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Music and Worship
I.
References
II.
Technical Development
A.
Musicology
B.
Beauty
C.
Physiology of Music
III. Biblical Development
A.
Directive/Descriptive/Principle
B.
Textual Exposition
IV. Sacred Music—Standards and Hymnody
V.
Lingering Questions
VI. Summary/Conclusion
Music and Worship
I.
References
II.
Technical Development
A.
Musicology
B.
Beauty
C.
Physiology of Music
III. Biblical Development
A.
Directive/Descriptive/Principle
B.
Textual Exposition
IV. Sacred Music—Standards and Hymnody
Standards
A. Content
B. Arrangement
C. Instrumentation
Content
A.
God-ward (vs. man-ward)
B.
Didactic (vs. sentimental and shallow)
C.
Doctrinally accurate (vs. inaccurate)
D.
Clear (vs. nebulous)
Content
A.
God-ward (vs. man-ward)
B.
Didactic (vs. sentimental and shallow)
C.
Doctrinally accurate (vs. inaccurate)
D.
Clear (vs. nebulous)
John MacArthur
Christian Research Journal,Vol 23 /# 2 issue, 2001
“It’s clear that modern church music, as a rule, is vastly inferior to the classic hymns
that were being written 200 years ago. This is not, for the most part, a complaint about
the style in which the music is written. Rather, the lyrics are what most graphically
reveal how low our standards have slipped.
“Hymns used to be wonderful didactic tools, filled with Scripture and sound doctrine, a
medium for teaching and admonishing one another, as we are commanded to do in
Colossians 3:16. More than a hundred years ago, church music took a different
direction, and its focus became more subjective. Songs emphasized personal
experience and the feelings of the worshiper.
“Modern musicians have pushed this trend even further and often see music as little
more than a device to stimulate intense emotion. The biblically mandated didactic role
of music is all but forgotten.
“The effect is predictable. What we have sown for several generations we are now
reaping in frightening abundance. The modern church, fed on insipid lyrics, has little
appetite for Scripture and sound doctrine.
“We are also in danger of losing a rich heritage of hymnody as some of the best hymns
of our faith fall into neglect, being replaced with banal lyrics set to catchy tunes. It is a
crisis, and the church is suffering spiritually. Both pastors and church musicians need
to see the severity of the crisis and work diligently to reform...”
John MacArthur
Christian Research Journal,Vol 23 /# 2 issue, 2001
“...hymns were composed with a deliberate didactic purpose. They were written to teach
and reinforce biblical and doctrinal concepts in the context of worship directed to God.
Those hymns aimed to praise God by proclaiming His truth in a way that enhanced the
worshiper’s comprehension of the truth. They set a standard of worship that was as
cerebral as it was emotional; and that was perfectly biblical...
“These days worship is often characterized as something that happens quite outside the
realm of the intellect. This destructive notion has given rise to several dangerous
movements in the contemporary church.... This modern notion of worship as a
mindless exercise has taken a heavy toll in churches, leading to a decreasing emphasis
on preaching and teaching and an increasing emphasis on entertaining the
congregation and making people feel good. All of this leaves the Christian in the pew
untrained and unable to discern, and often blithely ignorant of the dangers all around
him or her...
“If music’s proper function includes “teaching and admonishing,” then music in the
church ought to be much more than an emotional stimulant. In fact, this means music
and preaching should have the same aim. Both properly pertain to the proclamation of
God’s Word. The songwriter ought therefore to be as skilled in Scripture and as
concerned for theological precision as the preacher; even more so, because the songs
he or she writes are likely to be sung again and again (unlike a sermon that is preached
only once)...”
Standards
A. Content
B. Arrangement
C. Instrumentation
Arrangement
A. Melodious
B. Complementary of Content
C. Edifying (vs. Entertaining)
D. Emotions-sanctifying
(vs. Emotions-indulging/inciting/inflaming)
Arrangement
A. Melodious
B. Complementary of Content
C. Edifying (vs. Entertaining)
D. Emotions-sanctifying
(vs. Emotions-indulging/inciting/inflaming)
“For those whose conception of music is still centered on words, harmless sound,
entertainment, and meaningless communications, the question of how notes and
rhythms could possibly become sensual might still be a burning issue. Human
communication includes words, pictures, and sounds. Allow me to ask some very
practical questions. Can vowels and consonants become either blessing or
blasphemy? Certainly they can. Can an artist, with the raw material of pen and
paper, create beauty? Yes. Can those same materials be used to create
pornography? Obviously. Just as vowels and consonants can become blasphemy
and pen and paper in the hand of an artist can become pornography, so notes and
rhythm, in the hands of a composer or artist, can become sensual. Is the picture
coming into better focus? Most can grasp the first two examples because they are
more overt. Music is more subtle and much more powerful than either of the
previously mentioned examples. Remember, it reaches the heart and soul.” p 100
Arrangement
A. Melodious
B. Complementary of Content
C. Edifying (vs. Entertaining)
D. Emotions-sanctifying
(vs. Emotions-indulging/inciting/inflaming)
John MacArthur
Christian Research Journal,Vol 23 /# 2 issue, 2001
“Modern songwriters clearly need to take their task more seriously. Churches should
also do everything they can to cultivate musicians who are trained in handling the
Scriptures and able to discern sound doctrine. Most important, pastors and elders need
to exercise closer and more careful oversight of the church music ministry, consciously
setting a high standard for the biblical and doctrinal content of what we sing. If those
things are done, we’ll begin to see a dramatic qualitative difference in the music that is
being written for the church.
“Meanwhile, let’s not throw out the classic hymns. Better yet, let’s revive some of the
great hymns that have fallen into disuse and add them once again to our repertoire.”
Arrangement
A. Melodious
B. Complementary of Content
C. Edifying (vs. Entertaining)
D. Emotions-sanctifying
(vs. Emotions-indulging/inciting/inflaming)
“...music is able to bring our feelings to 'the level of
awareness' by which we may '[know] through experiencing
what ordinary language cannot express.'...[M]usic's ability to
express emotion through use of symbols allows man to
know experientially what is normally frustratingly elusive
and to make value judgments about his feelings based on
something external to himself. Thus man's emotions can be
educated or, in religious terms, sanctified.” p 126
“By exposing himself regularly to the most beautiful forms of music, a Christian
can actually sanctify his emotions to appreciate true beauty. This enables him to
more rightly glorify God...The manner in which music may help to sanctify the
emotions, and thus improve man's ability to rightly apprehend God's beauty, is by
expressing only good, right, and wholesome emotions.” pp 127-128
“...only well-crafted music, because it is demonstrably beautiful, can educate the
emotions and ennoble character. It can do so exactly because good creations of
beauty are a reflection of divine beauty and help to cleanse sinful affections and
make one more able to appreciate what he should....In studying the beauty of
creation and attempting to mimic its qualities in art such as music, a Christian
may educate his tastes and prepare himself to be able to apprehend the beauty of
God.” p. 131
Arrangement
A. Melodious
B. Complementary of Content
C. Edifying (vs. Entertaining)
D. Emotions-sanctifying
(vs. Emotions-indulging/inciting/inflaming)
Standards
A. Content
B. Arrangement
C. Instrumentation