Are all music offerings Acceptable?-part 2

 

Are all music offerings Acceptable?-part 2

Considering our musical offerings unto God in the light of them being quality art is a complicated matter.  The Bible is not completely silent about what makes an acceptable musical offering.  Amos 5:23 states, “Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.”  There were a number of factors that caused God to reject Israel’s worship.  So, it is difficult to say with specifity why God declared that he would not accept their musical offerings.  Nevertheless He did refuse their musicing.  Whether it was a combination of factors that caused God’s rejection is a mystery to us as we read this chapter thousands of years later.

 We are left with the possibility that the condition of the musician’s hearts could have affected the music part of the music they attempted to present to a high and holy God.  Was it the quality of the musical art that caused rejection?  There is no reason to believe that God rejected their musicing completely on the basis of the quality of their art. 

 

 

 

Are all music offerings Acceptable?-part 1

 

Are all music offerings Acceptable?-part 1

Supposing that all music is constructed equally is a faulty premise.   Since all of a creative musician’s artistic efforts are far from being equal, one does not automatically accept all of them for use in the context of Christian worship.  Likewise, supposing that in God’s perfect knowledge, all music is of equal value as a musical offering to Him is without biblical foundation.  Also, I am quite sure if you were to compare my creative sacred music efforts with the sacred music of J.S. Bach, you would definitely vote for Bach.

 Were all sacrifices recorded in the OT of equal value as offerings to be presented unto God? No!  Did God accept all of the sacrifices that were presented unto Him?  No!  Is it proper to consider our sacred musicing to be musical sacrifices unto God?  Yes, I see no reason the Christian musician should not consider his or her sacred musicing unto God to be musical sacrifices or offerings.  So, it makes sense that, since God has always had a divine perfect opinion about the offerings that worshipers have sacrificed unto Him, I see no reason that He would not care about musical offerings today. 

CHURCH MUSIC AND ROCK MUSIC-part 5

 

CHURCH MUSIC AND ROCK MUSIC-part 5

One of the significant elements of rock music performance is that it is often meant to be listened to at extreme decibel levels.  I believe that noise pollution in rock performance is a well-established fact.  Rock concerts and earphone listening to rock music is often experienced at extremely dangerous decibel levels.  One of the important elements of rock music performance is its controlling power over the mind at extreme decibel levels.  This level of performance and listening is part of the rock culture.  As a matter of fact, it is a good sign that the listener is deeply involved in the rock culture when he or she plays rock music at a near deafening level or when the earphones are turned up so loudly that the entire household gets to share what was intended to be a private listening experience.

Along with extreme volume levels comes distortion. One of the advantages of stereo hi fidelity listening used to be reproducing a performance with the aid of amplification without the annoyance of distortion.  A most disconcerting element of rock music performance is the continuous use of “on purpose” distortion of instruments and vocals.  I know that to a point beauty in music is found in the mind of the auditor (listener).  It is amazing to me that young people who can’t stand to listen to an L.P. record or a cassette recording because it has “too much noise” can listen to continuous distortion on a rock CD for hours at a time.  I don’t think it is too farfetched to recognize such behavior as the result of reprobate thinking.

A standard part of Western music for centuries has been that good music always flows with a forward directionality from relaxation to tension to relaxation.  Every good phrase has beginning, middle and end or beginning, climax and then closing or relaxation.  Maurice Ravel’s “Bolero” was a 20^th century example of the breaking down of this time-honored principal of compositional technique.  Rock music picked up the baton with “Inna – gonna – davita” in the late 1960’s.  This selection went on for approximately twenty minutes of tension with little or no release or relaxation.  Now in the early 21^st century it is the rock norm to produce a song that continues for a lengthy period of time without or nearly without resolution or relaxation.  The result has to have an unhealthy effect on the human psyche.

 

CHURCH MUSIC AND ROCK MUSIC-part 4

 

CHURCH MUSIC AND ROCK MUSIC-part 4

What about the church excluding rock based music on the basis of its extreme use of the elements of music like dynamics, rhythm, and beat in rock music.  Christian musicians who do not condone secular and religious rock music have sometimes made statements concerning rock music that cannot be substantiated.  Therefore, I am cautious of making these types of comments even though it is possible that many of them may be true or at least partially true.  However, I will attempt to address some of the issues of the elements of rock music in the discussion that follows.

I am skeptical of results derived from playing rock music to milk cows or to research projects involving playing rock music to plants.  My reasoning is obvious – we are not plants and, although we are part of the animal kingdom, we are not milk cows.  Be it fact or fictions that cows give more milk to Bach’s music than to rock music, I don’t want to place my philosophical basis on animal research.  Although there may be truth in the concept of backward masking, there is no evidence to prove that humans hear rock music or any music for that matter, in a backwards manner.  The term backward masking means playing and listening to a tape played backward.  I know of no empirical research that shows or tends to show that humans have a new hearing malady, which we might term “dyslexic hearing.”  It is my belief that we should first concern ourselves with the many problems with listening to rock music in a foreword direction.  When we resolve the plethora of confusion about conventional listening to rock music then perhaps we should analyze listening to it backwards.

CHURCH MUSIC AND ROCK MUSIC-part 3

 

CHURCH MUSIC AND ROCK MUSIC-part 3

Although both species of music existed since Bible times, there was sometimes very little difference between the styles of sacred and secular music.  Therefore, when composers like G.F. Handel used the same piece for secular and sacred settings there was often no contradistinction of style that would make this music inappropriate for sacred music.  Generally speaking there was often little rhythmic, melodic or harmonic difference between sacred and secular music.  This was not always the case but it was often a truism.  With the advent of jazz, country and especially rock music there were vast differences between these styles of secular music and traditional sacred music.  Therefore there was legitimate cause for concern when rock music began to be used as church music.

When a contradistinction of style did occur, the difference in the music centered around two aspects of the music.  First, the purpose of composing secular and sacred music was sometimes quite different.  Second, some secular music was created as dance music and was much more rhythm based than sacred music.  As a matter of fact, Jewish writers refer to the music of Ancient Israel as men’s music and women’s music.  Men’s music was text and melody based with the rhythm of the words always being the rhythm of the text.  Women’s music was rhythm based with only a few melodic turns repeated over and over again.

When it came to worship in the first or second Temple, women’s music was excluded from all public worship since it was rhythm based and was used for public mourning, dancing and even harlotry. (See Music of the Bible in Christian Perspective, Chapter 5)  In ancient times the church had the right to prescribe what style music was right and wrong, appropriate or inappropriate for music worship.  It seems from the Jewish writers that the exclusion of music based on species or style was a common practice in Ancient Israel.

CHURCH MUSIC AND ROCK MUSIC-part 2

 

CHURCH MUSIC AND ROCK MUSIC-part 2

Many church musicians believe that traditional styles of church music started like rock music.  We often hear stories that church music was first bar room tunes that were later ‘sanctified’ by church musicians. It is a little known fact among church musicians that until 1750, a great preponderance of all music composed was sacred music written specifically for the glory of God.  As a matter of fact much of the religious music was written specifically for public worship.

It is shocking to me that so few church musicians are aware of the well-known fact that two species of music have existed since at least the time of Ancient Israel.  One is sacred music and the other is secular music.  Furthermore, from the Middle Ages until 1900, a specific type of church music existed.  The bulk of this music was practical music to be used in regular church worship services.  The remainder of the religious music was written in the same styles but was intended as religious concert music.

CHURCH MUSIC AND ROCK MUSIC-part 1

 

CHURCH MUSIC AND ROCK MUSIC-part 1

Many people who are church musicians today are not aware of the history of rock music, nor do most people who attend church know the history of our more traditional forms of church music.  Sometime during the late 60’s and early 70’s young people from various churches began forming religious rock groups and began to sing and play this style of music in church youth services.  Next, they asked if they could perform for Sunday evening services and then Sunday morning worship.  Youth ministers were so happy to get some young people involved in worship that they allowed the worldly influence of rock music to become a part of public worship.  So the influence of secular rock music style was accepted in public worship.

          It was not a thought out process but rather a desperate effort to involve young people in public worship.  The thought that the church had allowed a style of music to be admitted to public worship that was basically antagonistic to Christianity was most often not considered.  The well-known fact that rock music was from its beginning a style of music that was basically antichrist was ignored.  The church ignored the fact that it had opened its arms to a style of music that was never intended to be used in public worship.  The church had been squeezed into the world’s mold without much of a fight.  It all came about under the disguise of helping teenagers to get involved in public worship.  Never before in church history had the church surrendered to an antichrist influence with hardly any fight.

 

Soli Deo Gloria -part 2

 

Soli Deo Gloria -part 2

I am concerned that Christians are moving away philosophically from this important concept.  In the twenty first century many times God has to share the glory of music with Christian musicians.  Isaiah 48:11 records God’s words,  “For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another.”  Isaiah 42:8 warns against giving glory and praise to anything or anyone but God, “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.”

The passage of Scripture in the forty second chapter of Isaiah very carefully explains in verses ten through twelve that we are to give God the praise when we sing sacred music.  “Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.  Let them give glory unto the LORD, and declare his praise in the islands.”

The intent of the musician whose heart is sold out to Christ should be, “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake.” Psalm 115:1.   God deserves all the glory and all the praise every time we bring him a musical offering.  Philosophically it is *repugnant to supposedly bring the great God who spoke worlds into existence a musical offering and then receive all the honor and praise while an audience bestows lavish honor on the performer.

 

 

 

Soli Deo Gloria -part 1

Soli Deo Gloria -part 1

 

Johann Sabastian Bach once said, “The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul.”  There is much said in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament and also in the New Testament, about our responsibility to music unto God for His Glory and honor and praise.  It is less understood as to whether or not we should music in order to refresh the soul. 

First of all, we should give some explanation as to what J. S. Bach could have meant by making the statement that one of the final ends of our musicing should be for “the refreshment of the soul”.  A general definition of soul is “the spiritual part of a human being” or the “the seat of affections of mankind”.  The Greek word psuche (5590) appears in 95 verses in the AV New Testament and is translated life, lives, soul, souls, and minds.  It is not clear what Bach meant but it is safe to conjecture that he meant that one of music’s purposes was the refreshment of the “inner man”.

Bach was correct in believing that music was created by God for His Glory and for the refreshment and edification of man.  Christian musicians have the awesome responsibility and privilege to use this wonderful art form to honor God and to edify and refresh the psyche of mankind.  We also know that Bach put God first in much of his compositional efforts because he often SDG (sole Deo gloria) at the end of his compositions. This Latin phrase was used by J.S. Bach in all (or nearly all) of his sacred compositions and in some or his secular compositions.  It was also used by G. F. Handel in his Te Deum.  The term soli Deo gloria which was abbreviated by Bach S.D.G. means glory to God alone or to the only God.

 

The Song of Fools -part 2

 

The Song of Fools -part 2

       Although the message of His suffering and death is a very solemn message, there is another side to this musical coin.  Turn it over and you will see victory through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You will see the joy of the debt of sin being paid by His suffering and death and resurrection.  You will also see that we can have a clean and pure heart through the efficacy of His precious blood that was shed on Calvary.  (See Acts 29:28, Hebrews 9:12, 13:12 and Revelation 1:5)  You will further see freedom from the guilt of sin.  You will also see the joy of having a relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in this life and in the life to come.  Sing and play and tell through your musicing, not only the suffering and death of our savior, but also of the fact that He was victorious over sin, death, hell and the grave.

 The message of the “song of fools” is very different because it is mostly an empty social gospel.  The gospel message of Christ crucified is far better than the foolish, light, chaffy, religious music that contains little of any eternal value. Church musicians that are still musicing the whole gospel should not allow themselves to be intimidated.  The true truth of the deep message of Christ crucified, buried, and risen again and seated on the right of the Father praying for us all is exactly what the post postmodern world needs to hear.

 

 

The Song of Fools -part 1

 

The Song of Fools -part 1

Ecclesiastes 7:5 states, “It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.”  Church musicians sometimes get a little worried that their musicing unto God is too serious, because all of us want people to like our music ministry.  What did the writer of the book of Ecclesiastes mean by “the song of fools”?  Was he suggesting that the content of the song is foolish or that those who are singing the songs are actually fools?  He probably meant “all of the above”. 

       Never be afraid of the seriousness of the musical message of Christ crucified.  The awesome depth and true truth of this message is the very thing that makes it worthwhile.  The message of Christ being obedient to the will of His Father: which included being reviled, rebuked, rejected, misunderstood, abused,  and tortured physically and mentally is a very solemn and worthwhile message.  Never be ashamed of the awesome and solemn truth about Christ’s suffering and death which we sing about in God’s house. The Christian musician should never “water it down” or fail to sing about the precious blood that Christ shed for the sins of the whole world.

Instrumental Music in Christian Music Education-part 3

 

 

Instrumental Music in Christian Music Education-part 3

 I also see no Bible based prohibition of using musical instruments that perform music (instrumental music alone) as a part of public worship.  After spending more than a quarter of a century studying the use of instruments in the Bible, I have concluded that the Bible records the use of instruments  alone and with singing in bringing praise and honor both inside and outside of ancient Temple worship.  Furthermore, after extensive study of music in the New Testament I find no biblical justification for the exclusion of musical instruments when worshiping God either publicly or privately. (For a very thorough study of the use of singing with and without musical instruments and the use of instrumental music alone in the Bible read chapter seven of Music of the Bible in Christian Perspective.)

 I have come to the philosophical conclusion that instrumental music education is vital and necessary to a quality CME (Christian music education).  Even a music education that is considered a basic CME should include some training in instrumental performance.  Certainly a thorough quality music education program must include the opportunity for students to play and perform in an instrumental music organization.

 

Instrumental Music in Christian Music Education-part 2

 

Instrumental Music in Christian Music Education-part 2

            Those who have chosen to sing without instruments are philosophically more biblically accurate than those who worship with a praise band with all the instruments amplified to such decibel levels that an observer can see mouths moving but cannot hear a word of the attempted praise offering of the congregation.  The question is not to use or not to us instruments in worship, but rather how a musician uses musical instruments in musicing unto God.

          With that introduction, I will say that the use of musical instruments is so connected and entwined with singing in both the old and New Testament that I can find no reason, based upon the Holy Writ to exclude the use of musical instruments in public worship.  Their use must: have properly controlled volume, be tastefully performed, be appropriately orchestrated, and properly utilized as a *concomitant to and not the master of, congregational singing.

Instrumental Music in Christian Music Education-part 1

 

Instrumental Music in Christian Music Education-part 1

          As was just mentioned, there is an age old argument among Christian musicians about the use of instruments in public worship.  Before I continue with this discussion about instrumental music education, I want to say that I have absolutely no objection to singing without the use of musical instruments.  Those who have chosen to worship God without using musical instruments have done so in the fear of God.  Although I have not made the same conclusions as they have, I respect their view and understand that they have not decided to exclude the use of musical instruments to in any way be contentious. So, I have no quarrel with those who do not use instruments as a part of public worship providing the do so on the basis of religious, music, or worship preference rather than biblical mandate.

             A cappella singing by a congregation is often a very worshipful experience.  On the contrary, all of us have experienced public worship in which a set of drums have almost completely covered up the singing of words to God by a congregation.  We have also had to suffer through songs like “Silent Night” being introduced by a mighty drum roll or a trumpet fanfare or a great hymn like Wesley’s “Arise My Soul Arise” accompanied by a monotonous rhythmic drum figure played over and over which is completely inappropriate to hymn style.