People would like the music issue for churches to go away. They can take various avenues to accomplish this, one of which is by making musical style a Christian liberty. A progression (or regression) occurred to get here. It started a long time ago.
Regression of Musical Style
One, many musical styles are sinful, wrong, and rejected, so distinguishing between the sacred music and profane music, accompanied by belief in objective meaning of music and objective beauty.
Two, revivalists pragmatically use popular music forms to attract a bigger audience for apparent numerical success and this blurs the distinctions between sacred music and profane music.
Three, even though professing Christians keep a breadth of difference between what is godly and ungodly in musical style, they shrink the margin of difference and make musical style an instrument for numerical growth.
Four, people question the objective meaning of music or objective beauty, advocating relativist aesthetic value.
Five, successors of revivalism, Charismatics, originate Charismatic worship music that confuses feelings caused by musical style with a spiritual, ecstatic religious experience.
Six, lovers of popular or rock musical styles conceive of rock music and begin a contemporary Christian music (CCM) movement, imitating Charismatic worship.
Seven, Christianity divides on the issue of musical style with those rejecting the CCM movement marginalized as religious fundamentalists.
Eight, larger, more popular evangelicalism accepts CCM and rejects objective meaning of music or objective beauty, categorizing musical style as a Christian liberty.
Nine, most fundamentalists stop preaching and warning about CCM, leaving very few to no churches standing against sinful musical styles.
What Influences Liberty for Musical Style
If musical style is a Christian liberty, then musical style cannot have objective meaning. Musical style must be meaningless, even if musical style is extremely important to church leaders and attendance. Both good scriptural and natural arguments exist that say that music can be moral or immoral. Musical style isn’t neutral.
The progression toward the acceptance of all musical styles happened in increments, but that did not debunk or undo the original arguments for objective meaning of musical styles or objective beauty. In many ways, like a lot of other issues of application of scripture, professing believers capitulated for various reasons. The less a church is against, the bigger it can become, what many would call a big-tent approach.
Churches that still rejected popular or rock musical styles were smaller and became even smaller as more churches accepted any and every musical style. The numbers translate to perceived success, including monetary. Success begets even greater success because success attracts even more people. Older church members see churches losing young people over musical style. Like has occurred many times in church history, the older generation concedes to the younger. The question is not, does it please God?
Sinfulness of Musical Styles
According to scripture, no one has liberty to sin (Romans 6:1)? From reading 1 Corinthians 6-10, the section on Christian liberty, more guides liberty than just whether something is sinful. The Apostle Paul takes the Corinthians through a gauntlet of considerations to determine what is right to do. Most evangelicals have just ignored this particular aspect of Christian liberty. They focus on whether something is permissible and not whether it could cause someone to stumble or fall (1 Corinthians 8:9-13, 10:12).
If a musical style violates a biblical command, then it is a sin. What could someone consider from scripture as to the sinfulness of many musical styles?
- Think on that which is lovely (Philippians 4:8).
- Abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul (1 Peter 2:11).
- Be not conformed to this world (Romans 12:2)
- Deny worldly lust (Titus 2:11).
- Worship God in the beauty of holiness (Psalm 96:9).
Disobeying any of these is sin. Since music is itself its own language, another factor is “corrupt communication,” which Ephesians 4:29 forbids. That verse doesn’t give any specifics as to what corrupt communication is. Like these other verses, people must apply the verse. Most of the Bible requires application in order to live what God said. This includes music. When someone applies the Bible in a rightful and even historical manner, he should conclude the sinfulness of most musical styles.
You like to use ChatGPT, so let’s see what it says?
The Bible does not specify a particular musical style for Christian worship. Instead, it emphasizes the importance of worshiping God with sincerity and authenticity. Various passages encourage singing, making music, and offering praise, but they do not limit these expressions to specific genres or styles.For example, Psalms frequently mentions singing and playing instruments as forms of worship. The New Testament also encourages believers to sing hymns, spiritual songs, and praises to God (Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16). This flexibility has led to a diverse range of musical styles in Christian worship across different cultures and traditions. Ultimately, the focus is on the heart and intention behind the worship rather than the style of music itself.Tell me moreCertainly! The role of music in Christian worship has evolved throughout history and varies widely among different denominations and cultural contexts. Here are some key points to consider:
Biblical Foundations:
The Old Testament contains numerous references to music and instruments in worship. For instance, Psalms is often seen as a hymnbook of ancient Israel, with many psalms intended for musical performance.
Instruments like the harp, lyre, and cymbals were commonly used in temple worship (e.g., 1 Chronicles 15:16-22).
In the New Testament, music continues to play a significant role, with directives for congregational singing that foster unity and encourage spiritual growth.
Diversity of Styles:
Different cultures have their own musical traditions, which have influenced how worship is expressed. This has led to a variety of styles, from traditional hymns and gospel music to contemporary praise and worship songs, liturgical chants, and even folk music.
The emergence of contemporary Christian music (CCM) in the late 20th century has introduced new rhythms, melodies, and lyrical themes, making worship accessible to younger generations.
Theological Perspectives:
Different denominations may emphasize various aspects of worship music. Some may prioritize traditional hymns for their theological depth, while others may embrace contemporary styles for their relevance and emotional connection.
The focus is often on glorifying God, edifying the congregation, and fostering a spirit of worship, regardless of the musical style.
Community and Worship:
Worship music serves to foster community among believers, creating a shared experience that can strengthen bonds and encourage collective expression of faith.
Songs can reflect communal beliefs, tell stories of faith, and provide comfort and inspiration.
Worship Leading:
Worship leaders often play a crucial role in selecting music that aligns with the themes of the service, the congregation’s needs, and the overall worship experience. This requires a sensitivity to the community’s preferences and spiritual journey.
In summary, while the Bible provides a framework for worship through the emphasis on praise and singing, it does not confine believers to a specific musical style. This freedom allows for a rich tapestry of musical expressions that can resonate with different communities and cultures, ultimately enhancing the worship experience.
I “like ChatGPT” doesn’t mean that I believe ChatGPT. I like it because it instantly culls the internet. The internet itself isn’t telling the truth. I also like ChatGPT because it has some objectivity. It will tell you what information it gets. ChatGPT doesn’t cherry pick, except again for the how the question is asked. It will give you different answers depending on the question or how you frame the question. It answers it based to some degree on the bias of the questioner, which makes sense when you understand what ChatGPT is. Many people online have justified CCM and rock music and various styles, of course. They want it. People confront it though, so people have written answers or defenses. They are not satisfying at all to me, just like this answer from ChatGPT is not. Does it even make one argument, like I did? No. If you ask it a question that revolves around an actual argument from scripture, it will give you an answer different than it gives above in your comment.
I could argue against what you have in your comment, if you could even call it an argument. It reports a position taken by people out there. It leaves us with moral relativism, essentially denying transcendent beauty, which scripture teaches. I’m not going to deny that.
Thanks.
I notice you have no problem using ChatGPT as evidence for your position if you agree with it.
That’s not what I said, Marla, if you read the comment. I”ll let everyone judge you for yourself, but I’m guessing you’re not “Marla.”