The magisterial Protestant Reformers held to the doctrine of sola Scriptura, the belief that Scripture alone, as the Word of God, is the only source sufficient to guide the Church in all matters of Christian faith and practice. Standing on the authority of God’s Word, these men held to a unity or cohesion of truth as revealed through Scripture (special revelation) and Creation (general revelation). Such understanding of truth is essential to the Christian worldview, which was instrumental in the establishment of Western society and culture. Central to this worldview are two aspects of God’s being—that He is both transcendent (far above us; infinite in majesty) and immanent (near us, sustaining Creation). Until the later part of the eighteenth century, the Church employed this understanding as one of the foremost patrons of the arts in Western society. However, due to radical shifts in worldview, the Church no longer takes such a vital role in the formation of culture; and contemporary values diminish the arts as an autonomous vehicle of expression. Yet, there is hope for a revitalization of the arts. Join Shawn Eaton as he teaches how God’s truth may inspire the Church anew in crafting music for corporate worship—that we may reclaim the Christian worldview as the keystone of Christian culture.
Please use this link to download Dr. Eaton’s article, “Worldview and Music in God-Centered Worship: Reclaiming the Keystone of Christian Culture.”
Recommended Reading
Aniol, Scott. Worship in Song: A Biblical Approach to Music and Worship. Winona Lake, IN: BMH Books, 2009. See especially chapter 4, entitled, “Affections—The Missing Link,” and chapter 6, “What Does the Music Mean?”
Bauder, Kevin T. et al., A Conservative Christian Declaration. Religious Affections Ministries, 2014.
Begbie, Jeremy S. Resounding Truth: Christian Wisdom in the World of Music. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007.
Colson, Charles and Pearcy, Nancy. How Now Shall We Live? Carol Stream: Tyndale, 1999. See especially chapter 42, entitled, “Soli Deo Gloria,” and chapter 44, “Does the Devil Have All the Good Music?”
Eskew, Harry and McElrath, Hugh T. Sing with Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Hymnology. Nashville: Church Street Press, 1995.
Hiebert, Paul G. “The Flaw of the Excluded Middle,” Missiology: An International Review 10 (January 1982).
Hoffecker, W. Andrew. Revolutions in Worldview: Understanding the Flow of Western Thought. Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 2007.
Pearcey, Nancy Saving Leonardo: A Call to Resist the Secular Assault on Mind, Morals, and Meaning. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2010. See especially chapter 2, “Truth and Tyranny.”
Ryken, Philip Graham. Art for God’s Sake: A Call to Recover the Arts. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2006.
Schaeffer, Francis A. Escape from Reason: A Penetrating Analysis of Trends in Modern Thought. Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1968.
Sproul, R. C. Battle for Our Minds, Ligonier Ministries, 1994, compact disc.
Sproul, R.C. Study Guide, Battle for Our Minds: Worlds in Collision. Park Lake Mary, FL: Ligonier Ministries, 2010.
Sproul, R.C. The Holiness of God. 25th Anniversary ed. Sanford, FL: Ligonier Ministries, 2010. See especially chapter 11, entitled, “Holy Space and Holy Time.
Tozer, A.W. Knowledge of the Holy. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1961.
I think much of today’s expression of art is based on what makes the person “feel” good, in other words our emotions. Not as much thought is on the message that is being expressed. There is a place for music that lifts your emotions and makes you want to “sing and dance” and then other times where the words point to a truth that teaches you. In Old Testament times, people sang songs about God’s specific works and miracles as a way to remember His power and care for them. After a great incident, you read about it as ” a song of” Moses or David or whoever the leader was. Their worship had different musical instruments to add to the praise but it all was to the glory of Almighty God
I liked the example of the 2 songs where the words were either expressed in the music or not. I think we have kind of lost that emphasis at times when a hymn, that is exciting and uplifting is sung almost like a funeral dirge.
Thank you, Ruth. Yes, “feeling good” certainly seems to be the emphasis in most popular music today. Some might argue, “Well, we don’t want to feel bad, right?” Of course not! The problem with this statement is that is simplistic. It misses the deeper possibilities for communing with God through a rich complement of text and music. The challenge for the church in all eras is not adopting the worldly values (artistic or otherwise) from the culture which surrounds us. When our values are inspired by Scriptural forms of worship, this leads us to seek higher values for the arts. This includes seeing the arts as a reflection of the work of God in Creation.
When I hear a song that lifts my heart in praise to our Holy, living God who created the universe and everything in it, I thank Him for giving us music to praise Him. It lifts our hearts when we are down, encourages us to turn to Him when we are troubled and seeking answers to the problems we are facing, and reminds us of His great love, mercy, forgiveness and grace that gives us everything we need to meet ANY and ALL situations.
I realize that music doesn’t touch every person’s heart the same but for those of us who love music, it is such an Awesome way to praise the One who created us and loves us unconditionally. I realize that music changes through the centuries but we still need to be careful it leads us to worship a living God, not just to “make us feel good”. When we realize just Who God is, we should feel excited and joyful but it is because of Him, not us. I talked with a 40 yr old man at our church recently who said, “If I wanted to go to a rock concert, I would go outside to a concert When I come to church, I want to worship God.” We were standing outside of the sanctuary waiting for the very loud music to be over. I think that was an interesting statement from a younger man and his wife.