Humanism and Music Philosophy

 

Humanism and Music Philosophy

          To many people who read a work on philosophy of music, an author that rejects humanism is considered to be either a bigot or at least a writer who has been hiding under a rock.  So, I will define some basic understandings of what being humanistic is generally considered to be.  A simplistic definition of a humanist is a person having a strong interest in or concern for human welfare, values, and dignity. However, a more realistic definition of one who is humanistic is one who adheres to the philosophy which often rejects religion, theology, and Bible teaching in the process of asserting human dignity and man's capacity for fulfillment and self-actualization.  Therefore, I find myself at loggerheads with what humanism really stands for as it is played out in the philosophy and praxis of a musician.  Furthermore, there are music philosophers who are secular humanists and others who are religious humanists.  They both believe that all musicing begins and ends with man. Therefore, in reality they are in reality autonomous musicians. 

          I am not a humanist, but I am concerned with the interests and welfare of humans.  To not be concerned about the welfare of others would not be Christian. Matthew 22:39 and Mark 12:31 both state, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” None can love his or her neighbor and not be concerned with his human need and condition. However, much of my philosophic writing openly rejects what humanism has come to mean.  So, when either secular or religious musical humanism is discussed in my writings, the reader must remember that I am in no way advocating denying the human rights of musicians or that I do not care about musicians as humans.  I am simply rejecting the philosophy that music begins and ends with self.  I also reject any path toward a music philosophy that rejects Bible based theology; what the Bible teaches about music and musicing, and musicing outside of the Lordship of Jesus Christ .

 

Christian Robbers

 

Christian Robbers

Proverbs 11:24  “There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.” (AV)

Proverbs 11:24 “There is one who scatters, and increases yet more. There is one who withholds more than is appropriate, but gains poverty.” (WEB)

Proverbs 11:24  “A man may give freely, and still his wealth will be increased; and another may keep back more than is right, but only comes to be in need.” (BBE)

The three translations quoted above give us a picture of people who do not support God’s work.  The Bible is so very clear about a Christian tithing his or her income.  It is amazing to me that so many people who attend church very faithfully do not pay ten percent of their income to the Lord.  As I understand tithing we do not actually “give” our tithe but rather we “pay” tithe to God because we owe a tenth of our increase to God.  A Christian pays tithe and gives offerings. 

Malachi 3:8 states, “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.”  The Bible that we are robbers if we do not if we do not return to God both tithes and offerings.  Although I do not believe that the Bible supports “health and wealth theology, I do believe that if a Christian is going to prosper spiritually, he or she must pay tithes and give God offerings. 

Concerning Secular and Sacred Music part 9

 

Concerning Secular and Sacred Music part 9

As was stated earlier, it is an error of judgment to consider that all of a Christian’s musicing, even though that person’s life is ultimately lived in honor of God, is an act of direct worship to God.  Such thinking seriously muddies the water when considering “sacred” and secular”. St. Paul’s Roman’s 12:1 admonition to 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” is not a Bible proof that all of a Christian’s musicing is a sacred action. 

However, in light of the fact that all of a Christian’s music and musicing must come under the Lordship of Christ, it behooves a Christian musician to be careful of all of the music that he or she performs-be it of a sacred or secular nature.  So, we will proceed with the discussion of Thinking about Sacred Music by considering, without prejudice, the terms sacred and secular music. Our discussion is predicated on the logical separation of the whole of music into these two subclasses.  This division will facilitate the understanding that both subclassifications have different attributes and purposes. Therefore, each has a different essential nature and value.

 

Concerning Secular and Sacred Music part 8

 

Concerning Secular and Sacred Music part 8

Another reason for categorizing music into sacred and secular is that these classifications have been used for thousands of years by Christians and non-believers.  In a sincere efforts to build a faith based philosophy and communicate that philosophy to believers and non-believers, a Christian musician needs to be very careful to not overstate the nature, value and purpose of all music and musicing by using the terms  “sacred”, “sacred action”, or “musical offering” to identify all of a Christian’s musicing.

 I find no direct Bible support for considering that all of a Christian’s musical actions are sacred acts or musical offerings unto God.  Therefore, it is an error of philosophical judgment to support an all “sacred” philosophical position to either musicians or music philosophers who are not believers.  We already have many barriers to communicating with secular musicians and secular music philosophers.  Therefore, it is unwise to add to the confusion by denying the time honored sacred-secular music classifications.

Concerning Secular and Sacred Music part 7

 

Concerning Secular and Sacred Music part 7

God desires that we should love and serve Him.  This we know from Deuteronomy 10:12-13, “And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good”?  Matthew 22:37 affirms this teaching when  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind”.  However, I find no Bible lesson where Jesus taught that every life action of a Christian must be directed toward Him.

 Our life actions must bring honor to his name, but they are not all elevated to the position of being considered sacred or direct continual worship or offerings made to Him.  In view of this, Christians are commanded may times in the Bible to sing and to music directly unto God, but they are not commanded in the Bible that all of their singing and all of their musicing must be directed to Him.  This we know because all of the music and musicing mentioned in the Bible is not of a sacred nature.  Furthermore, not all of the secular music mentioned in the Bible is condemned.  Noteworthy is the fact that although some secular music and musicing is condemned in the Bible, so is some religious music and musicing.

Concerning Secular and Sacred Music part 6

 

Concerning Secular and Sacred Music part 6

 Although most would agree that it is perfectly acceptable for a Christian to play baseball, it is an error in philosophical judgment to consider  playing baseball to be a sacred experience.  How a Christian acts when he or she plays baseball is a definite part of that person’s life of bringing honor to God, but the act of playing baseball should not be considered to be a sacred experience.  Furthermore, trying to become the best baseball player possible should not be elevated to being a sacred act of a life of worship to God.  As a matter of fact, personal aggrandizement and self-actualization often become humanistic endeavors that are far from selfless acts of worship to God.

 When Christians try to spiritualize every action as though it was a worship service in a Church, we confuse the distinction between acts of worship both corporate and private and normal actions that are not addressed to God.  God has planned that regenerated man should have an abundant multifaceted life.  The Bible teaches that the Christian’s life should ultimately be lived out in a way that will bring honor and glory to Him.  Although there is not time, space , or is it the purpose of this discussion of Thinking about Sacred Music, God has provided different types of love for the believer.  I do not find evidence or support for the notion that God expects all of a Christian’s doing to be directed toward Him. 

Concerning Secular and Sacred Music part 5

 

Concerning Secular and Sacred Music part 5

When a Christian’s worldview of the whole of music and musicing is divided into two categories called sacred and secular, this view of the whole of music does not form a negative or erroneous philosophical dichotomy.  Such philosophical understanding and classification system of music and musicing has historically been understood for centuries by musicologists, music philosophers, music educators, church musicians, and musical performers.  Therefore, it makes sense to believe that the essential character of sacred and secular music is many times different, though admittedly not always polar opposites. these two musics are often, though not always, philosophically at loggerheads with each other when they have opposing natures and purposes.  For this reason, and for other reasons, lumping all music and musicing in the life of a Christian into one category, erroneously called a sacred experience and or a musical offering unto God, is a serious error of philosophical judgment.  Even though the whole of life is sacred, not all of a Christian musician’s doing is a spiritual offering unto God.

Concerning Secular and Sacred Music part 4

 

Concerning Secular and Sacred Music part 4

Another confusing belief is that all of a Christian’s muscing should be elevated to a spiritual level.  When a Christian musician places all music and musicing under the nebulous category of being a sacred effort, and ipso facto sacred musicing that is offered as part that musician’s life of worshiping God.  This faulty paradigm of the whole of a Christian’s musicing makes any prescriptive approach to sacred music and musicing in corporate worship undefendable. 

With the philosophical view that all music and musicing in the life of a Christian is accomplished as spiritual music experiences comes the slippery philosophical slope of believing that, since all of a Christian’s musicing is philosophically “ a sacred act”. As a further result of this faulty thinking, all acts of musicing (sacred or secular) are a valuable concomitants to corporate and private worshiping of God. To avoid this error of judgment concerning the essential nature, value, meaning, and purpose of music and musicing, a Christian’s worldview of the whole of music and musicing, must, of necessity, distinguish philosophically between  sacred and secular.

Concerning Secular and Sacred Music part 3

 

Concerning Secular and Sacred Music part 3

 There is also the matter of sacred music that was not composed with corporate worship in a church I mind.  An example of such music was the sacred oratorio by G.F. Handel. It was conceptualized as public concert music.  However, the texts are chosen from the Bible and the music part of the oratorio is appropriate for use in corporate worship.  Since there is no contradistinction caused by the music part of the music or the texts, the oratorio may be appropriately considered to be sacred music.

One of the unfortunate philosophical positions of some Christian musicians is that all religious music is appropriate in the life of a Christian and conversely that all non-religious (secular) music is inappropriate in the life of a Christian. On the surface it seems that including only sacred music in the performance praxis of a Christian musician would greatly simplify music philosophy.  This faulty praxis only complicates matters since it removes the responsibility of the Christian to prove what is “acceptable unto the Lord”.  This faulty music paradigm has spawned generations of Christian musicians who believe that there are no absolutes, rules, or standards of sacred or secular music. To them, there is only one guideline – it has to be religious in nature by having a religious text.  Under this mindset, sacred and secular music is a standardless art that does not have to be evaluated or pass any tests of suitability and appropriateness or correctness or incorrectness. (See Music Philosophy in Christian Perspective, Chapter 2). 

Concerning Secular and Sacred Music part 2

 

Concerning Secular and Sacred Music part 2

 At this point I will  briefly define what I mean by the term  secular as it applies to the music and musicing of a Christian, and distinguish it from sacred music that is appropriate for corporate worship.  I define secular music as that which pertains to temporal matters rather than with spiritual matters Secular music that follows the spirit of anti-Christ, is blasphemous, or is irreverent does not belong in the life of the Christian.  However, music that is not religious but is clean and wholesome in nature does belong in the life of a Christian.  Secular music that is concerned with that which relates to life in general is many times of a wholesome nature.  Secular music that a Christian performs must be of a morally sound nature and it must be  amenable to the cause of Christ.  Furthermore, a Christian may only include secular music that passes the tests and conditions of Christ-centered living and does not bring reproach on the cause of Christ by its enactment.

So, secular music is music that is not directly religious in nature.  Sacred music that is appropriate for use in corporate worship is distinguished by being hallowed by proper religious association; meets all the tests of being appropriate for corporate (and private) worship of a high and holy triune God; is performed expressly for the glory and honor of God, and is presented as a musical offering unto God.

 

 

 

 

 

Concerning Secular and Sacred Music part 1

 

Concerning Secular and Sacred Music part 1

I believe in the sacredness of life.  Furthermore, I believe that all of a Christian musician’s musicing must come under the Lordship of Christ.  No part of the musical efforts of a Christian is done in a vacuum that escapes the simple fact that Christ must be Lord of all music and musicing whether it  is a sacred or secular experience. The Bible states very clearly in 1Corinthians 10:31 “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God”. Paul’s discussion was addressed to eating meat that was sacrificed to idols.  However, I have no philosophical objection to the belief that in the process of living out a life of “living sacrifice” unto God, all of what a Christian musician does, in the large picture, must bring glory and honor to God or at least it must be amenable to the cause of Christ.

 By categorizing music and musicing into sacred and secular music, I am in no way saying that a Christian’s secular musicing should ever dishonor or bring a reproach upon the Lord Jesus Christ.  However, there is absolutely no Bible support for the notion that a Christian musician is required to perform only sacred music.  That being said, a  Christian  is obligated to make wise choices of all the music he or she performs—be it either sacred or secular. Failure to distinguish between sacred and secular, sacred and profane, appropriate and inappropriate,  sets the Christian musician up philosophically to not be able to support the belief that there is at times a great difference in the essential nature and character of sacred and secular music.