Musical and Social Meaning…part 14

Musical and Social Meaning…part 14

Remember that metalanguage, as used here, means that music communicates beyond the restraints of spoken or written communication. A faith-based music philosophy that is based on Bible based principles of musicing, must consider that, since musicing is so emotive, it is capable of bypassing reason and restraint. Considering music and musicing as metalanguage and metacommunication gives insight into an understanding the world of emotions and passions triggered by musicing that help to develop an ideologically informed one’s paradigm and ultimately that person’s worldview. 

Isaiah 28:10 teaches, “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little…”  When we “do” music over and over again utilizing styles of music that the world has developed from its informed ideological mold, that is by no means a friend of grace, this “doing” helps to align, conform, and actually squeeze Christians into the world’s paradigm of how one should music. Isaiah 28:14 states, “Wherefore hear the word of the LORD…” as opposed to aligning with a world view that is opposed to “the word of the LORD”.  When a fellowship of believers musics exactly in the same manner as the world musics (except for the text) the church at large is partially responsible for aligning itself the world’s ideologically informed paradigm and worldview.