Denying Transmittable Meaning-part 2

Denying Transmittable Meaning-part 2 

            The discussion of musical sound sooner or later brings up the

heated debate over whether music is or is not capable of arousing

passion. Ancient music philosophers generally believed that music

could and would arouse passion in the performer and the auditor.

More recently, secular music philosophers have batted this philosophical

ball around rather unsuccessfully in the last half or the

twentieth century. Early writings in this century have not done any

better in solving the questions concerning the arousal theory. Those

who disagree with arousal theory and the referential theory are

absolutists, many of whom *uncategorically deny that music has

any meaning outside of itself because they believe that music is in

a bubble or music is a closed system.

            It is amazing that any Christian musician could honestly climb

on the absolute formalism band wagon and deny that music has

the power to arouse passion in the performer and the auditor. The

Bible is so very clear that there is a war between the flesh and the

spirit, and this war is caused by our enemy Satan. The Bible is

also very clear that a Christian must control passion by being sure

that the flesh is kept in subjection. 1 Corinthians 9:27 states, “But

I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any

means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

This has to include the kinds of passions that are capable

of being aroused through musical sounds.