Strengthening Evangelical Church Music Review

 

Strengthening Evangelical Church Music  Review

Not surprisingly, the reviewer, who referred to Johansen’s book as, “Prooftexting [sic] My Opinion on CCM in the Church.”  did not have the courage to give his or her name,  on one of the web sites that sells Calvin  Johansen’s Strengthening Evangelical Church Music, had some harsh things to say about Johansen’s treatise on evangelical church music.  This reviewer complains about Johansen’s use of Biblical references, but does not specifically quote any verse in the Bible.

The reviewer makes the statement, “… he [Johansen] condemns percussion while leaving out references to the verses in the Psalms concerning prescribed use of cymbals, high-sounding cymbals, tambourines, and other loud instruments.”  It will suffice that an historic and Bible study of these words will shed much doubt on the reviewer’s unfounded notions on these word meanings.  Also a fair review of what Johansen says about the use of instruments in evangelical church music certainly does not substantiate what the anonymous reviewer asserted.

 

 The anonymous reviewer’s mention of instruments probably was referring to Psalm 149:3 and Psalm 150:4 which both used the Hebrew word toph (8596)  Which was definitely not a tambourine but a very small breast drum (without any jangling contrivances).  The existence of the tambourine was not substantiated until 1000 years later.  The shofar (trumpet) was not a melodic musical instrument played by the Levite musicians but rather a signaling instrument played by the priests in ancient Israel.  Signaling by the shofar was used on festal occasions in conjunction with Temple on special occasions but is not listed in the Bible or in extra-biblical references as a musical instrument. The psaltery (nebel,5035) and the harp (kinnor,3658) were soft pleasing musical instruments that would not cover up the voice.

The nameless reviewer leaves the reader with the implication that only conservative Christian operate from a personal bias when it comes to religious music and musicing.  The statement “Prooftexting My Opinion on CCM in the Church” is far from a reliable statement.  Johansen is careful to make statements that are fairly and kindly given.  Johansen quotes the Bible extensively, but they are always given to help Christian musicians to strengthen the music they use in the context of evangelical worship.  The statement, “…in his zeal to preserve the classical aspects of church music, the author employs the same progressive villainizing, even demonizing tactics of those he would condemn” is not an accurate analysis of what Calvin Johansen was saying when he admonished evangelical Christian musicians to utilize music that would strengthen the music utilized in the context of worship.

To make the inference that the sacred music Bach composed did not support the sacred texts he used is certainly without scholarly basis.  A reviewer who tackles one of the greatest composer of sacred music owes it to the reader to give careful explanation and analysis of why he or she is hypothesizing that Bach failed to accomplish his purpose when he composed the music part of the music thereby failing to support the meaning of the text.  Certainly, I will have to agree with Johansen’s conclusions!

Calvin Johansen’s work is truly a treatise of dignity and length.  If you are wondering about whether or not to purchase this book, my opinion is that it is a “must read” for all evangelical church musicians.  Calvin Johansen, as the nameless reviewer states, is writing from a “perspective of erudition” because he is a learned scholar with years of experience as a church musician and an academician.  This experience and knowledge has Made it possible to write this treatise.   Garen L. Wolf I