A Christian’s Worldview of Music

A Christian’s Worldview of Music

THERE WAS A TIME in my career when I believed that a music philosophy was always developed before the formation of a music worldview. Now I understand that worldview, and specifically music worldview, is the window through which musicians view what they believe is the truth about the nature and value of music. All Christian musicians have a music worldview, but being a Christian does not ensure that one’s worldview of music is truly Christian. I define music worldview as how a musician perceives the whole of music in terms of what that musician considers the reality of what is right and wrong, appropriate or not appropriate concerning music.

The Christian musician’s presumed reality is woven into a Christian’s music philosophy. What is woven into the musician’s philosophy from worldview will strongly shape how the musician views and deals with music in relationship to being in the world. Certainly, every Christian is in the world, but simply being in the world does not mean that a Christian is “of the world”, i.e., is squeezed into the world’s mold philosophically. Hopefully, the Christian will not be convinced by those who are not Christians to view the world and music as they do. The way that Christian musicians view the world will strongly influence the way they view music in this world

In St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans (12:1-2) he strongly admonishes Christians, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” The words “not conformed” (me suschematizo, 3361, 4964) teach us that in the process of presenting ourselves to God we must not let ourselves be fashioned into the pattern of the world’s paradigm. It is interesting to note that the original meaning of the word paradigm first appeared in English sometime during the 15th century and meant “an example or pattern”. However, since the 1960s the word paradigm has developed the meaning of a framework containing a person’s basic assumptions and ways of thinking and knowing.