Teaching a Biblical Philosophy of Music Dr. Jon Ensminger Northland Baptist Bible College

I. W hy be concerned about teaching a biblical philosophy of music? A. The power of music to influence. 1. 2. 3. 4.

Behavior. Thought patterns. Atmosphere. Attitudes.

B. The biblical importance of music. (Eph 5: 18-20) 1. Praise. 2. W orship. 3. Edification. C. The pervasiveness of popular rock-oriented styles in Contemporary Christian music. 1. Media: radio, television, internet (MP3), bookstores, publishers. 2. Churches. 3. Popularity, especially with young people. 4. Close associations with ecumenical, charismatic, and "church growth” movem ents. D. T he n eed for a c arefully developed, conse rvative “theo logy of m usic.” II. The spiritual role of music: biblical and theological issues. A. Music and the attributes of God. Rom. 1:16-20 1. c reato rship 2. holiness 3. righteousness 4. power B. Music and worship. Eph. 5:18-20; Col 3:16 1. personal. 2. corporate. 3. praise and worship 4. God's standards for worship.

C. M usic and spiritual growth

II Pet. 1:1-12; I Cor. 14:15

1. faith 2. virtue 3. knowledge 4. temperance 5. patience 6. godliness 7. brotherly kindness 8. charity D. Music and m orality. 1. holiness and separation from the world I Pet. 1:13-16 2. though t life I Pet. 1:13; II Co r. 10:4-5; Ph i. 4:8 3. the involvem ent of m an in c reation of m usic. Ge n 1- 4 , Rom . 1 - not all music is necessarily good - m usic can be affec ted by man’s dep ravity 4. music and temptation I Cor. 10 III. Teaching a biblical philosophy of music. A. Comm on Mistakes 1. N arrow focus: targeting CC M exclusively. a. the negative aspect of a philosophy need s to be balanced by a positive asp ect. b. th e challenge of C CM has caused us to think s eriously about our m usic and ministry philosophies 2. Encyclopedic view of the Bible. - this problem cuts both ways: defenders of CCM claim there is no scriptural injunction against it, while opponents sometimes wrest verses out of context or attempt to build a case where there is none. 3. Reductionism. a. over-generalization. - caused by overly-simplistic descriptions of musical structure or meaning. - results in “broad-brush” statem ents which alm ost always have counter-examples. b. incomplete analysis. - a focus on one aspect of, or one type of, CCM m usic, ignoring other factors or counter-examples.

4. Logical fallacies .() - Stephen Downes - com m on ones: slippery slope, prejud icial language, appeal to auth ority, ad hominem attacks, false analogies, straw man. 5. O ver-relianc e on “science.” - the subjective nature of art (music) makes it particularly unsuitable for scientific experimentation. 6. Over-reliance on “expert” opinion. - see the log ical fallac ies ab ove - “app eal to autho rity.” 7. Historicism. - used on both sides of the argument; example - “History has shown that the use of styles originated in and popularized by the world has been abu nda ntly succes sful in the ch urch.” Ste ve M iller, The Contem porary Ch ristian M usic Debate , 144. Aside from the questionable accuracy of this sta tem ent, it is a n obvious appeal to histo ricism . Attem pts to refute it solely on historical grounds are also appeals to historicism. 8. In consiste ncy. - not being consistent in application of principles. This can happen in two ways: - draw ing a conclusion based on fau lty or incom plete analysis (see above) and then approving of m usical styles which literally violate those principles. [reductionism] - not practicing what w e pre ach ; allowing our p ersona l likes to color our application of principles. 9. Evading issues (changing the subject), usually because of a lack of knowledge or preparation. B. An effective approach. 1. As k ques tions. G et studen ts to think. a. b. c. d.

define music. explore the importance of music. explore the moral and spiritual ramifications of music. explore the application of biblical principles to musical choices.

2. Apply biblical principles. Rem ain focused on biblical teaching. 3. Think and act consistently. Practice what you preach.

IV. Defending the biblical basis for conservative music standards. A. Discern between biblical absolutes and application of general principles. B. Focus on the true goals. 1. Spirit-filled discernment vs. dogmatic absolutism. 2. Spiritual growth and discipleship vs. rules and regulations. 3. H oliness and m atu rity vs . wo rldliness and im m atu rity. C. Recognize the difference between objective data and subjective opinion. 1. O bjec tive m usical data -

associational behavioral historical or cultural visual comm ercial theoretical

2. Su bjec tive data - preference s an d taste - inference of meaning - m usical interpretatio n or pe rform ance style D. Base standards on objective rather than subjective data. 1. Prevents debate over the wrong issues. 2. Avoids defense of the indefensible. IV. W hat are some good reasons for advocating and enforcing conservative music standards? A. The functional and associational evidence against CCM. 1. Musical syncretism: results in a blurring or elimination of Christian distinctives. 2. Imitation of imm oral appearance or stage behavior of secular musicians. 3. Drift from Christian message in the lyrics. 4. Unholy alliances with worldly artists and record labels. 5. antagonistic or rebellious attitudes express ed in lyrics, appearance , or statem ents 6. Charismatic and/or ecumenical lyrics. 7. Vague, watered-down, or heretical lyrics. B. Problems with the popular music medium. 1. Sensual, overly intimate, or outrageous singing styles. 2. Emphasis on sensual dance rhythms and resultant motions. 3. M usical limitations: a ddictive nature o f the m usic, inapp ropriate tex tual se ttings, stereotyped stylistic devices, weak formal characteristics 4. Lack of suitability for congregational or choral singing. 5. C lichéé-ridden, poorly-developed poetry. 6. Emphasis on over-amplification and volume. 7. Emphasis on individual feeling, self-expression. 9. Tendency to break down normal sense of propriety and inhibition.

V. Sample Questions and Discussions.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Clou d, David W . Contemporary Christian Music Under the Spotlight. W ay of Life Litera ture, 1998 . (www.wayoflife.org) Fish er, T im. Th e Battle for Ch ristian Mu sic. Sacred Music Services, 1992. -----. The Music Discipleship Study Guide, 2002. -----. Harmony at Home, 1999. (www.smsrecordings.com) Ga rlock , Frank and Kurt W oetze l. Music in the Balance. Majesty Music, 1992. (www.majestymusic.com) Johansson Calvin M. Discipling Music Ministry. Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. 1992. -----. Music and Ministry: A Biblical Counterpoint, 2nd ed.. Hendrickson

Publishers, Inc. 1998. (www.amazon.com) Luc arini, Dan. W hy I Left the Contemporary Christian Music Movement: Confessions of a Former W orship Leader. Evange lical Press, 2 002 . (www.amazon.com) Ma kujina, Jo hn. Me asuring the Mu sic, 2 nd ed. Old Paths Publications, 2002. (www.oldpaths publications.org) Miller, Steve. The Contemporary Christian Music Debate: Worldly Compromise or Agent of Renewal? Tyndale House Publishers, 1993.