One Eextremely Touchy Subject

One extremely touchy subject in Christian circles is that of music. It has been said that “music is the language of the soul,” so it makes sense that one’s emotions would be so involved. Sadly, as with many things in the Church today, what the Bible says and what the reality is about music are given a back seat to the emotions of too many professing Christians.

Here at PFBC, it quickly becomes obvious that we keep our music very conservative instead of pandering after the ever popular CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) used in the vast majority of churches. Why do we do this!? “Why can’t we be like all the other churches? Why is our music so old-fashioned? All the other churches have life-changing, dynamic, exciting worship that brings people closer to God and changes their lives. Their music enables them to enter the presence of God and experience Him for all He is! Why can’t we be like them?” Those are valid questions! This brief article cannot do justice to the biblical answer; so I will very briefly summarize, as best I can, why...

The CCM “worship” that takes place in most churches is problematic. About this, Vaughan Roberts, in his book True Worship, wrote the following:

1) God’s Word is marginalized. In most of those churches, music and lighting designed to “lead to ‘encounters’ with God” are the focus; the preaching of the Word is shortchanged.

2) Our assurance is threatened. If we associate “God’s presence” with a particular experience or emotion, what happens when we no longer feel it? The reality of God in our lives depends on the mediation of Christ, not on subjective experiences.

3) Musicians are given priestly status. When music is seen as the means to “encounter God,” worship leaders and musicians are vested with a priestly role. They become the ones who bring us into the presence of God rather than Jesus Christ. And the Pastor or Elder who merely preaches? Well…
Then there are those who believe that music is “amoral” (without right or wrong), revealing a lack of even a basic understanding of music form or function. It can be demonstrated, both in everyday life and from the Scriptures, that music affects body, soul, and spirit. Therefore, music has moral attributes – i.e. it does have both good and evil effects on individuals.

For one everyday life example, Muzak (a multi-billion dollar, worldwide corporation) exists (and quite profitably so!) specifically because of that effect music (any kind or style of music) has upon people. Specific styles of music are designed by Muzak to control customer behavior in any business establishment using its services. This has been proven to be effective 100% of the time; in fact, Muzak guarantees it in writing.

David, when serving King Saul, played his harp to calm the agitated king. His playing affected Saul in that he was “refreshed” (a physical effect), “made well” (an emotional effect), and “the distressing spirit would depart from him” (a spiritual effect) (1 Sa. 16:14-23).

Music (any and every style, regardless of the lyrics) has been proven time and time again, both in everyday life and from the Scriptures, to be a moral agent. Yet ignorance reigns (willfully) in the Church regarding this effect!

The basic science of music (any kind or style of music) is that it has three basic parts to its form: melody, harmony, and rhythm. The melody is the part that carries the “tune.” The harmony are all the “extra notes” that make the tune sound more interesting. The rhythm is the “beat” that makes a song “flow” (rhythm means “to flow”). The rhythm is the physical aspect of the music – it’s what makes it “work” – thus, it is vital. The harmony is the emotional aspect of the music; the way harmony is formed always has a direct impact on one’s feelings. The melody is the part to which everyone relates (if you “know” a song, what you “know” is its melody); thus, the melody is the soul/spirit of music. According to Scripture, what is the most important aspect of our lives: our bodies, our emotions, or our souls/spirits? According to Scripture, upon which are we to focus as Christians? Does that include in our music? Yes! For a song to be “good,” it ought to have well-balanced form with theologically accurate lyrics. CCM is typically more pagan than Christian.

There’s much more, but that’ll get you thinking.