Thought for the day- A Prescriptive Approach part 8

Sometimes I hear Christians indicate that if a person becomes a Christian he or she will not have problems in this life.  Christians will have problems but God will see them through their problems.  I used to tell my college choir and Symphonic wind and string ensemble members, "Serving Jesus Christ is not always hippity-hop over the top."  However, it is worth it regardless of how things are going for a Christian.

A prescriptive Approach Part 8

       A Prescriptive Approach-Part 8
What are some principles of music found in the Bible?  Vocal music was most important since it was a vehicle for the word of Jehovah to ride into the hearts of the worshiper.  The instruments used to accompany vocal music were mostly string instruments that would not cover up the words.  Percussion was used but it was used to mark beginning and pauses and never used as a continuous driving beat.  Instrumental music was used for music therapy purposes.  We have every reason to believe that this instrumental music was melody oriented and produced a pleasing beautiful, restful effect on the listener.  We have absolutely no reason to believe that it was ugly, raucous or harsh sounding.  There were two species of music mentioned in the Bible, men’s music, which was controlled by melody and words, and women’s music, which was controlled by rhythm.  The use of women’s music is nowhere traceable in either the first or second Temple.

            Not all music was considered appropriate for public worship.  There were many instruments mentioned in the Bible but only some of them were used in Temple worship.  Some music was no doubt used for sensual purposes including harlotry.  Loud music was played at funerals by the hired professional mourners. 

       A word by word study of dance in the Bible reveals that most of the references do not refer to any type of religious dancing.  Some of the dancing was used specifically for idol worship and some of it was possible used for human sacrifices.  Dancing and furious drum beating was certainly never used in the Temple in the worship of Jehovah and dancing or rhythmic movement is nowhere traceable in the first or second Temple. 

       Although some secular music was used for improper purposes, not all references to secular music in the Bible were considered improper.  The term “joyful noise” of the authorized version is most unfortunate since the Hebrew word translated “joyful noise” meant with power, acclamation and great joy, NOT NOISE.  However, the Bible does say in Ezekiel 26:13, “And I will cause the noise (hamown 1995) of thy songs to cease...” and Amos 5:23, “Take thou away from me the noise (hamown 1995) of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.”  The word hamown used in the aforementioned Scripture does not mean strength or joy or acclamation but rather NOISE.

Quote for the day-Prescriptive Approach Part 7

"If they [non-Christians] are tired  of the noise which the world offers and seek music which feeds the spirit, does your church music attract them or does it have the same qualities and sound as the world's?"  Music in the Balance, Frank Garlock & Kurt Woetzel, pg. 92.

A prescriptive Approach--Part 7

      A Prescriptive Approach-Part 7
 Today we return we return to the question, “Does the church have the right and responsibility to prescribe what is best suited for music worship?”  Yes, the church has both.  How to go about making these choices has become difficult but that does not remove either the right or  the responsibility of establishing standards for church music.

       Does anyone but churches approach music from a prescriptive standpoint?  Could you imagine playing “Three Blind Mice” for a university piano entrance audition?  How far would you get?  Why the necessity of playing something like a Beethoven piano sonata?  Why does a university prescribe what music is proper, suitable, and appropriate for an entrance exam?  The reason is that they believe in all of the above as well as profundity in music.  Most university piano professors actually believe that Beethoven’s sonatas are more profound than “Three Blind Mice”. 

       So, when it comes to wise choices for undergraduate or graduate study they prescribe which music is proper etc. for every student to perform.  Why?  Because public universities believe that Music Matters.  They certainly believe in making wise choices and “Three Blind Mice” is simply not the appropriate music for undergraduate or graduate study. 

       To these professors music is most definitely an art form with standards of correctness.  Why shouldn’t Christian musicians have equally high expectations for church music?  Where did church musicians get the philosophy that there is no profundity in church music, no absolutes, and no standards of correctness or appropriateness?  Whether educating or edifying, there are absolutes in music.  Therefore it is possible to make wise and unwise choices of both.

Quote for the day-prescriptive Part 6

Rebels always miss the most exquisite pleasures of the senses.  By defying the law, they settle for junk, and junk doesn't give the same satisfaction as quality--at least to a normal mind."  A Return to Christian culture, Richard S. Taylor, p. 39.

A Prescriptive Approach Part 6

                                              A Prescriptive approach to Church Music Part 6

       Public music worship should not be a platform for the pastor’s or the minister of music’s personal tastes in music.  The assembly of believers does not gather to receive a music lesson on J.S. Bach or accapella choral techniques or to revisit the oratorios of Handel, Mendelssohn and Gounod.  Neither is the purpose of congregational singing to keep the hymns of Watts, Wesley and Fanny Crosby alive. Special singing is not an opportunity to fan the minister of music’s latent desire to sing bass in a famous southern gospel quartet or a country gospel band.  Richard S. Taylor sums up the matter quite well,

The fact that some people may like this or that is not sufficient reason for the church to use it.  The church should lead the way in such standards, not objectly follow every fad and custom which happens to be “in” at the moment.  The Church has no business adopting the philosophy, “If you can’t lick ‘em, join ‘em.”  We should be governed by basic and eternal principles.  There are music forms, whether secular or sacred, which create moods of pensiveness, or idealism, or awareness of beauty, of aspiration, and of holy joyousness.  There are forms of music which create moods of recklessness and sensual excitement.  Surely it doesn’t take much judgement to know which forms are most appropriate for religious function.1

So, church music selections should line up to Bible principles of music in worship.  Choices should not be made solely on personal preference but rather what this style of music will do to the whole life of the individuals who worship with it.  From the time of Plato and Aristotle philosophers have believed, more or less, that good music would cause one to tend toward the moral virtues and that bad music would cause one to tend toward moral decadence. 

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1 A Return to Christian Culture, p.87  Richard S. Taylor

Thought for the day-Prescriptivr part 5

Psalm 89:15 states' "Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound..."  If there is a "joyful" sound then conversely there must be sounds that Jehovah considers to not be "joyful'.

A Prescriptive approach-Part 5

                                                        A Prescriptive approach to Church music part 5

             The reason the church has historically taken a prescriptive approach to music ministry is that the monkey is on our back.  It is not God’s responsibility to provide a Bible verse that says, “Thou shalt not sing or play a certain genera of music.”  It is our responsibility to have spiritual discernment to only use music that is of good benefit and is well pleasing or fully agreeable to the perfect or complete will of God.

            With Romans 12:2 in mind, we can understand why a careful Christian develops a conservative musical conscious.  It is very possible for a careless minister of music to draw the line in the wrong place or to fail to draw any line and thereby fall into the error of synthesis thinking that there is no objective truth or “true truth” concerning church music.  This philosophy throws caution to the wind since church music is supposedly a standardless art with no absolutes.  Remember philosophically, direction determines destiny.  Once a church musician has accepted the world’s matrix of music, it seems only proper that the fads and trends of worldly styles of music are now the most appropriate for worship.

            So, what kinds of music should a church prescribe for public and private worship?  The answer to this searching question is not a simplistic one.  Many conservative Christian musicians have simplistically narrowed church music down to what I call “the seven songs God approves of”.  When a musician begins to specifically name the only arrangers, hymn and gospel songbooks, and the single style of music that is suited to the awesomeness and solemnity of worship, big problems emerge.  It’s virtually impossible to support such claims with Bible principles that govern music.  By this statement I am not capitulating my belief that there are styles that are or are not appropriate etc., I am simply pointing out that there is room for more than one style of music in public worship. 

Thought for the day-Prescriptive Part 4

When we read the Revelation we learn with certainty that God is going to hold the church responsible for what it does or does not do.  I believe a part of that judgment of God will be how we musiced into Him.

A Prescriptive Approach Part 4

A Prescriptive Approach-Part 4

It is not the purpose of this blog to try to tell church musicians exactly where to draw the line musically speaking.  The greatest problem with church music today is not that various Christian fellowships don’t agree exactly on what styles of music are best suited for public worship.  The big problem is that churches are no longer drawing any lines when it comes to music style.  In the midst of these troubled musical times churches have abdicated.  They have given up all responsibility for sorting out what is proper or improper, appropriate or inappropriate, suitable or unsuitable and certainly good and bad in church music.

Does it matter where a person draws the line musically?  Yes it matters because Church Music Matters to all serious Christians and certainly because Church Music Matters to God.  Remember that Ephesians 5 reminds us that “proving what is acceptable unto the Lord” is necessary in our properly “making melody unto the Lord”.  In Philippians 1:9-11, Paul admonishes the Philippian Christians

               And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,

               So that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,

               Filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ-to the glory and praise of God. (NIV)

Surely, there is much need for the 21^st century church to be able to discern what is best for music in worship.  If we need a godly depth of insight in order to discern what is best then conversely there must be that which is not the best.  Style of church music would certainly fall in this category of good and bad, best and worse, and appropriate and inappropriate.  Furthermore, the admonition in Romans chapter 12 to not be conformed to the pattern of the world system goes on to say in verse 2:13, “...that ye may be able to prove what is that good (agathos 18), and acceptable (euarestos 2101), and perfect (teleios 5046), will of God”.  The Holy Spirit inspired the Roman writer to use three Greek words in this passage.  We may argue about exactly what these words mean, but one thing is not arguable, the Holy Spirit never stutters.  If they all mean exactly the same thing, the writer would have repeated the same word three times. 

       So, there is agathos (18), which means that which is of good benefit, and there is euarestos (2101), well pleasing or fully agreeable, and there is teleious (5046), complete or perfect.  As church musicians, we must prove (dokimazo 1381) or approve, discern, and examine all our spiritual acts of worship or service to God -- including music we sing and play unto Him.