An In-Depth Study
It's the issue that seems to cause more controversy and contention among Christian people than any other. Some claim it is irrelevant all together; others claim that God does not specifically speak to this area; still others claim to know with certainty exactly what God's design is in this area. Well, I'm determined to get to the bottom of it!
You would think I would have studied this out a long time ago, but such is not the case. I've heard and read teaching on it from others and spoken with many people who hold different positions. But I need to study it out for myself, as it is an issue that will greatly affect many aspects of my life. It is the issue of MUSIC in the life of the Christian.
It is inevitable that the way we have been raised and the teachings we have heard from others will affect the way we think and what we believe. It is a tremendous blessing to be raised by Godly parents and taught to apply the principles of the Word of God from a young age. It is also vital that the true basis for my beliefs comes not from being raised a certain way (whether it tend toward what we would consider a liberal or a conservative bent), but rather from personal study of the Word of God to discern how it relates to every area of life.
For this reason, I have attempted, to the best of my ability, to enter into this study with only two basic presuppositions in the area of music, these being:
1. God has created within us the capacity and means to make music.
2. God, through His Word, has given us sufficient revelation to understand how to utilize this capacity in our daily lives in a way that will glorify Him.
I'm excited already about some of what the Lord's been teaching me through this study and plan to post about this more specifically in future posts. I welcome the thoughts and insights of those who have studied out this area, and encourage those who haven't done so to take some time to do so.
I agree wholeheartedly with this statement by Ryan Zempel in his article Conservatives and the Arts, "The arts shape the culture in a profound way. If conservatives want to have a lasting impact on our society, we need to encourage our children to embrace and engage in the arts."
2 Comments:
This is so important, Natalie! I'm very glad you're starting to think about this. There are a ton of good books on this subject. But perhaps you might prefer something a little shorter to start thinking about. So, if you like, you can read my blog entry on Philippians 4:8. It's my second entry, so if you scroll all the way to the bottom, and come up one entry, you'll be there.
As for books, I'd recommend the following books, in this order:
Amusing Ourselves to Death, by Neil Postman. Postman is not a Christian, but he has a powerful book here.
Fit Bodies, Fat Minds, by Os Guiness.
Closing of the American Mind, by Allan Bloom.
All God's Children and Blue Suede Shoes, by Kenneth A. Myers. This is probably one of the most important and helpful books I've yet seen on culture.
Plowing in Hope, by David Bruce Hegeman.
State of the Arts, by Gene Veith, Jr.
Angels in the Architecture, by Douglases Jones and Wilson.
A Better Way, by Michael Horton.
Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down, by Marva Dawn.
I think these are all excellent reads.
In Christ.
Music is a topic I have long wanted to study in-depth, especially the topic of worship music. I have done a bit of studying on this topic, but really not much. I will be interested to hear what you discover.
You couldn't just give one recommendation, Adrian? ;) I won't even pretend I'll be able to tackle all those. I wonder how many my library would have. . .
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