Musical and Social Meaning… Part 15

Musical and Social Meaning… Part 15

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.

A faith-based music philosophy that is informed, in light of 21^st century definitive research and philosophical understandings, must recognize that all music does contain social meaning in its fabric and landscape. This meaning is an inherent and unavoidable part of the music part of the music.  Therefore, the committed Christian worship leader must be very careful of the styles that he or she uses in the context of worship (and by his or her doing ipso facto places approval on the music), because musicing forms cultural performing and listening habits that will be shaped by these ideologically informed critical music metalanguages.