Teaching the Next Generation to Music--Part 1

Teaching the Next Generation to Music--Part 1

 I have often mentioned in my writing that pastors, parents, and music educators have a responsibility to pass our music values on to the next generation.  This process of attempting to instill the conservative music values in the lives of our children is many times a painful and unsuccessful endeavor.  Although we have a responsibility to share our values with the next generation, we must be sure that we do the right thing in the right way.

It is one thing for pastors, parents, music ministers, and Christian music educators to have strong beliefs concerning music but the passing of the baton to the next generation must be a “civil” process.  Long heated discussions ending in anger and tears seldom get the job done successfully.  Name calling and equating a young person’s musical tastes with their relationship to Jesus Christ is most regrettable. 

Thought for the Day

What is the cause of a lack of communication about music between one generation and another?  Why do young people and their parents often experience a musical generation gap which is often brought about by differences in musical tastes, values, and outlook?   Those of you who are ministering with the great art of sacred music today must remember that the greatest way to bridge the music gap is with genuine heart-felt musicing.  Every generation engages more quickly when they can see and feel that you care deeply about the music.

Music’s Historic Place in Education

Music’s Historic Place in Education 

            Music had an important place in education in the ancient civilizations

of Sumer, Akkad and Egypt. It was also important in ancient

Israel since the time when the first and second books of Chronicles

were written. 1 Chronicles 25 states, “Moreover David and the captains

of the host separated to the service of the sons of Asaph, and of

Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries,

and with cymbals… So the number of them, with their brethren

that were instructed in the songs of the LORD, even all that were

cunning, was two hundred fourscore and eight” (verses 1 and 7).

Music education in ancient Israel was the responsibility of the Chief

musicians Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun (and their sons and brethren).

            The Hebrew phrase yad ab shiyr (3027 ,01,7892), translated in

verse six as “under the hands of their father for song” in the AV,

means literally that the Levite musical sons studied sacred music under

the hands of their God-fearing fathers who were chief Levite

music directors and music educators. Music education in Israel was

uniquely different than in the cultures of its neighbors. In verse seven

in the AV the Hebrew phrase lamad shiyr JHVH (3925, 7892, 3068),

translated “were instructed in songs of the LORD,” speaks directly to

the fact that the Levite sons received training specifically in sacred

music. It is important to note that the essence of music education in

ancient Israel was preparation for music ministry.

Thought for the Day

Every parent has the responsibility to train their children musically or hire a proxy.

What is Theology?—part 4—Dr. Fry

What is Theology?—part 4—Dr. Fry

Dr. David Fry holds a PhD in Systematic Theology and is the lead pastor of the Bible Holiness Church in Frankfort Indiana.  Portions of one of his writings have been used here with his permission.

          Theological reading, then, is our purpose to read in order to shape our thinking about God in doctrine and practice.  Some popular books, for instance, Rick Warren’s 1995 book Purpose-Driven Church, hardly qualify as a theology book. A pastor who consumes a steady diet of books like this is probably theologically malnourished. I’m sure one could find something theological in Warren’s book; you just have work really hard to find it. Reflection on doctrine or practice is not Warren’s purpose for writing. This is not to denigrate Warren’s book. I have found it helpful on many points. But it is not a theology book in my understanding. But neither does a theology book have to be as dense as John Zizioulas’s Being as Communion (1997).

          So what is a theology book? A theology book is any book whose express purpose is to shape our thinking about God in doctrine and/or in practice. The best theology books include both doctrine and practice. I am not sure that our greatest concern is that pastors are not reading theology books. Perhaps a greater concern is that pastors are not reading theology books theologically or at least theologically well. People read theology books like David Platt’s Radical (2010) without thinking much about its implicit teaching about God.

          I believe Radical is a good example of a theology book written for a popular audience while containing significant theological content (some of which should be very problematic for Wesleyans). Many books written for Christians and pastors emphasize the practice without getting much into the doctrine, yet while making huge doctrinal assumptions.  We read theologically well when our thinking conforms to God’s Word and is guided by the Holy Spirit. 

          In summary, pastors, we ought to read theology and we ought to read theologically. Obviously, theology books should be read theologically, but so also should our other reading material. And, pastors should read theology books whose express purpose is to shape our thinking about God in doctrine and in practice. For this reason, we should choose our books carefully.

Thoughts for the Day—G. Wolf

          There is much more about reading theology, reading theologically, and reading theologically well in Dr. Fry’s article, but we will stop here before we get in so deep at we drown in his admonishments to do all of the above.  I am concerned that Church musicians and Christian music educators are trying to relate to seeker and saints without the tools to make prescriptive decisions about whether or not the texts of the songs they lead in worship are accurate or not. 

          It is a huge mistake for an educator or a worship leader to continue on his or her musical journey while ignoring theology in the music being presented to congregations or their music organizations in Christian schools, Bible colleges and Universities. Jesus very clearly stated in Matthew 18:6 “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”  Theology matters!  Church music matters!  Music that is taught in a Christian school or university matters!  So, once again I am contending that all Christian musicians must know what they believe theologically. 

         

What is Theology?—part 3—Dr. Fry

What is Theology?—part 3—Dr. Fry

Dr. David Fry holds a PhD in Systematic Theology and is the lead pastor of the Bible Holiness Church in Frankfort Indiana.  Portions of  one of his writings have been used here with his permission.

          What counts as theological reading and what counts as reading theology?  A theology book is a book whose express purpose is to shape our thinking about God in doctrine and/or in practice. The richest theology books include both doctrine and practice. The most difficult ones deal only with the doctrine; and the shallowest only with practice. Our job as pastor-theologians is to connect the dots between doctrine and practice (theology is both).

          Pastors ought to read theologically as well as read theology. What’s the difference? Theological reading is more about how we read than what we read. For instance, I am currently reading (more like struggling through) a novel by Rick Riordan written for teenagers. Riordan’s novels put ancient mythology into a modern setting. I don’t particularly enjoy the book, but I’m reading it theologically because several teenagers in my church have read it under the guise of pure amusement. I’ve only read one chapter so far and I can affirm that there is plenty of material to provoke theological thinking. Riordan is not claiming to have written a theology book. But, I would argue, if one does not read his writing theologically then one may be unwittingly shaped theologically. On the other hand, if I wanted to read a theology book I would choose something expressly written for that purpose. This is the difference between reading a theology book and reading theologically—we must do both.

          So what counts as reading theology? There is no neat line that can be drawn. Does Riordan’s mythological novel count as theology? Broadly speaking, yes, if we define a theology book as anything book whose content involves God (or the gods, in Riordan’s case). But as pastors that’s rarely our concern. More narrowly, I define (for the time being) a theology book as a book whose express purpose is to shape our thinking about God in doctrine and/or in practice.

Thoughts for the Day—G. Wolf

          Musicians who are reading these posts are probably convinced, at this point, that I have lost my mind. Dr. Fry wrote the original article for pastors and not musicians.  However, I suggest that you do not hold your breath until someone writes this quality of article for Christian musicians.   He was writing about reading theologically as well as reading theology. So, if you will follow my thinking I will attempt to apply some of his thoughts to practicing Christian musicians. 

          Perhaps one should first try to convince musicians that 1) reading is important, 2) that reading theology is important before trying to convince busy ministering musicians to read theologically.  I was struck by the fact that a busy pastor was reading a book theologically because he feared teenagers in his church who had read it had been influenced by Riordan’s novel.  Think about it, how often do you and I read something that the young musicians in our Christian school or our church are reading?  Not only are we ignorant of the things that they are reading about music, we are also willingly ignorant of how these musical writings are shaping their thinking.  How are these writings shaping their musical paradigms?  I confess that I do not often read theologically.

What is Theology?—part 2—Dr. Fry

What is Theology?—part 2—Dr. Fry

Dr. David Fry holds a PhD in Systematic Theology and is the lead pastor of the Bible Holiness Church in Frankfort Indiana.  Portions of his writings have been used here with his permission.

           We are called to equip the saints for ministry. We are not merely to equip them with “practical” know-how, but also the “doctrinal” know-how, that is, why we minister in some ways and not in others. For example, why should or shouldn’t our parishioners engage in inter-faith humanitarian efforts? Or, how is it possible for a dying man to be saved without being baptized?  These are five reasons (among others) why pastors should read occasionally pull a theology book off the shelf and read it.  “I’m too busy to read theology.” 

          There are certain kinds of theology books that pastors are too busy to read. It’s okay to leave those for others and attend occasions where we can receive the condensed version. From time to time I am asked by a fellow pastor to recommend a theology book. Since I am a pastor myself, I am well-acquainted with the time constraints of pastoring. So I have a couple of criteria that I use for making recommendations. I know that most pastors don’t have the time or mental energy to   

read a 700-page theological dissertation so I recommend books that are less than 250 pages and contain chapters with short sub-divisions that can be read in 10-15 minutes. With these two criteria in mind, I will later share some good theological books that fit the bill.

Thoughts for the Day—G. Wolf

Dr. David Fry holds a PhD in Systematic Theology and is the lead pastor of the Bible Holiness Church in Frankfort Indiana.  Portions of one of his writings have been used here with his permission.

          When I read Dr. Fry’s statements in part 2, I thought about the fact that I have never been told by anyone that ministers of music are called to “equip the saints for ministry.”  We seem to have a notion that if the saints worship with music that it will automatically prepare them for life and ministry.  I am afraid that we often have more interest in the emotion of music in worship than we are about the theology of our music being a major goal, or any goal, of music in worship.

          Wow, where do I start on ministers of music reading!  We have a difficult time getting them to read about music let alone reading about theology.  The reason is that ministers of music just do not believe that theological study is the slightest bit necessary. 

What is Theology?—part 1—Dr. Fry

What is Theology?—part 1—Dr. Fry

Dr. David Fry holds a PhD in Systematic Theology and is the lead pastor of the Bible Holiness Church in Frankfort Indiana.  Portions of  one of his writings have been used here with his permission.

          Theology, etymologically, simply means the study of God. But Christian theology is so much more. In a nutshell, theology is something we do, being “less theoretical than it is theatrical.” Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Faith Speaking Understanding: Performing the Drama of Doctrine (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2014), 20.  While some people’s theology is more pie-in- the-sky, Christian theology is all about down-to-earth living. There are two aspects to Christian theology: doctrine and practice. Doctrine has to do with what we say about God; practice has to do with how that translates into living for God.  Both are essential elements of Christian theology. Doctrine and practice go hand-in- hand in Christian theology. So much so that we might say that one does not truly know his doctrine until he knows how to live it. Kevin Vanhoozer writes, “Church without doctrine to direct it is blind; yet doctrine without the church to embody it is empty.” Ibid. 147. Hypocrisy occurs when there is a disconnect between our doctrine and our practice. This disconnection is something less than God’s will for His followers.

          Thought for the day—G. Wolf

          Ministers of music many time are so caught up in music sequences that follow a theme that the last thing on their minds is a disconnect between doctrine and practice.  As a matter of fact theology is often low on their order of importance list and practice is not even on the list of things to think about when they are planning music for Sunday morning worship. 

WHY WAS DAVID SUCCESSFUL? Part 5

WHY WAS DAVID SUCCESSFUL? Part 5  

          There are some things about David's coming into the presence of king Saul that are worth noting.  It appears that he was not used first as a musician but rather an armor bearer.  Also, it is recorded the David loved the king greatly (vs. 21).  This accomplished musician loved the man he was sent to minister unto and was willing to carry the king's heavy armor.  Later, because of his patience and love, the man behind the harp was able to minister musically to the troubled king.

          Why was David chosen to help the physically, emotionally, and spiritually troubled king?  Why wasn't the prophet (preacher) Samuel called upon for this ministry?  The answer is that God has a special ministry for musicians--a ministry that cannot be performed by any other Christian worker.  We should remember sometimes God chooses to use musicians rather than preachers and that in a true sense Christian musicians are ministers!  Saul's advisors recognized that the kings need required an anointed musician instead of the prophet Samuel.

WHY WAS DAVID SUCCESSFUL? Part 4

WHY WAS DAVID SUCCESSFUL? Part 4

          As was mentioned earlier, Saul's servant informed the king that David was comely or beautiful in appearance.  Likewise, I Samuel 16:12 states that he was ". . .of a beautiful (yapheh 3303)^A countenance" (ayin 5869) or "fair of eyes"  (Cambridge A.V. margin).  The phrase "of a beautiful countenance" gives the sense of a person with beautiful eyes or even more probable a person with a beautiful outward appearance.  As we know, outward appearance was important to Samuel (vs. 7) and to the king's servant (vs. 18), but most important to God was (vs. 7) the "heart."

          Finally the servant reported that Jehovah is with him (vs. 18).  It cannot be stressed too much that the thing that made this musician different was the divine influence or anointing of Jehovah upon the soul of David.  Matthew Henry gave credence to the influence of the anointing of God upon David when he explained, "The anointing of him was not an empty ceremony, but a divine power went along with that instituted sign, and he found himself inwardly advanced in wisdom, and courage, and concern for the public, with all the qualities of a prince, though not at all advanced in his outward circumstances."  Purkizer concurred with the belief that the anointing of David incurred a divine aid and stated that, "The spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward --enduing him with wisdom and power, and giving him guidance toward the fulfillment of God's purpose in his life."

          

WHY WAS DAVID SUCCESSFUL? Part 3

WHY WAS DAVID SUCCESSFUL? Part 3

          We know from the Bible account in I Samuel that both Saul and David received God’s anointing. Saul received the anointing of Jehovah.  I Samuel 10:1 states, "Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his [Saul's] head, and kissed him, and said, It is not because the LORD hath anointed (mashach 4886) thee to be captain over his inheritance?"  Verse six of the same chapter tells us that Saul received a peculiar divine assistance because Samuel stated, ". . . the spirit (7307) of the LORD will come upon thee. . ."

          David also received this peculiar divine influence upon his life.  I Samuel 16:13 states that "Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed [4886] him in the midst of his brethren:  and the Spirit (7307) of the LORD came upon David from that day forward."  So, even though Saul and David were both anointed, Saul eventually failed and David became the "man after God's own heart" and the "sweet psalmist of Israel."

          We know that David was chosen to play for Saul because he was a skillful musician.  Now let us look at some other considerations of David's life that caused him to succeed.  In I Samuel 16:18b one of Saul's servants said, "Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite that is cunning in playing [see Chapter I] and a might valiant (chayil 2428)^A man, and a man of war, and prudent (biyn 995) in matters (dabar 1697), and a comely (toar 8389) person, and the LORD is with him."

          So, he was a skillful player, a man of substance or virtue, a military man, and a man who could distinguish mentally in matters of communication or speech (Cambridge A.V. margin).  We know that David was skillful in language and communication from his master works in the Book of Psalms.  Thompson reminds us that "His musical and poetic gifts were great and they were consecrated (as such gifts should be) to the glory of God and to the good of men."

WHY WAS DAVID SUCCESSFUL? Part 2

WHY WAS DAVID SUCCESSFUL? Part 2

          Although David had a beautiful outward appearance and was a pleasant person, he was probably not nearly as tall as Saul (I Sam. 10:23) who was ". . .higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward."  As a matter of fact (I Sam. 16:7), Eliab was probably more like Saul in stature than David and had a good countenance like David.  However, God chose David the musician because of his heart (vs. 7).  Samuel, speaking of David, told King Saul (I Sam. 13:14) "But now thy kingdom shall not continue:  the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart. . ."

          What was the difference between Saul and David?  One writer put it this way.  "Saul was a man's man, David was God's."²  The major difference seemed to be their very different attitudes toward God.  Saul disobeyed God by taking Agag the Amalekite king alive and by saving the best of the animals.  When the prophet Samuel faced him with the problem Saul lied when he said (I Sam. 15:13b) "I have performed the commandment of the LORD."  When the prophet Nathan faced David with his sin of adultery, David replied (II Sam. 12:13) ". . .I have sinned against the LORD."  As we can see, both men faced times of failure in their lives, but it seems that it was the difference in their attitudes that made the difference.

WHY WAS DAVID SUCCESSFUL? Part 1

WHY WAS DAVID SUCCESSFUL? Part 1

          Sometimes when we observe a successful professional church musician we wonder what the secret to this person's success really was.  How did the musician get started?  Was success the result of some special "break" in life or was it based on the church musician's great talent?  What about David the "sweet psalmist of Israel?"  Did you ever wonder what the secret to his success really was?  David's successes were phenomenal.  He became King of Judah (II Sam. 2:4), King of Israel (II Sam. 5:3), developed and organized the system of music for the first Temple (I Chron. 25:1-31), performed the first recorded music therapy of the Bible on King Saul (I Sam. 16:14-23), wrote about half of the "Book of Psalms" (see Chapter VI on the Psalms), killed a lion and a bear (I Sam. 17:34-36) and killed the Philistine giant with a stone from a sling (I Sam. 17:38-49).

          A look at the early life of the man who accomplished all these things reveals that he had a very humble beginning.  He was the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse the Bethlehemite.  In I Samuel chapter sixteen, Jesse had seven of his sons to pass before Samuel for blessing to become King, but Samuel the prophet knew immediately that God had refused them all.  Verse eleven of that chapter says, "And Samuel said unto Jesse, are here all thy children?  And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold he keepeth the sheep."  So, Jesse sent for his youngest red-haired son.  Verse twelve states, "And he sent, and brought him in.  Now he was ruddy (132)¹, and withal of a beautiful (3303)^A countenance and goodly (2896)^A to look to.  And the LORD said, Arise, anoint (4886)^A him:  for this is he."

The Fountain of Living Waters

The Fountain of Living Waters

Jeremiah 2:13, “For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.”

          I have written and spoken from this verse in many times but I have always concentrated on the concept of “broken cisterns”. I was reading this verse the other day and a new thought occurred to me.  God’s people had committed two evils one of the evils was hewing out broken cisterns but the other evil was the greatest evil.  God said, “They have forsaken me the fountain of living waters”.  YHVH declared that His people had forsaken Him.

          It is noteworthy that God referred to Himself as “the fountain of living waters”.  God was not only living waters but more importantly He referred to Himself as a “fountain”.  Maqowr (4726) connotes, among other things, a natural continuous flowing source.  This continuous source was not merely water but living water.  Christian musicians are constantly in danger of forsaking the source that will sustain spiritual life.  All busy people have to do is fail to drink of the living water YHVH supplies and, according to this verse they are forsaking God. 

           Azab (5800) was translated here in the AV as forsaken but this Hebrew word also connotes “refusing”.  My father used to say, “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink”.  The simple lesson found in Jeremiah 2:13 is that God has provided a continuous flow of “living water”, but Christian musicians have the responsibility to drink.

Song for the Day--Springs of Living Water by John W. Peterson

Prayer for the Day Our dear Heavenly Father I want to thank and praise You for providing an ample supply of living water to sustain all who love and serve you.  I am asking largely today.  I am praying that you will give your musician’s the good common sense to not only come to this source but to drink of this sustaining water.  I am also asking that You will cause Your busy ministering musicians to  be wise enough to not let Satan cause them to forsake God by refusing to drink and thereby be sustained spiritually.  This I am asking in Your wonderful name.  Amen.

Sing the LORD'S Song

Sing the LORD'S Song

Psalm 137:4 “How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a strange land?”

          Sometimes Christian musicians make too much of the statement that “I’m a pilgrim and a stranger”.  There is no doubt about the fact that Christians are not of this world’s system. Long ago the ancient Jewish musicians let the fact that they were in a strange land keep them from singing and playing the LORD’S song.

          If there ever was a need to sing and play the high praises of our marvelous Lord and Savior, it is in this troubled world today.  When Christians accept the counsel of the ungodly, stand in the way with sinners, and sit in the seat of the scornful they become comfortable with the “course of this world”.   Every Christian musician must be aware that when a person gets too comfortable with sin and sinful ways of those who do not love and serve our Lord and Savior Jesus, it won’t be very long until looking, acting and exhibiting the traits of sinful men and women.

Is Music a Language?—part 6

                    Is Music a Language?—part 6

           Giving the music part of music a label that is inclusive of all that it “is” and is capable of doing to the whole-life of the individuals who encounter it is problematic. However, I believe that music, as an art form, is “meta” and the term metalanguage   may be used, more or less effectively, to explain that music is characteristically self-referential in that it has power within itself to communicate understandable meaning to the performer and the auditor.

          So, as I have mentioned in my writings and lectures many times, music is at least analogous to a language in that it is capable of communicating meaning and that the meaning it communicates is understandable to those who encounter it.  Although the music part of music i.e. music alone does not communicate verbally, it does non-verbally, and that since the time of Plato and Aristotle, various music philosophers have contended that music’s communication has the power to effect the whole- life of everyone who encounters it. Furthermore, the notion that the music part of music is not capable of communicating anything at all is a Johnny-come-lately theory that is not supported with conclusive evidence that music is a weak and benign art form without any ability to communicate anything at all, or that it has its own meaning that does not relate to life outside of music’s closed bubble.

Is Music a Language?—part 5

                    Is Music a Language?—part 5

          With this in mind one can more easily come to the hypothesis that the music part of music is either more valuable or more dangerous to the whole-life of the individual who is encountering it in direct relationship to that person’s understanding of the music genre being listened to or performed.  So, the more understanding one receives from the music part of the music, the more effect the encounter with the music will have on the individual.

          Earlier I made reference to music as a metalanguage.  (This consideration of what music “is” is, like the other categorizations, not without complication,)  There are several definitions of metalanguage one of them is that it is any symbolic system used to discuss, describe, or analyze another language or symbolic system. Viewing the formal properties of music as metalanguage allows one to consider it to be another “language” that is, if you please, “meta” or self-referential in the aspect that the way the building blocks of music are artistically arranged communicates meaning and that this meaning can more or less effectively become “symbols” that are capable of, as Bloomberg would perhaps say, “decode” information. 

Is Music a Language?—part 4

                         Is Music a Language?—part 4

          Everyone brings something to the listening or performing experience.  Part of what each person brings is taken from his or her previous experiences with music, but part of what a performer or listener brings is from the real world outside of music. Therefore, I am a referentialist.  Although I do not adhere to every tenant of the mainstream of philosophical music referentialists, I contend that everyone musics in reference to the real world experiences that he or she has encountered outside the realm of music.  I do not believe that music’s meaning is its own meaning with no relationship to what one has experienced in life.
          Greensburg refers to music as a “non-verbal language”.  When one views the music part of music in this manner it opens new understandings about the power of music without words. This power is at least partially made possible by various unspoken understandings that are molded by the performer’s knowledge of music and cultural and environmental surroundings that will affect that person’s encounter with music.

Is Music a Language?—part 3

                   Is Music a Language?—part 3

          It appears that Greensburg believes that music has the ability to communicate meaning because of his statement that it “can encode volumes of…information”.  One of the many definitions of encode is to convert some kind of information into a form suitable for the transmission of a message.  So, I believe that music has the power to transmit various kinds of information and that music’s ability to deliver a message to the performer and the listener is “meta” i.e. self-referential.  Therefore, music’s power to communicate functions more efficiently in some aspects than a spoken (verbal) language. 

            The music part of music (the music without words) does have the power to communicate understandable meaning to the performer and the auditor.  However, it is not always easy to predict with certainty exactly what the music will communicate to the listener.  The reason is that music reaction is always referential.  What this means is that all music performers and listeners music both actively and passively  in the perspective of what they bring from their music knowledge and also what they bring from their spiritual, social, psychological, historical, and philosophical backgrounds.  As I have often said in my music lectures and in my writings, no one musics either actively or passively in a vacuum or in a bubble.  

Is Music a Language?—part 2

                   Is Music a Language?—part 2

          It is evident that Greensburg believes that music has understandable meaning, at least in the areas of social, historical, and philosophical information.  It appears from the statement above, that the key factor in the area of music’s ability to communicate meaning to the auditor is the hearer’s understanding of the music.

          The significance of this discussion today is that the notion that no one who knows about music and music philosophy believes that music is a language.  On the contrary, the arguments for and against music being a language is still very much alive.  As I have often written, although there are problems with referring to music as a language, I contend that it is at least analogous to the term language.  I sometimes refer to music as a meta-language simply because it is beyond language is some ways.   

Is Music a Language?—part 1

Is Music a Language?—part 1

          In a recent ad for the Book How to Listen to and Understand Great Music, 3^rd Edition by Robert Greenburg this statement was made, “Music is a non-verbal language that can encode volumes of social, historical, and even philosophical information, provided you know how to understand it.”  Greenburg seems to have a modified theory about music being a language.  Some believe that music is a language; others consider it to be a universal language; while still others believe music to be no language at all.

          Greenburg touches on another major argument that questions whether or not we can understand music’s meaning at all.  Some summerly dismiss the question of understanding music’s meaning by simply asserting that music does not have any meaning at all.  Still others believe that music has meaning but that its meaning is an isolated meaning that is not related to life or any understanding that is related in any way to life outside of music’s little bubble.

Philosophical Outcomes—part 3

Philosophical Outcomes—part 3

One thing for sure, public education will not directly teach the next generation of church musicians wrong things about God because they are not allowed to openly teach the knowledge of God (as taught in the Bible) in their music philosophy.  Although federal law has mandated that public education can no longer retain God in our educational knowledge, the fact that they will not directly teach false concepts of God does not indicate that no “God-education” will take place in public schools and universities.  By eliminating God as the Creator and Lord of music education, public education relays strong false messages about the nature and value of music to our young people.

 Public education in the United States can no longer recognize God in the development of a philosophical basis for music education.  As a matter of fact, teaching God as the basis of all philosophical thought is forbidden.  The only safe path in public education is to omit the authority of God in any philosophical discussion of music.  In public education, no sacred music concerts are legal and the sacred classics may only be taught or performed as music literature.  It is often mandated that there be no Christmas or Easter concerts.  The only time that it is totally legal to mention God in the music classroom is when the music instructor stubs his toe on the desk leg.

Thought for the Day

The fact that public music education can not consider Christ to be preeminent in the music education process is reason enough for Christians to consider Christ centered music rduation to be a conviction.

Philosophical Outcomes—part 2

Philosophical Outcomes—part 2

 Any musician who believes the end of all human endeavors is the gratification of self will ultimately come to different philosophical conclusions than a musician whose life is sold out to Christ.  For the committed Christian, music begins and ends with God.  To the humanist, music begins and ends with self.  The musician who has submitted his or her music to the Lordship of Christ believes that all church music is sung and played to glorify God since God owns music.  Conversely, the secular humanists (and the religious humanist) believe that music belongs to man’s true humanness since all music is about self-actualization.  This type of thinker owns his or her music.

 We cannot trust public education to produce Christ-centered musicians who have a Christocentric music philosophy.  Christians never should have trusted the world to formulate music philosophy for Christian young people.  It has always been the responsibility of Christians to train their own. Although many Christian parents have ignored it, the world has never been a friend of grace.  Could you imagine the ancient Hebrews calling in the Philistines to train their Levite sons?  The 20^th century church did just that--they called in the worldly musicians who outwardly profaned the name of Christ to train church musicians.  The result was generation after generation of Christian musicians filled with Philistine philosophy.

Thought for the Day 

Musicians are, of course, human but their humanness is not the most important aspect of their musicing.

Philosophical Outcomes—part 1

Philosophical Outcomes—part 1

Christian musicians often question the necessity of developing a series of systematic beliefs concerning the nature and value of the whole of music.  Furthermore, they often seem to believe that those values set forth by major public colleges and universities are adequate for Christian musicians.  After all, aren’t the elements of music the same for Christians and non-Christians?  The philosophy of a musician who does not bring his entire musical endeavor under the Lordship of Christ should not be completely trusted. Christians must remember that you can also trust an unregenerate musician to be worldly in his or her philosophical basis.

  Matthew 12:34b reminds us that “…out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh”.  Although Christians and non-believers will agree on some issues concerning music philosophy, they will not agree on many of the major issues that will affect how a musician ultimately musics. .  Remember, direction determines destiny!   The committed Christian will not only think different things about musicing but will also think differently about music and musicing.  The reason is that the Christian musician believes that “…he [Christ] is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. (Colossians 1:18)   Any music philosopher who is unwilling to put Christ and what the Bible teaches about music first in his or her life will not come to the same philosophical conclusions concerning music and musicing as the committed Christian.

Thought for the Day

Christian musicians not only need to think about music and musicing, but they also need to think about what they have often thought about music and musicing.

The Seven Note Creation-part 2

The Seven Note Creation-part 2

       When we study the te'amim (which is the musical notation found above and below the texts of the entire Old Testament), we find that both the psalmodic and prosodic systems of notation have a tonic note.  (See chapter 8 of my book, Music of the Bible in Christian Perspective and The Music of the Bible Revealed. by Suzanne Haik-Vantoura, Berkley: Bibal Press, 1991.).  This tonic note is called "silluq".  This term means "end" and has the same function as the tonic note of our "modern" diatonic scale. God created and rested in seven days and God made a seven note scale with a resting note.  After the seventh day the sequence of days re-begins and after the seventh note the musical scale re-begins--all this is more than a coincidence!  It is the work of an omniscient creator.

       Outside of our knowledge of the te'amim, the Pentateuch is relatively silent as to the specifics of the beginnings of music.  However, we do know that God imparted musical knowledge to man before the flood.  Genesis 4:21 explains that Lamech’s son Jubal “was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ."  We also know that Adam was given domain over the erets (776) so he no doubt had wisdom concerning music. The more we learn about God’s seven note creation the more we are drawn to the conclusion that a God this wise is capable of guiding us in developing a unified Christocentric music philosophy in the twenty-first century.  Praise God!

Thought for the Day

When a composer or arranger repeatedly avoids the use of the tonic, he or she obscures the finality which is necessary for the proper presentation of the gospel.

The Seven Note Creation-part 1

The Seven Note Creation-part 1

        We have often discussed God's creation of the seven note musical scale.  Before God created man, He created, “the heaven and the earth.”  It is important that we understand the significance of God creating the mathematical ratios that make the seven note scale possible. The perfectness of the number seven is a part of Gods eternal laws. The world was brought into being and set in motion at the will of God in accordance to His laws.

        A part of these laws was the eternal concept of seven days ending with a Sabbath and a re-beginning on the eighth day.  God, without doubt, created music in the beginning to conform to these laws.  The eighth note of the musical scale is essentially the same as Sunday of the next week.  Sunday is the eighth day or the day of re-beginning of the same sequence just like the eighth note of the musical scale.  If you sing the diatonic major scale and stop on the seventh degree which is a leading tone in the major scale this tone demands resolution.  The note of resolution is the eighth degree of the major scale which is the same as the first degree i.e. the tonic.   The concept of seven degrees in a musical scale cannot be improved upon since the number seven is always the number of perfection in Scripture, and eight is the number of regeneration and re-beginning. 

Thought for the Day

The fact that the music of the Occident used a seven note scale made it amenable to correct organization that made much of it congruent with the purposes of public worship.

“I Am Helped”

“I Am Helped”   

Psalm 12:7 states, “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusteth in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.” 

       The psalmist David expressed that his shield is the self-existent eternal God who is.  He also acknowledged that he received his strength from Jehovah.  Sometimes church musicians only think of the struggles of public music ministry.  They forget to remember and say “I am helped”.  They also often forget just who it is that has helped them.  Practice the presence of God”.  When we receive help in our musicing unto God we need to practice saying out loud “Thank You Lord for helping me”.   It will help you and Satan will not like it because he will know that you have your head on straight. 

       The psalmist David acknowledged that God helped him and, since Jehovah was working in his life, he said, “My heart greatly rejoiceth”.  Do you rejoice when God helps you in your musicing?  Do you greatly rejoice?  Do you really praise God like David with your “song’?  Do not forget that if you need God’s help today, God is just as interested in helping you as he was David in ancient Israel.

Prayer for the Day  

Lord You know what is best for my life.   When something continually perplexes me, I want You to solve it as soon as I bring it to you.  Help me to be aware that You working in my life even when I do not understand why this trial has come into my life.  Help me to believe that Your grace is sufficient for me at this time.  This I am praying in Your name.  Amen.   

Song for the Day “Make Me a Servant” by K. Willard.   

Thought for the Day  

We are often ashamed of our areas of weakness.   God uses these “thorns” to cause us to realize that we need Him.

Singing to the Rock of Our Salvation-part 2

Singing to the Rock of Our Salvation-part 2  

       Because we joy in the presence of the LORD, we shout aloud the praises of the self-existent, eternal God who is.  We enhance our praise music by singing with instrumental accompaniment.  Because Jehovah is worthy of praise, we lift up our hands in avowal to the triune God. 

       Chief musician, is your heart full of mighty praises to our wonderful Lord?  If not, remember that God is the Rock of your salvation.  As you remember who He is and what He has done, and what he is capable of doing, you can actually come into His presence with praiseful musicing. 

Prayer for the Day  

I want to thank You Lord that You are my strength and shield.  Thank You for helping me in my spiritual walk with You from day to day.  I also want to thank You Lord for giving me special help with my musicing this very week!  Help me to not forget that is You that have brought truth and joy to my life.  I want to take time right now to say “Thank You, thank You, thank You.”  Now Satan knows exactly where I stand today!  These things I pray in Your Strong and mighty and wonderful name.  Amen.   

Singing to the Rock of Our Salvation-part 1

Singing to the Rock of Our Salvation-part 1   

Psalm 95:1-2 states, “Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.  Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.”  (NIV)

       Why do we sing unto the Lord?  We sing because our hearts are joyful.  We are so excited about Jesus the Rock of our salvation that we shout aloud because of the thanksgiving and praise that wells up in our hearts.  Because of this joy we come before His presence with thanksgiving.

       What does it mean to extol the Lord with our musicing?  The word ruwa (7321) which is justly translated extol in the NIV means to shout aloud or to music with great strength.  It does not connote noise making as the AV would suggest.   The word todah (3034) which is translated thanksgiving means literally to extend the hands in worship. The words music and song in the NIV and psalms are derived from the Hebrew word zamiyr (2158) means to accompany a song with instrumental music.  So when we extol God with our musicing we sing with great strength songs accompanied with musical instruments. 

Song for the Day “Spirit of the Living God” by Daniel Iverson   

If you really want to “practice the presence of God” in your life, you might try meditating on the Decalogue “day and night”.

Singing about Our Chief Corner Stone

Singing about Our Chief Corner Stone

          My Son in law sent me the quote below by pastor Jim Cymbala the other day and I have been thinking about it ever since.  It is one thing to sing about Christ but it is totally another to have a personal relationship with the Christ about whom you are singing!  We as Christian musicians need to be sure that when we sing the gospel we are worshiping Christ rather than the gospel music.  A Christian should never sing or play sacred music for his or her aggrandizement.  As you will see when you read the quotation below, pastor Cymbala got it right when he said, “Sadly, some people use gospel music as a platform to go higher in their field…”  Gospel music should never be used by a musician as a stepping stone.  The gospel message should never be a stone to step upon because it is the message of our Chief “corner stone” Christ Jesus.

Quote for the Day

          "Gospel music has become very popular in recent years. Unfortunately, there are people involved in gospel music today who have no acquaintance with the gospel itself. The truth is that without the good news of Jesus Christ, there is no hope, no matter how much money a person may have earned in the music industry and how well they are known. Without Jesus there is no joy and no peace. The world testifies to that every day. So many celebrities have all the things this world has ...to offer, yet they have to stay drugged up to keep going. When you have Jesus, you don’t need escapism, because you can give your burdens to him and have hope not just for the here and now, but for eternal life.

          Sadly, some people use gospel music as a platform to go higher in their field; but you can’t go higher than the gospel! There are songwriters who try to write lyrics for gospel songs that are general enough to cross over into mainstream music, and so the gospel message is watered down. Whether we sing gospel music, or listen to it, we need to be a partaker in what we’re singing about. The next time you’re singing a gospel tune, whether the song sings the Lord’s praises or tells about the attributes of God and what he’s done in a person’s life, or shares the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ, think of the words you are singing – or writing – and let them come from a heart of gratitude for all that he has done!" ~ Pastor Jim Cymbala

Scriptures for the Day

Ephesians 2:20, “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.”

 1Peter 2:6, “Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.”