music

A short synopsis of music: my thoughts and conclusions thus far (I have not come to a sure conclusion on music yet)

The Bible has little to say on what music is, and on what is right or wrong about it. The Bible tells us to be musical. -- Col. 3:16, Eph. 5:19, (And a host of OT verses where David was involved in both composing and playing music, and using music to worship God.)


Some other facts:

The Bible does not define music (as far as I have found; I would be interested if someone could prove otherwise). I wonder if I need to be a music major to define music acceptably. I do not have a definition currently. It will take time/study which I don't have much of currently.

The Bible does not condemn any particular beat/melody.

Different cultures involve different types/styles/beats/etc. Therefore, just because we are an Anglo-Saxon culture does not mean that all other styles/types/etc are wrong.

Music can consist of both lyrics and melody. Obviously, bad lyrics -- swearing, wrong theme/topic, etc -- are wrong, and shouldn't be listened to. That is the easy part.

Music can appeal to the body. This should not be immediately paralleled to the flesh as contrasting the spirit. When in worship, many have been compelled to dance, and leap, praising God. Acts 3:1-11 (I am not arguing that this is the norm, rather that it was not wrong for the previously lame man to praise God in this way, IE. with his body involved.) 2 Sam. 6:12-23 (The classic example. "David danced before the Lord with all his might;" He further defended his actions to his wife who thought it inappropriate.) This fact (that it appeals to the body)is often used as a statement of fact, implying the immediate parallel that it is wrong. Many things appeal to the body, and are not inherently sin. A simple example, is eating chocolate. It appeals to many people's bodies, and it is not wrong to eat chocolate. It can be sinful if you over-eat. It doesn't mean chocolate is wrong. There are other examples which I won't go into. Continuing, music can indeed be wrong if the purpose, and/or atmosphere/environment lends itself to the sinful appeal to flesh. Let me also state here that "purpose" and "intentions" are not enough. Many do things with good purpose/intention, but it is still wrong. The music must provide an environment, a tug, an inclination, etc. that does not appeal to the flesh (not just the body) rather than the spirit.

A particular melody cannot be said to be wrong in and of itself. Different melodies are not therefore wrong.


Other issues that pertain to music:

Let's begin with association. Many musicians today may be affiliated with sinful things. Does this mean that one cannot/shouldn't enjoy a particular song by said person? To adopt such a stance is either hypocritical, or impossible. Almost every store, and brand are associated with something wrong. To boycott a single store/brand leaves you a hypocrite. Stores/brands/people support hollywood, sex, homosexuals, alcohol, etc. Therefore, it is impossible to separate ourselves from it in this way. We are not to be of the world, but we do live in it. Recall, we are discussing association. We take good things from the reformed; we take stuff from the church fathers; we take stuff from some of the old Catholics. We do not give them our approval. We use what is good and ignore what is bad. We may only recommend them with discretion and a disclaimer. So, the same can be said with musicians.

Church music vs personal music. Is there, and should there be a difference? Like all things, we are to live our lives glorifying to God. This does not mean that if something does not have direct glory to God it should be ignored. God has given us the Earth and the fullness thereof for our good and enjoyment -- it is often through these things that we enjoy the goodness of God. Thus, I can enjoy Beethoven, understanding that music itself is a gift from God, and appreciating the gift God gave to him to be able to compose and play the piece. That applies to personal music. Church music however needs to be directly pointed to the worship of God. It is not enough to be neutral. We come to God's house to worship. So, while it may be "ok" to listen to jailhouse rock on the way to work, it is not appropriate for church. Music in church needs to draw our body, mind, and spirit into a position of humility and worship before a holy God. That means the lyrics needs to be directed that way, and that the melody needs to as well.

This leads to my last point: melody in church. Different people grow up in different environments ranging from cultural, to regional. These differences can be huge. Add to that, that many are indoctrinated in the view that their music is correct, and it can be a hurdle too large for someone to overcome to attend a church where the music differs. I cannot however find any evidence or reason to imply a morality (good or bad) in any of these differences (assuming of course, as I said before, that the primary purpose and the pull/atmosphere is the worship and glory of God).

Thoughts are welcome. I wouldn't mind some possible definitions of music either.