper for a Christian to ride a bicycle to get to church, but it I not a proper thing for him or her to ride it down the center aisle of the sanctuary.  Why can’t musicians have the same common sense about worship music?

            Let me repeat what I have said many times, when a Christian connects a “music” to God this connection becomes an inseparable one.  A musician cannot separate inappropriate musical performance which he or she musics for personal enjoyment or aggrandizement from the fact that some music and its performance is antagonistic to the purposes of worshiping God.  When a composer or arranger, either in jest or unwittingly, amalgamates musical styles and musical performance techniques that are incongruent with the awesomeness and solemnity of worshiping a holy triune God who is high and lifted up and is sitting upon a throne in heaven, the result is most unfortunate.  Also, when a minister of music combines styles of music that are inappropriate for worship, just because he or she has the power to do so, what occurs in the sanctuary is not worship but a cheap hocking of that musician’s musical wares.  I believe very strongly that such performance jesting is sacrilegious.