There is no end to this story
No final tragedy or glory
Love came here and never left
Now that my heart is open
It can't be closed or broken
Love came here and never left
Now I'll have to live with loving you forever
There's nothing here to throw away
I came to you in the light of day
and Love came here and never left
Christ-ones see echoes of Christ in the ashes everywhere. This song by the dark, beautiful, belated Lhasa de Sela would be my song to my Savior. She speaks elsewhere of le Diable j'ai choisi le plus (the Devil I have chosen, "La Confession") and Je n'ai pas peur de dire que tu me fais peur avec ton espoir et ton grand sens de l'honneur ("I am not afraid to tell you that you scare me with your Hope and your huge sense of honor").
Road trips to and from Rochester provided lots of time to listen to music - and lots of time to ponder what to listen to when children listen along. I grew up on a steady diet of jazz, classical, and sacred hymns, and infused that mix myself with everything secular I could get my hands on by middle school. Believe it or not, Christian music was worse in the 1990's than it is now. There are few musicians - even today - who play contemplative, jazz-infused music, with the possible (and notable) exception of J.J. Heller, who is overplayed because of her unique offering. Her music is similar to the strangely laissez faire but sunshine-infused Indie soundtrack of Juno. A young pastor reflects on the plethora of poor quality Christian music releases and ultimately quotes Madeleine L'Engle:
If it's bad art, it's bad religion, no matter how pious the subject.Ultimately, God assures us that, if Christians are silent and void of praise, even the rocks will cry out! Is it too difficult to draw connections, then, between the lyrics of secular artists and the great Truth of the universe? So, what makes the mix at our home? There is a lot of the blues, a lot of jazz, some country, even some metal and rap. Who knew that Bible verses are paraphrased by Linkin Park ("I will never be anything 'til I break away from me"), Pearl Jam works faith out on their knees, and former-rebel Sinead O'Connor is now putting Psalms to melody?
Where do you hear the echoes of God's Word? What blasphemy do you deny access to your home, the ears of your children? Do you have a favorite radio station or music mix? Those who listen to secular music may appreciate the Glimpses of God column from Christianity Today as a place to start discovering hidden sheaves of wheat among the tares of the music scene.
2 comments:
I used to have a debate with a friend from graduate school. He really hated contemporary Christian music and worship songs. He basically said, "no music written after the 19th century should be allowed in church." I explained that I found many of the current praise and worship songs to allow me to worship whereas many traditional hymns did not. I struggled with his sense of superiority, fully recognizing that the street heads in two directions.
Who defines art? Who defines what comprises worshipful music? How much has your personal history defined what you find worthy today? I love Andrew Wyeth but I don't get Jackson Pollack. For others, the reverse may be true. I think the same can be said for music.
I think you are asking very important questions and bringing to light important issues in music. Evidences of God can be found in many places. Where I think we need to be careful though, is when we allow the music to tell us what is worshipful rather than God's truth revealed in scripture. Just because a song makes us feel good, does not mean it is worshipful.
Thanks for the post, Gen.
Jason
Jason, I think you're hitting an old truth - "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". I have made the conscious decision to worship to music that I would otherwise never listen to because it was a step of obedience and honoring to attend the same church my parents do. There are many young people who would never come a second time to a church that played traditional sacred music, and there is a whole different category (even young!) who think modern praise music is blasphemy. I think God provided for these differences of individual taste and desire and response by providing a very large corporate church, which may be called different names or even encompass many denominations.
As I introduce music to my children I have two criteria: that it reflect - or, at the very least, not contradict - the Word; and that it have musical worth. In our homes, we have much more freedom of expression, or in this case, consumption, than we do in the church. In my home I can make sure that my children grow to understand and love music in many different forms. I am sad to say that very few cd's from the Christian genre meet both requirements. But, as Aaron said last night, neither he nor I have ever been big fans of pop. I find it exciting, challenging, and wonderful to explore music from other genres and find hidden treasures - where the musician may not even realize that they are, in fact, reflecting God to me.
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