Music as an Active Evangelism: Reaching Out Heathens with Melody
“Without music, life would be a mistake. The Germans imagine even God as a songster.” [1] These words came out from the mouth of Friedrich Nietzsche, a German philosopher who boldly claimed that “God is dead.” His words reflect his deep appreciation for music and its significance in human life. Despite his disbelief in any supernatural being, a mere admission of “God as a songster” shows the impact of music in human life, culture, or any given society. Music, in general, has been used as a medium to depict one’s emotions, patriotism, joyfulness, and sorrow through the melodious tunes of his instrument. Christians also should integrate the wide varieties of music into the church so that they can be an effective medium to communicate our faith to the contemporary cultures.
Life is really impossible without music in a broader sense. However, such is not the case, because we hear music everywhere in different forms. Music has no boundary. It neither has a limit nor belongs to one particular people group. However, the question remains whether any wave of vibration and friction that comes as a form of sound can be considered music or not. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, music, by definition, is the “science or art of ordering tones or sounds in succession, in combination, and in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity.” In other words, music is a structured artistic auditory and communicative form in which other instruments or vocals are incorporated in an uninterrupted mode.
Throughout the Old Testament, we can see music and worship as one of the major themes Hebrew writers picked up in the Bible. As Finney affirms that “music is a social art that emerged into the historic era with some definite tonal regularity,” it is understandably true that music is as primitive as human civilization. [2] Even going beyond this affirmation, Phil Kerr writes that music existed in the heavenly domain for the myriads of years prior to human existence because God conceptualized music in his heart. [3] It is a gift from God to humankind to express their emotions, such as joys, sorrows, praise, adoration, etc.
In the Judeo-Christian tradition, music plays a significant role in religious practices. Music was a prominent part of their worship service. In every culture, music, by virtue, bears religious significance. On one hand, it illustrates that humanity is inherently religious in nature. The use of music in religious ceremonies across all cultures since primitive times indicates that people commonly believe it originated from a divine being. Kerr puts it this way:
It is a significant fact that all primitive people believed that music was of divine origin! It is also significant that in the earliest times, music was used exclusively for divine worship! Whether primitive man was worshipping the true Jehovah or whether he was worshipping an idol or a tree or the sun or a departed spirit, he employed music in that worship. And that was music’s only use, originally. [4]
While a primitive man is worshiping, he is simply expressing his genuine faith, trust, and overall emotions.
Additionally, the Scripture is full of examples of Israelites using different kinds of musical instruments. They did not invent the instruments they used; instead, they adopted instruments brought into their land. No evidence suggests the Holy Land invented the Harp; it was used mostly in Egypt and Mesopotamia. [5] Nevertheless, the King James Version, along with the Vulgate and all modern translations, uses the terms “harp” and “organ” to translate the Hebrew words “kinnōr” and “ugāu”; however, their exact meanings remain uncertain. However, the modern equivalents of those two instruments could be a violin and a type of woodwind instrument. [6] These are a few examples of how Israelites adopted musical instruments from other worlds.
What we know today as tambourines, cymbals, horns, and pipes are a few instruments Israelites used in their cultural and religious settings. We have many references from the Bible where the chosen people of God blow trumpets and horns (Psalm 81:3). The New Testament lacks musical instrument references, though Jesus did not condemn their use. Paul encourages the congregation in Ephesus to address one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace (Ephesians 5:19).
Apparently, if a man can worship God or gods or spirit employing music, he also has the competency to imitate music of different kinds and genres and express his thoughts through them. He can use these musical instruments and music for evangelism at his disposal. He can reach out to people of different faiths and cultures with his brand of music and instrument. However, the subtle difference in how evangelical churches perceive music from genres other than the so-called ‘sacred music’ has posed a significant hurdle for contemporary music.
Restriction of using instruments other than piano, organ, harp, etc. in the church is simply based on labeling those instruments as “secular” but not “sacred” or “divinely anointed.” This “secular” vs. “sacred” debate has been going on for a long time. History demonstrates that the early church once viewed music as unholy and hostile to Christianity but later adapted it to become compatible. [7] They also proved to be effective and beneficial for the church.
At this point, we have to answer some of the questions that arise with the above statement. What criteria distinguish some music as secular while categorizing other music as sacred, and who determines these classifications? How do you distinguish between these two? Is it possible for the church to separate itself from the secular influence of music? This is by no means possible! Once again, history has taught us valuable lessons over the centuries. What makes western musical instruments and music “sacred,” and why are only these western instruments prescribed for evangelistic purposes?
First, I do not see any basis in the Bible to claim that this particular music is sacred. Some might claim that this has been a tradition from the time of the church fathers. However, we need to remind ourselves that there were no organs and pianos in the early church. Evangelical Christians’ judgment of music appears to align with their personal interests, given their familiarity with that specific genre and instrument.
As it is known to us, all the instruments the Israelites used were from other parts of the Holy Land, too. Still, they played them in the presence of God in the temple in Israel. They used foreign musical instruments to praise and worship the true God. And we never see the Sovereign Lord forbidding them from using those musical instruments. People of different views than I hold might simply argue that Jesus has already fulfilled the Old Testament. So it has no relevance to us. In such a case, how would someone take the text of Hebrews that has many references to the Old Testament prophecies? In Acts 8, Philip meets a eunuch who asks him to explain about the prophecy of Isaiah. Can he say this is the Old Testament prophecy that is already fulfilled, so we don’t need to read it?
I have serious disagreements regarding the concepts of “sacred” music, “divinely anointed” music, and the use of certain instruments. I am not condemning the western heritage they received from the church fathers, nor am I saying that the western music is harmful. Some individuals are deeply concerned about why others cannot sing in a specific manner to effectively reach out to those who are considered heathens. Are there any better ways to reach out to them apart from using traditional music and instruments?
We look at the southern hemisphere, where people use utterly different kinds of music and instruments. Westerners are not familiar with the music and singing styles of Asians. Most of the South Asian countries use instruments that are membranophones. A cappella singing is the most usual form of singing; however, ceremonial singing is accompanied by different instruments with indefinite pitch, like cymbals. In this context, the western so-called “sacred” instrument does not become relevant while communicating the gospel.
When you claim that certain musical instruments and types of music are not sacred, you are essentially imposing the Western evangelical interpretation of instruments on the rest of the world. Does this work in evangelism? Certainly not. Again, history has taught us more than once how foreign missions failed in those countries when the western missionaries tried to conform them into western traditions.
Evangelical churches have been playing specific types of music in their services for centuries. They sound appealing to them. Ellsworth writes that “the average evangelical church musician usually has nothing to do with any of the avant-garde musical forms, choosing rather the more traditional music of his heritage or the moderate popular.” [8] In fact, my personal preference would not be listening to piano and especially organ and singing from the liturgy week in and week out. I know some Asian Christians who feel the sound of the organ drives them crazy. I also feel awful listening to it, because I am not used to that genre of music, instrument, and singing, with all due respect to organists and those who love it. And most probably, westerners also cannot stand by when Asians are playing trumpets, horns, tambourines, and cymbals at the same time.
Therefore, the dynamics of the instruments do not determine which ones are considered sacred. If so, few western instruments can compete with the Sitar, Tanpura, and most instruments of Indian subcontinent origin (except idiophones). The Hindus considered them sacred instruments. It should be noted that Zwingli himself tore apart the organ in his congregation in Zurich during the Reformation Period and substituted it with a cappella singing. If you think music is a divine gift, how can one tell which music is from God?
That said, we must be careful with our song lyrics. Every word has to reflect the character of God. The most important thing is to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in their vernacular. This matters most. “Music continues to be one of the most effective media for transmitting the Christian faith, but it can only be effective as long as the musical style used is in the “language” of the people.” [9] When properly put, words are tuned with skilled hands that attract people to listen to what we have to say. Unless people listen, we cannot communicate the gospel with them.
We cannot expect people of different cultures and traditions to like our taste of music. It is necessary that we meet their need by becoming musicians of their kind. We try to meet their music standard because they understand us better when we communicate in their way. In his words, Ellsworth writes that their kind of music is more appealing to them, which creates an opportunity for us to witness Christ. [10] Otherwise, the world cannot hear the melodious harmony of piano and organ being played in the church as long as the thick wall of “sacredness” stands between pagans and the western church. Therefore, we can use music as an effective tool to share the gospel with this new generation in the pagan world.
While we engage with the pagan world in their context, there is always a potential risk that this approach can weaken the church. “Secularizing influences touch every aspect of church life: its evangelism, teaching, and worship.” [11] If we know their philosophical assumptions, we as a church can combat them without compromising our faith. Rather than discarding another genre of music as “secular,” we tend to reform it within Christian values.
Bibliography
1. Davies, Walford, and Harvey Grace. Music and Worship. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1935. Print.
Engle, Randall D., and Paul E. Engle. Serving in Your Church Music Ministry. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002. Print.
2. Hustad, Donald P. “A spiritual ministry of music.” Bibliotheca sacra 117.468 (1960): 301-312. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials. EBSCO. Web. 30 Nov. 2010.
3. Kim, Hyun-Ah. “Erasmus on sacred music.” Reformation & Renaissance Review 8.3 (2006): 277-300. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials. EBSCO. Web. 30 Nov. 2010.
4. Kerr, Phillip Stanley. Music in Evangelism and Stories of Famous Christian Songs. Grand Rapids, MI: Singspiration, 1962. Print.
5. Quasten, Johannes. Music & Worship in Pagan & Christian Antiquity. Trans. Boniface Ramsey. Washington, D.C.: National Association of Pastoral Musicians, 1983. Print.
Endnotes:
[1] Friedrich Nietzsche. “Twilight of the Idols.” Trans. David Taffel. A Nietzsche Compendium. Ed. David Taffel. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2008. 306. Print.
[2] Theodore M. finney, A History of Music (New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., 1947), 11. Print.
[3] Phil Kerr, “The Origin and Development of Music,” Music in Evangelism: and Stories of Famous Christian Songs. 7th ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1964), 8. Print.
[4] Ibid, 10.
[5] Jeremy Montagu, “The Pentateuch,” Musical Instruments of the Bible (London: Scarecrow Press, 2002), 11.
[6] Ibid., 15.
[7] Donald P. Ellsworth, Christian Music in Contemporary Witness: Historical Antecedents and Contemporary Practices (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1979), 18.
[8] Ibid., 134.
[9] Ibid, 190.
[10] Ibid., 128.
[11] Calvin M. Johansson, Discipling Music Ministry: Twenty-First Century Directions (Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1992), 27.
