Pioneer Christian Monthly - September, 1992

Christian Music
Carolyn Arends

Do Christian musicians influence and affect the secular world, or does the secular world influence and affect Christian musicians?

As a follower of Jesus and a career musician, I find this question as difficult to answer as it is important to consider. I recognize that my opinions on music, particularly with respect to which of its uses bring glory to God and further His Kingdom, are constantly being revised as I develop my artistry and grow in my faith. Consequently, I offer my thoughts on this issue only as a possible starting point - or contribution - to discussion...

I suspect that the secular world is affecting Christian music to a much greater extent than Christian music is influencing the secular world. Where the Church once led Western Civilization in the arts and sciences, it is now perceived to be unmotivated or unwilling to pioneer and pursue innovation and excellence within these disciplines. In the area of music, there seems to be a general consensus among musicians and music lovers that contemporary Christian music is consistently behind popular secular music in both its stylistic development and its technical standards. More to the point, non-believers do not, as a general rule, listen to Christian music, and the same can be said of an alarmingly high number of Christians. Although there are some encouraging exceptions, Christian music seems not to be impacting the secular words as much as it is struggling rather ineffectively to keep up with it.

I believe there are several factors reducing Christian music's ability to impact the world. The first is the tendency of modern-day Christians to minimize the importance of music and thus accept or even expect mediocrity in its expression. We would do well to consider the results of a recent survey in which teenagers were asked to list what they most valued. The teen participants consistently ranked music as one of the three most important things in their lives. The value our society places on music should cause us to at least examine its potential as a communication tool. But an even more compelling reason to take it seriously is the value Scripture places on music. Job 38:7 tells us that when God created the world, the morning stars sang together, and Revelation 4:8 reveals that God's throne is surrounded by never-ending song. David used Psalms to worship and petition God; Joshua obediently used trumpets to fight the battle of Jericho. We need to pursue excellence in music not only because of its potential usefulness, but because God asks us to sing a new song to Him (Psalm 96:1-2).

Of course, we must not confuse recognizing the importance and value of music with idolizing it and the people who create it. Music, like all art, is ultimately only worthwhile as an expression of worship and an act of surrender to God.

This brings me to what I believe to be a second problem minimizing Christian music's effectiveness - our tendency as Christians to misapply our concept of worship. In his article "Christian Responsibility in Music" (The Christian Imagination, Grand Rapids, MI, Baker Book House, 1981), Harold M. Best points out that, according to Romans 12: 1, worship...is the reasonable issue of being a sacrifice as long as one lives. Worship does not stop and start. Instead, it is highly translatable from one circumstance to another. One does not go to church to worship, but as a continuing worshipper.. (406)

Music must thus be seen as an offering rather than an agent. Worshipful songs need not be repetitive collections of phrases and melodies designed to get us in the mood for worship as much as they need be offerings of worship in and of themselves. Best explains,

When we hear a new piece of music, carrying no associative power for us, our scriptural role is to make faith an offering even of our hearing.

Thus, we worship the divine Recipient of the offering instead of depending upon the offering to cause us to worship. (408)

In light of this view of worship, Christian artists should strive to offer their absolute best; the fullest expression of their creativity in worship of the Creator. Any musical expression that evidences the pursuit of excellence will point to the ultimate excellence of the God we serve. And, in contrast to the often cliched and comfortingly familiar Christian music we currently embrace, the expressions of our creativity in worship will be explosive, challenging, and perhaps even disturbing in their "newness". Certainly there is a place for music designed specifically for use in corporate praise and worship. I believe, however, that Christian music will have a much higher standard of excellence (and consequently a greater impact on the world) when it is seen as a celebration of and offering to God, regardless of its actual theme or topic.

A third problem minimizing the effectiveness of Christian music is the fact that it is often not available in secular society. Practically speaking, Christian musicians are limited in their ability to impact unchurched people if their music is only available through churches and Christian bookstores. For this reason I applaud the recent efforts of Christian record companies to distribute their produce to secular stores and radio. I honestly believe that Christian musicians who are not called to work specifically and exclusively in the areas of exhorting the Church and leading corporate worship should be working in the mainstream. This is a controversial position, and yet I cannot se, how we can arrive at any other conclusion. As much as we need to remember that we an not to be of this world, we also need to consider Jesus' potent observation that it's the sick who need a doctor.

As soon as we begin to consider the possibility of presenting Christian music in the smoky bars and concert halls of the secular arena, we have to ask ourselves what it is that actually makes music "Christian". I believe that all true artistic expressions from the heart of the believer are Christian, regardless of whether or not they are explicitly religious in nature. The emotional, social and physical aspects of our life and art must be surrendered to God as completely as our specifically spiritual experiences are. Whether our lyrics examine social issues, celebrate human love, honestly express fear or doubt or attempt to convey the awesome reality of redemption, our art is Christian when it is an outpouring of creativity in worship of the Creator.

Christian music's potential to influence the secular world will be realized more fully when we begin to value and pursue excellence in it. When. we view our music as an offering of, rather than an enticement to, worship, we can artistically and unashamedly present it to the people who most need to hear it. Effective Christian music... will come through a relocation of priorities in a flow of excellence celebrated creatively, by faith, as worship. The aesthetic faculties of each person can find complete expression in the service of God in the world. Church music can then become the place where excellence is born and where it is continuously welcome. It is church music only because it is heard there first. Then the world will have to face the necessity of borrowing from the Church because Christianity offers more creative options than any other life. (Best 413-414)

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