Trashy Music (was WELCOME)

• Messages sorted by:[ date ][ thread ][ subject ][ author ]

>>"Worldly mediums" is an interesting phrase that you use here.
However,the only mediums that I know of are worldly, in the sense that
they are not spiritual.  Prayer is spiritual.  Even witnessing and
preaching are worldly, insofar as they communicate in the worldly
medium of transverse compression waves of acoustic energy.

Now we cannot reach the world through prayer alone.  Prayer is
certainly essential, and we cannot reach the world without it, but
sooner or later, someone somewhere has to use worldly mediums to reach
the world.  There simply is no other way.

Now, given that little diatribe, just what exactly did you mean by
"worldly mediums".  I know you had something in mind, but you did not
state it clearly.  How is one form of music worldly and another is
not?  Notice that I am not talking about the words, but the
instrumental music itself.  Please remember that cultural arguments
are not to be considered, because this gospel is even unto the
uttermost parts of the earth.

And for that matter, who played piano in the upper room? :-)<<



The "worldly medium" that I was specifically referring to is rock music.  Maybe I
should clarify my position a little bit here.  I am not a music expert, so I
hope I can get my thoughts across.  Basically when I talk about "Christian
rock" and am not referring to, what I would call "Contemporary Christian" music.
There are musical groups that emulate the "heavy metal" and "alternative" sounds
that are popular in todays youth culture.  Call me crazy, but I don't see how
emulating the world is "Christian."

You make some very good points.  I think that this discussion boils down to
being a cultural issue.  Some have made the point (and it is a very good point)
that several years ago there was opposition to incorporating certain types of
music and/or instruments into church music.  Of course, today we think nothing
of hearing drums, saxophone, etc. in our churches and most of our popular music
in Pentecostal churches can probably be traced back to the roots of Jazz or
other genres which can be traced to "Negro-spirituals" which can be traced to
the heathen/pagan cultures of ancient Africa.

However, I don't think the cultural argument is sufficient for this issue.  Some
would say that we must change with the times.  Using the same arguments we could
effectively demonstrate that maintaining many of the "standards of holiness"
that we, as Pentecostals, dearly embrace is culturally ridiculous.  Why would we
conform our movement to the music of this generation but not to the styles of
dress, etc?  It just doesn't make sense to me.  I think that we should be
consistent and reject the whole of today's culture or embrace all of it.
Personally, I am for the former.  =)  After all, how is the issue of pants on
women any different from the issue of "Christian rock?"  Both issues have the
same underlying premise: culture.  The argument for women wearing dresses is that
women and men should look different and that Christians should not look like the
world.  My argument is simply this: as Christians our music should sound
different from that of the world.  In the time and culture that we presently
live in that means that Christian music should NOT sound like rock 'n roll (or
alternative or rap...etc.)

The music that we play in our churches today would be completely foreign to the
Apostles, as would our style of dress (for both men and women).  The way I see
it, the important thing is that we must be honest with our selves, honest with
God, and try our best to NOT conform to this world and abstain from the very
appearance of evil.  This is all I am saying--this is my argument.

Of course, we could raise all sorts of objections and point our all types of
present and past cultural trends.  I know my argument is not water-tight--but it
is the best that I can do.  I am not saying that the church should never change
anything.  We must lest we become stagnate and die.  But, in our changing we
must be very careful not to become to much like the world.  For me, this means
(in part) that my family and I will not listen to any old music that is supposed
to be about God.


Whew!!  That took a lot out of me.  =)

I know that I don't have all the answers, and never claimed that I do.  But, I
have to draw a line in the sand somewhere.  For the issue of music, this is
where I have drawn it for me and my house.


Your brother in our creator and redeemer, Jesus Christ,
Bro. Kirk



***********************
 Kirk Van Ooteghem  
 00kmvanooteg@bsu.edu
 University Libraries
 Ball State University
***********************