Saturday, December 30, 2006

The Glory of Music

I had a shot against church music. I thought I would come back with a pro.

RC Sproul points out in his 2004 tape of the month that God uses music for the building up of the church. Eph. 5:19, "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs." This is preaching in melodic form.

God made the birds to sing and a vast array of instruments. We see music all over the place in the book of Revelation and the OT temple. It just goes to show that God uses music. I would go so far as to say He likes it too.

Sproul also recounts how this influenced John Calvin. Calvin, at first, stripped his services of all music. In his reforming spirit, he was a bit too zealous. After a while he came to see his people were statue-esc in services (yes, the initial frozen chosen). He visited another Reformed church and experienced the music there. He then meditated on this text from Ephesians, and thought he found his congregation's problem! He implemented singing thereafter.

(By the way, I've heard it was juiced up psalm singing--they were called by some, "Geneva Gigs.")

Karl Barth (someone I do not agree with theologically) once said,
When the angels worship, they play Beethoven, and God listens. But when the angels are not in worship, they play Mozart...and God listens

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