Loooong Music Article

After a looong exam day I was upset by some videos on youtube I saw about contemporary Christian music, so I wrote this. It's in a pretty angry mood, but I still think what I wrote expresses what I believe concerning the subject.
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-Word disection.
-Christian: follower/member of Christ. Seeking to glorify God.
-Contemporary: new and modern.
-Music: "the science or art of ordering tones or sounds in succession, in combination, and in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity"

CCM then equals "New art of ordering tones or sounds in succession, in combination, and in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity to the glory of God."

In the 16th and 17th century hymns were considered contemporary. Martin Luther was a founder of the regulative principle of worship which sought to end "exclusive psalmody". Exclusive psalmody stated that Psalms were the only Biblical songs allowed to be song, and usually without accompaniement.

So in years past CC music was what we now sing today as normative and orthodox. We don't go shouting down hymns just because unbelievers enjoy classical music do we? We should not be quick to do the same to today's CCM.

Picture for a second(a couple centuries ago) a man is walking down the street and hears voices singing! The thoughts that come to his mind are "Of all things they are singing the psalms, and they are even using a stringed instrument! We are to be separate from the world, not join in their revelry just because we enjoy it." He then hastens to chasten the group of young people for their sin. "That type of music is not fitting for Christians to listen to and "sing". They must be content with the chanting of psalms past down by our fathers. That racket is no different from the bar music playing down the street. Chanting is harmonous and rich in and of itself, there is no need to bring strange fire to the altar of God!"

Ok, that may sound strange when you read it. Just think of that same person walking down the street today... He hears a group of young people singing along with the christian radio station. "Of all things they are singing rocky music, and they are even using a bass and drums! We are to be separate from the world, not join in their sexually stimulatation just because we enjoy it." He then hastens to chasten the group of young people for their sin. "That type of music is not fitting for Christians to listen to and "sing". They must be content with the hymns and psalms we've been singing for decades. That racket is no different from the music playing in walmart. Hymns are melodic and soothing. These people cannot bring this devilish fire to the altar of God!"

Now, before I continue, I want to make some things clear. I am not trying to say that rock music should be played in service-that is a completely different topic, and not one I wish to get into right now. As far as that goes, I believe that rock and roll is not appropriate for a worship service, but there are some "praise and worship" songs that could be sung during service such as "In Christ Alone". Anyway, I also don't want you to think that the only reason we should listen to CCM is because it's new. Just keep reading please...

Dissonance. I'm starting here, because this is one attack on CCM music that simply irks me. It presumes that certain types of music are evil, because the dissonance in their sound is presumably contrary to what the Bible commands. The problem is assuming that dissonance is itself evil, and that an individual can absolutely know when a piece of music is dissonant. I am not a relativist, and so I will not say that dissonance depends on what a person thinks about a piece of music. I will say that there is an absolute perfect way to praise God, but He has not revealed that physical way. The Bible doesn't say that dissonant music is evil, and even if it did-my definition of dissonant music is different from yours. While I am growing to like certain types of classical music, much of it sounds dissonant to me. Does that mean that that classical music is wrong? No, all it means is that I can't hear the resolution of the clashing notes and chords. I simply do not have enough practice listening to it to hear the resolution coming. The same goes for "contemporary" music. Just because you haven't taken the time to listen to contemporary music so that you can understand the melodies and harmonies which *DO* exist does not mean they're not there. Dissonance is an intrical part of music, and without it there is no mystery or curiosity to music. It is essential, and just because you can't hear it or don't like it doesn't mean it's Biblically wrong or not God glorifying.

My next point is concerning the beat. Ok, my first question is do you find anywhere in Scripture that beat is wrong, or that there are certain types of beats that are ungodly? The answer is a plain and simple no. Anyone with any musical aptitude(not including me, but...) knows that beat is essential to any piece of music. Just because rock, rap, and other contemporary music happens to have a louder and more resounding beat doesn't make it wrong. The whole argument that the beat originates from "african tribal calling up of demons" is a load of hogwash. Do you really think that beat didn't exist until North Americans happened upon some natives pounding on a drum? Even if the "anapestic beat" which is accused of being evil in contemporary music did originate from such-it doesn't make a difference. The world uses video cameras to make movies, so do Christian directors. The world uses anepestic beat, so do Christian music writers. Just because something is used in an improper way by the ungodly, doesn't make that something ungodly in and of itself.

"Bodily rythms" I will barely touch on for the simple reason of contradiction. The people who claim that rock beats can throw the heart beat into a frenzy and sexually stimulate are the same people who say the same beat causes depression. A quick second point is the evidence. When rock music is playing on the radio in a store-do you see people balling their eyes out in depression, or having heart attacks from "unhealthy" raised heart beats?

I don't deny the affect of music on the body, just whether those affects are ungodly or not. During times of meditation my heart beat is slow as I'm in prayerful consideration. After a convicting sermon and we sing a convicting song my heart beat rises as tears well in my eyes. There is nothing wrong with either of these. The problem is when someone tries to lay guilt on another for having an emotional response to something emotional. People are made to be emotional, and to have physical responses. That should not be the main goal of anyting made or listened to to glorify God, but it is simply a reality. There is a time and place for everything. Maybe I'm listening to "Forgive Me" by Rebecca St. James-a piece with lots of soothing piano and a slow somber mood. Or maybe I'm listening to "Absolute" by Thousand Foot Krutch which causes feelings of righteous anger against this relative world. Both attitudes and moods are righteous in the sight of God.

"So much music treats Jesus like a boyfriend/girlfriend" This is one which confuses me. If we are supposed to be Christians with a Christian worldview-why would this even be a consideration. My presupossitions force me to view everything in the light of Scripture-including music. Here's the lyrics to "Draw Me Close" by Michael W. Smith which I posted on my blog a while ago.

Draw me close to You
Never let me go
I lay it all down again
To hear You say that I'm Your friend

You are my desire
No one else will do
Cause nothing else could take Your place
To feel the warmth of Your embrace

Help me find the way, bring me back to You

You're all I want
You're all I've ever needed
You're all I want
Help me know You are near

Now the reason I picked this was because I read on a KJV Only(Fundamentalist/Legalist/UnScriptural group) that this song is "clearly about a girl". You know what-if you are an insecure unbeliever whose thoughts never go beyond bf/gf love and sex, you just might take the song that way. However, as a believer I come to everythign through the worldview that I am a Christian(a follower of Christ who is my Creator and Sustainer). Thus when I read "You" I think God. "Never let me go"-I am indwelt by the Holy Spirit who will never let me go. "I lay it all down again"-I think I lay down all I am "to hear You say that I'm your friend"(a restored relationship with God".

As we have learned from our catechism and apologetics, the minds of natural man are so mangled that anything can be twisted to fit into demented thought. The mind of regenerate man is different though! We see things from a renewed perspective granted by God! In light of this I make a case that the Christian could even listen to secular music and praise God through it, because our minds are interpreting the songs differently.

Just as an unbeliever may take the above song to be speaking about a bf/gf relationship, I can take a secular song and use it to praise God. The origins of the music itself do not matter. What man has intended for evil, God(by the renewing of our minds) can make good by the awesome transformation of our minds.

Funny Thing

Ok, so maybe you heard me talking about this, or maybe not.

So yesterday(Wednesday) I was working with the one girl Miranda at DQ(she was homeschooled in virtual learning like me so we get along). Anyway, since she was there Bob(my main boss and the owner) thought he would go out for groceries/chores. So he asked her if she felt comfortable taking the ice cream machine apart, cleaning it, and putting it back together. She said sure no problem.

Anyway, she takes it all apart and cleans it, and sets it up. Later on we realize milk leaking out of the fridge where the ice cream is. So I clean up the mess and she kinda freaks about it. So she wants to fix the tube so it doesn't leak-which means removing it and then retightening it.

She asks me for help holding the pail for the excess so we were both standing with our faces towards it. She says "Hm... I think there's air bubbles-I hope it doesn't explo-!" And BANG! Ice cream in milk form exploded in our faces. Like I mean our faces were right beside it and there was milk everywhere.

The expression on her face was priceless, her hair was blown back, her eyes were wide, her jaw dropped open, and she had milk all over her face and in her eyes. I wasn't much better, but I had an apron on, and I couldn't see out of my glasses. It was hilarious, but I guess you had to be there. It must have been funny for Heather who heard the bang and opens the fridge to check on us and sees us both standing there with milk in our hair and all over the place.

Poor Miranda didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but I was laughing like crazy and couldn't stop all night. For the next couple hours Miranda kept touching her hair which was shiny with milk. Melissa the other manager walked in for her shift and said "Miranda, your hair looks greasy." and Miranda was like "SHUT UP!"... yeah... good times... sorry if that's boring or doesn't make sense. Had to share it, and I just finished a dozen hours of chem...

On Another Note

Ok, so yeah I have to do public school curriculum for English, and of course SHAKESPEARE is mandatory reading. Man alive, it is soooo boring. I've heard that some Christian curriculum includes reading Shakespeare, or even that some people read it for fun?

Like why are these pieces of garbage so revered? Shakespeare has no literary talent in the least-there's no imagery in the sense that you can't place yourself in the scene very well. The writing is atrocious-I mean I know it's in old English, but even then it's still bad.

The story is boring and crude, the "poetry" is horrible, and I can't imagine any good reason to read it. I just don't understand it. Yet another reflection on our society and culture, when stories of hate, deception, and pornography are the "classics", considered "beautiful" :S, and the "creme da la crop".

Thank you Lord for C. S. Lewis and Tolkien! Thank you for the awesome stories you placed in their hearts to symbolize but a shadow of your Magnificence!

Experience at the Sikh Temple

So last night most of our Apologetics class went to visit the "Sikh Community Centre" in Toronto. After Pastor Zekveld explained a little about what they were about, and some of the things to not do while we were in there(refrain from laughing so as to not disrespect them), we stepped into the building. Without wanting to be melodramatic, it was somewhat scary.

The first thing I noted personally was the look on the faces of the people going into the "sanctuary" to kneel. Not a single smile on anyone's face, and when they cross their hearts and bow it's nothing more than a sign of fearful respect rather than coming before a mercifully just God. It might sound strange, but you could actually see in their eyes a lack of hope and assurance.

The high priests at the front greeted us with plastic smiles, and then we took our shoes off and put a bandana on. I never did ask what the bandana symbolized, but on it went :) The orange was Ben's color for sure. The bandanas suiting some better than others, I did my best to not lol, and followed our english speaking guide.

He described the building to us, and the significance of some of the logos and paintings. In the main "sanctuary" a man sat underneath a blinking LED palace shape reading "the guru". When I saw those blinking lights I had the image of blinking neon sign saying "Get your idols here". While all of this was interesting from an inquisitive perspective, it was the discussion with the guide that proved the most interesting.

He described how they follow ten men called "gurus" who were perfect men who never sinned, but were not gods or God. He put a lot of emphasis on the fact that they were monotheistic, and that that is what they and Christians have in common. Anyway, the tenth guru said there would be no gurus after him except for the books that he and the others before him had written. And so they consider their books as real gurus who must be put to bed at night and tucked in.

Of everything that we talked about the most profound thing was that they are unsure of anything except death. Even when I asked him about the existence of God, he could only point to creation-he had no real sense or knowledge of his existence. The only thing to be sure of is that death happens, and a person's body no longer exists. You either do good works and die into nonexistence, or you do "bad things" and come back as a lesser creature. No mediator, you are the only one who can account for your wrong, forgiveness doesn't exist if your repentance isn't real, and in the end death is all you can look forward to.

Christian Contemporary Music Survey

Hey, so I think I'm going to write some articles on this. I don't know how many people actually look at my blog, but yeah...

What I need to know is what the main points of Christian rock critics have? So far I know a couple, but I think I've missed some.

-Be separate from the world(shouldn't identify with the world)
-The beat(the beat is unholy, and derived from(african headhunter communication(or something like that))
-The genre: some genres are not redeemable.
-There are better things to listen to.
-Most Christian contemporary artists do not mention the name of "Jesus" in their songs.

Am I missing some or should I refine some?

IN YER FACE!

So, this is a pretty typical discussion, but just want to get some thoughts.

While we've all been taught(Biblically) to be bold in our faith-where's the line? I mean, where do we go from being bold in the faith to being overly-zealous? I mean, we know the dangers of teaching a "lovey dubby" God is that He "just accepts you as your are", and that "He doesn't care about what you've done", but how do we communicate the true and Mercifully Just God of the Bible?

So this is based a little bit on some statements by my co-worker. She was telling me how she's been working at DQ and as a Christian showing the love of Christ. Her words: "I'm not in your face with them, and like trying to be over the top." She's just "Let the other employees know that I love them and God loves them..."

On one hand I understand the unBiblical view as that's what I know through catechism(Christ loves BELIEVERS, and we are called to be bold)-yet on the other hand this girl is being a witness. I, personally, am not afraid what people think of me, but if they think I'm some over the top "hyper-religious", "hard-core", "Bible thumper", and "goody goody"-what is that reflecting about Christ and His church?

School Project

So yeah, kinda dorky, but I actually based it off of something I saw on tv where they actually made guitars out of plastic and they sounded REALLY good.