Quote for the day

"One definition of a philosopher is a person who says what he does not know and acts like its your fault." (Rev. Richard Grimeon)

Who can we trust philososophically?-part 5

Certainly Christian musicians should walk “circumspectly” and reject any autonomous music philosophical basis that purports that music is amoral.  If it is amoral then church music doesn’t matter.  If church music doesn’t matter, then it is not an effective form of worship.  Therefore, it is not capable of being efficacious.  I believe that just as James 5:16b says, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” I believe that the effectual fervent musicing of a righteous man or woman also avails much.  Why?  Because just like prayer, sacred music is given as an offering unto God  for his glory.  Therefore, it is a means of grace to the believer just like prayer.  That is one of the reasons why Church Music Matters so much!

Because all Music Matters, it must be philosophically accountable to God.  Since Christians do not exist in an absurd purposeless universe, all music making has moral purpose. I'm not saying that secular music is sacred. I simply mean that it is not experienced  in some kind of autonomous bubble outside of the lordship of Christ. So, the fine art of music does not escape moral purpose or the Lordship of Christ and furthermore, there is nothing purposeless in the life of a Christian. 

Church Music Matters and so does all music in the life of a Christian (or for the unregenerate for that matter).  It is not hard for many Christians to conceptualize the fact that Church Music Matters, but it is often very difficult for some Christians to understand how or why secular music matters. One of my philosophical presuppositions is that when it comes to secular and sacred music it is not “either or” but rather “wise choices” of both.  A Christ centered music philosophy must include a unified system of philosophical beliefs concerning the nature and value of the whole of music that will serve as a praxis for all of a Christian's musicing..  This  music praxis must include wise choices of  both secular music and sacred music.

Thought for the day

God intends for us to use the power of music to help enhance our understanding of who He is and what he is like, and what he does.  Have a wonderful February!  May God bless you. 

Thank you for a great first month!

       Yesterday was the last day of January.  It marks not only the first month of this year but also the first month of my new venture called Music Philosophy In Christian Perspective.   Welcome to the second month of  our philosophical discussions of music which one of God's wonderful perfect creations and gifts to mankind!  We have received  over 1,781 page views from the following 14 countries:  United States of America, United Kingdom,Germany, Bolivia, Canada, Romania, Denmark, France, Croatia, Malaysia, Russia, Cayman Islands, India, and the Philippines.  Praise God!  It has been our prayer from the beginning that God would allow this music Blog to go many places where I will never have the opportunity to minister musically.
       I want to thank all of you for taking time out of your very busy schedules to view my music posts.  Please pray with me that God will guide every post and allow it to reach those that need encouragement to keep ministering for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
       I also want to thank my daughter Mrs. Deanna Mander who kept after me to take this step of faith and share my philosophy of music with others. She was the one who designed the Blog for me to get started.  She has also assisted me with  phone calls from Northern Ireland and has added travel pictures from our trip to France.  I also want to thank Mrs. Sarah Fry who has designed the gadgets and has entered pictures in each.  I would  be remiss if I did not thank my wife Sheila and my daughter Rachelle who have assisted me greatly in technical computer matters.
       Thank you again for demonstrating your trust by viewing my posts daily.  Again I am asking  you to pray for this Blog and the Blogger.  It is my belief that there is a great need for philosophical discussions of music for those who desire to retain God in their search for truth concerning the nature and value of the whole of music.
     P.S. I also want to thank those I call the "Perfect Seven" who became followers first .

Thought for the day

"When we embrace the truth it increases our God consciousness."  (Marty Parks, Music Texas, 2009)

Who can you trust philosophically?--part 4

 It is a fact that the great majority of music philosophies today are: humanists (some religious),  atheists and (theistic) evolutionists. These musical minds believe wholeheartedly that in the beginning was “ameba” or worse yet in the beginning was “nothing”.  They do not even slightly accept the concept of "in the beginning God created music."  Among this group of philosophers, evolutionists and humanists believe that man came from nowhere and is ultimately going nowhere unless he authenticates himself in order to actuates his true humanness . 
 It is easy for them to believe that man exists in a purposeless universe and  is “caught in the wheel of time” and must authenticate or actuate his or her true humanness.  These musicians most often believe that music came from nowhere (since it is not a part of God's six day creation since God did not create) and is ultimately going nowhere.  To  humanist, atheist and evolutionist (sometimes religious) music philosopher, the main things that  matter about music is “me” and "my" and "mine".
This type of thinker concludes that music is amoral since man is god and god is man therefore god is in man because man created god. Therefore, any music that this musician composes, arranges or performs is god’s music. Furthermore all man’s music is created in god’s image since god is created in man’s image as the result of the "fact" that man thought god into existence in his or her life(this, of course, eliminates some of the atheists and theistic evolutionists).  Any music that pleases man will also please God and conversely no music that displeases man is pleasing to god. The end result is that man is god of his music.

 So, if you can wade through all the aforementioned philosophical mumbo-jumbo, you will be able to understand why a religious humanist, who is autonomous and has accepted any or all of this falsehood,  believes that all musical roads lead to heaven – why there is no profundity in music – why all music is appropriate for public worship and ultimately why music is all a matter of taste. [ wow, I just noticed that  the previous statement is a one sentence paragraph.  My English professor would not like that paragraph].

The disturbing fact is that synthesis thinking Christian musicians who believe some or all of the previously mentioned philosophical falsehood squeeze God out of their music education praxis and their philosophical basis of church music.  They squeeze God out of philosophical basis because they believe that God is only God of matters of grace and not nature.  When nature,  which in this case includes humanism and atheism, has thus eaten up grace, the result is devastating to Christian music philosophy.

Thought for the day-Fallacies of philo-part7

Can you imagine a composer sitting at his computer or writing desk thinking, "lets see, how can I write some music today that will say absolutely nothing?"

Quote for the day--who can you trust part 3

"The shelves in God's pantry are within your reach." ( Pastor Ben Durr, Sr.)  I believe that God's pantry contains many concepts of correct musicing that are within the Christian musician's reach in the 21st. century.  It is our responsibility as Christian music ministers and music educators to find ways to impregnate  all our musicing with "God education".

Who can you trust philosophically?--part 3

 

One thing for sure, public education will not directly teach the next generation of church musicians wrong things about God because they are not allowed to include God or biblical principles of musicing in their music knowledge.  Federal law in the USA  has mandated that public education can no longer retain God in  educational knowledge.  However, the fact that public schools and universities will not directly teach false concepts of God does not indicate that no false “God-education” will take place in the music classrooms of these educational institutions. 

 By eliminating God as the Creator and Lord of all music education, public education relays strong false messages about the nature and value of music to our young people.  Public education can no longer recognize God in the development of a philosophical basis for music education.  As a matter of fact, teaching God as the basis of all philosophical musical thought is forbidden.  The only safe path in public education is to omit the authority of God in any philosophical discussion of music.
  In public education, no sacred music concerts are legal and the sacred classics may only be taught or performed as music literature.  It is also most often mandated that there be no Christmas or Easter concerts.  The only time that it is totally legal to mention God in the music classroom is when the music instructor stubs his or her toe on the desk leg. 

Contemporary music educators are now so squeezed into the world’s mold that they do not seem to realize that the whole belief-system that music is amoral is the result of humanistic autonomous music philosophy.  It is no wonder that you can trust a humanist to conclude that all music endeavor begins and ends with man.  The philosophical bias of a humanist will always be that all meaning in life (if they even admit that there there is meaning in life) will be the result of self-actualization and the act of authentication of a  person’s free will.

Thought for the day

Maybe we wouldn't have so much conflict over music in our homes and churches if we would take the responsibility to educate our own musically.