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Thoughts on Worship Music
With the aim of shaping Providence Evangelical Church worship
more toward God's preferences than our personal preferences, the
elder(s) will continue to think through various questions about
music. For those interested, here are just a few, recent
thoughts along that path.
Discerning theology
Like everything else in Christian living, worship music comes
to us in the midst of deep cultural struggles between light and
darkness. No aspect of our lives, including our judgments about
music, stands alone, untouched by theology. Some theology will
always shape our personal judgments about music.
When we find ourselves disliking (or liking) a piece of
music, we should try to find the assumptions that guide that
particular judgment. Then we should ask ourselves if that
assumption is biblical. We've absorbed many of our assumptions
about beauty from the modern world, a world often hostile to
Christianity. Assumptions about simplicity, speed, and time are
central to music, and yet these topics are a major source of
disagreement between Christianity and non-Christianity.
Modern Assumptions
One of the key modern assumptions that keep many Christians
from appreciating much great music is the simple idea that old
is bad and new is good (C.S. Lewis calls this 'chronological
snobbery'). In an evolutionary world that would be true, but in
a biblical world it often gets reversed. Sometimes we're told to
'ask for the old paths, where the good way is' (Jer. 6:16), and
sometimes we're told to avoid the old ways (Heb. 3:9,10). It
takes wisdom to discern when to do what, but the modern world is
largely dedicated to whatever is the 'latest.'
Similarly, modern attitudes like to make light of everything
but death. So they can't imagine using solemn sounds for
anything but a funeral. They never think of associating joy and
solemnity. So much gloriously solemn music is automatically
classified as a dirge or funeral music. But Scripture says that
other things, like joy and delight in the presence of God, often
demand solemnity too. Psalm 92:3 shows God's loving-kindness can
be expressed 'upon the harp with a solemn sound' (cf. Eccl.
7:3,4). A more biblical sensibility discerns between the types
of solemnities. Some solemnity is joyful, some full of awe, and
some is tragic.
Of course, personal prejudices can run the other direction
to liking only old music. That's not our conviction at
Providence Evangelical Church. But the simple fact is that the
deepest theological meditations on musical theory and
composition come from more mature Christian eras than our own.
Modernity is simply not saturated in Christian assumptions about
beauty the way the medieval, Renaissance, and Reformation
periods were. But that's not just a prejudice. We all long for
the day (and hope for it from our own congregation) when we can
compose greater music than past eras. Some of that happens in
our own day, but very little, especially in worship music.
Discerning the Beauty
Some of us may have thought through the worldview issues, but
we still can't see the beauty in some older pieces. Of course,
every era has plenty of inferior work. But, once again, it's
possible that modernity has prejudiced us to count only
surface-level beauty as real beauty. In other words, we discount
things that aren't immediately beautiful to our personal tastes.
We can tend to want everything to be immediate and automatic,
and we cast off whatever doesn't instantly please. That is one
reason why non-Christians treat Scripture lightly; they refuse
to look deeply. They can't see the beauty in the story, though
it jumps out at those who love God.
We also tend to think that if we're merely regenerate, then
we can easily discern between what is beautiful and ugly. But
wisdom always takes time and discipline and pruning. Scripture
orders us to 'incline your ear to wisdom' (including musical
wisdom) and 'apply your heart to understanding; . . . If you
seek her as silver, and search for her as hidden treasures, then
you will understand the fear of the Lord' (Prov. 2:2-5). Mining
takes great labor and exercise. Discerning beauty is like that.
It often takes great effort to train ourselves to see
profundity.
Rising to the Challenge
Sometimes, though, even if we grasp the complex beauties at
work in a piece of music, we get frustrated because of its level
of difficulty. Yet here too we need patience and discipline.
Reading English was once hard, but we overcame that. Singing
shouldn't come easily. Learning to sing glorious music will take
years of education. We rob ourselves of wisdom if we judge a
hymn or psalm after one singing. We don't even truly know it at
after only a month of singing. It can require a long period of
meditation and work. The worship service itself is an important
place for learning new music. After confession and assurance,
the focus of worship turns to rebuilding and sanctifying
worshipers. Both sermon and song train us up at this time.
Whenever we are weaker in some good thing, we should aim to
rise to the challenge. Depending upon where one is, it may mean
studying more music, joining a choir, reading more musical
history, taking instrument lessons. We have many grand hopes for
such things within Christ Church. But whatever it takes, we
should all aim to apply ourselves to grow in our worship. 'Sing
out the honor of His name; Make His praise glorious' (Ps. 66:2).
(The above was largely written by the elders of Christ
Kirk, to whom we give thanks for allowing our use, and modified
to reflect the name of Providence Evangelical Church)
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