The Confusion of being an Independant Baptist and a Musician

Even though I grew up in a independent fundamental church (my dad being the pastor) I never really was exposed to the varying views within fundamentalism about music in the church. I knew that worldly music shouldn't be listened to and that certain styles of music are not appropriate in church, but it wasn't until I went to college that I began to get an inkling of the confusion that goes on in fundamental circles about music.

As I sat in chapel under various speakers, both college faculty and guest preachers, I was "taught" many things about music standards in the church. I was told that syncopation is evil and no godly music is syncopated. I was informed that drums are the instrument of the devil; Jazz, rock, country, and rap are evil; if it makes you tap your toe or bob your head it's worldly; Rhythm appeals only to the carnal, fleshly side of man; and while not directly it was inferred that we should only listen to the "good old" hymns.

However, after chapel I would go to music theory class, where I learned that syncopation is everywhere. There are many types of syncopation and all music contains some form of it. Well, I thought, these pastors must be talking about a specific type of syncopation, that of emphasizing the off beat. (This is often referred to as a back beat, or rock beat). However, one day I began working on a Mozart Sonata that did just that! And Classical Music is good, right? I began to learn about the circle of fifths, and how 7th chords are very useful for strong resolution. But, this went against what some said about 7th chords being the basis for jazz and therefore they should be avoided.

I then went to music history where I learned about the history of music; How that in every age there is a group of people that cling to the old style of music claiming the new stuff is wicked and ungodly. In one time period only tertiary meters were acceptable because the Trinity is 3, and so our music should reflect that. But, in another generation it was considered worldly because it was a waltz, which was a dance and therefore should not be used in the church.

I planned on one day using my music in the church so I knew I had to figure out where I stood on this issue. So, I began reading various books on the subject. I read many books from both sides of the issue. (CCM vs. anti-CCM). This did not help however, because I quickly realized that most of the arguments used by both sides were illogical and did not prove anything. And to top it all off, no one could agree on a standard definition for CCM! What was CCM 20 years ago is now okay to use, but today's CCM is wicked. I began to broaden my reading past the CCM issue and read authors who said we shouldn't use instruments in church, or we shouldn't sing any song that is not scripture, or that we should only use certain instruments in the church. So, what should I believe?

I do not think that all music can and should be used in the worship service. Far from it. I tend to be rather conservative in this area. In a pragmatic sense I line up with many fundamentalists. However, I think that we need to rethink our views in this area. Not so that we can toss them out, but so that we can understand why we believe what we believe. The foundation for what many teach in this area is slippery indeed and often based on preferences and generational differences rather than a carefully though out, biblically sound philosophy of church music. So, throughout this blog we will explore many areas of church music philosophy and the ramifications thereof.