Adventist Music Guidelines Essays

Adventist Music Guidelines Essays Adventist Music Guidelines Essay Adventist Music Guidelines Essay however, implies that the dead go through that bright shining celestial door to Heaven. Therefore, that song is theologically unsound in the context of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, no matter how poetic the text, or how lovely the melody. As mentioned earlier, the text is indeed more equal than the musical element. However, without the tune, the text could never have the impact that comes from being coupled with good music that adds a new dimension.25 Even though the musical part plays an important role in church music as a whole, the message of the text which should not be overpowered by accompanying elements must take precedence.26 This means that when the congregation sings they should not be excessively caught up with that catchy melody and/or rhythm; the singers should strive to sing out as clearly as possible, so that the text of the hymns or songs is very audible. Therefore, the hymns and songs should be sung in a clear, natural voice. It is not loud singing that is needed, but clear intonation, correct pronunciation, and distinct utterance, so that Gods praise can be sung in clear, soft tones, not with harshness and shrillness that offend the ear.27 Mrs. White mentions that The long drawn-out notes and peculiar soundsare not pleasing to the angel.The songs in which every word is uttered clearly, in a musical tone are the songs that [the angels] join us in singing.28 Singing clearly is not enough, though. The singing should also be done with conviction and understandingthe singers should know and believe what they are singing. God is glorified by songs of praise from a pure heart filled with love and devotion to Him.29 In other words, the singers must not sing for the sake of singing, but they should sing from the heart. Only then will the hymns and songs become worthy of glorifying God. And the nearer the people of God can approach to correct, harmonious singing, the more He is glorified.30 The vocal treatment of the songs and hymns is just as important as the performance of the music. This applies mostly to the special music part of the worship service, when the congregation listens to the music being performed up front. The music itself might glorify God, but so must the singers and/or instrumentalists in their performance. In fact, The nuance which the performer brings to the presentation of a particular piece is a most important contributor to its power as a communicative medium.31 The performers of music in the worship music must be careful not to let themselves be the stars, or get all the limelight. They should keep one thing straight: they are singing (or playing whatever instruments) for the Lord, not performing just to get the attention, praise, and admiration of the congregation. Therefore, they must bring across the right message that they are praising God in their music. It is very important that the right Person is exalted in the church: God, not man himse lf. Since God is the One being glorified, He deserves the attention. Therefore, anything which calls for undue attention to the performer(s) such as excessive, affected bodily movement or inappropriate dress, should find no place in witnessing.32 Also, there should be no theatricality and prideful display when the singers and/or instrumentalists perform. If they perform with the objective of impressing the congregation with their refined abilities, then they are in the wrong place33they should not be playing music in church. Most, if not all, the music guidelines in worship service also apply towards music in evangelism. The songs should contain texts which are compatible with the Biblical teachings and beliefs of the church; the songs should be sung clearly. One point has to be stressed in this context: the performersthe music evangelistsshould bear witness for Christ, not bring glory to themselves. However, one aspect unique to evangelism is the audience. In evangelism, the audience can be considered as the target group; after all, the audience in this case are the people to whom the gospel message is directed. Therefore, it is vitally important to consider the audience as a whole in the choice of music. Factors like the general age-groups and religious backgrounds should be examined. The point is to identify the audience. Evangelism is like a bridge in some ways. The Christians are reaching out to the believers with the gospel message. Therefore, in evangelism the appropriate music is like an effective bridge, because the music then becomes a proper evangelistic tool. However, no matter who the audience is, the music must be honest and sincere. It must bemusic which rings true to itself. There must be no falseness and pretense about it.34 Simply said, the music must tell of the gospel message in a clear, unambiguous way. In this section about evangelism, the focus will be on youth as the audience. In youth evangelism, evangelists have chosen certain musical idioms which the youth can relate to. One of these musical idioms is rhythm, or better known as the beat. Most musical scholars agree that music is a combination of three things: melody, harmony, and rhythm. To be complete, the music needs to keep in equilibrium all the three components; for example, the beat should not dominate to the extent of overpowering the tune and the lyrics of the song.35 Therefore, in the use of youth-related musical idioms like the strong sense of beat, there must be a balance between the main tune of the song and its other componentsrhythm and harmony. It is not wrong to use carefully selected contemporary music in evangelism, agrees Mr. Staples, a missionary, as long as the music does not bear too much resemblance to secular musiccomplete with the overtones of violence, drugs, and sex.36 However, whatever the music chosen for evangelism, the guidelines must still apply, because The desire to reachyouth where they are with the gospel of Christ leads to the use of certain questionable musical idioms.37 These questionable musical idioms should be carefully examined with the music guidelines to church music as the standards. As a matter of fact, Mrs. White had something prophetic to say back in l900 when she heard certain kinds of music to which she was against. She wrote: Every uncouth thing will be demonstrated. There will be shouting, with drums, music, and dancing. The sense of rational beings will become so confused that they cannot be trusted to make right decisions. And this is called the moving of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit never reveals itself in such methods, in such a bedlam of noise.38 Even though it is fine to use selected contemporary music elements, the music evangelists must be careful not be overly occupied in the music as to the extent of breaking the rules (i.e. guidelines) in the effort to evangelize. In youth evangelism, there should be no compromise of standards, in particular, the standards of church music. Never compromise high principles of dignity and excellence in efforts to reach people where they are.39 In their evangelistic efforts the evangelists are not follow the ways of the world.40 Mrs. White said that instead of bringing the truth to a low level in order to obtain converts, they should seek to bring the sinful corrupted up to the high standard of the law of God.41 Music has been around for ages. It has also been used in the church for a good period of time; and in more ways than one, it has been (and no doubt will be) an important part of the church. However, times have been (and still are) changing, therefore the context and circumstances of church music have not remained stagnant. But the important thing to remember is that the guidelines must be kept in sight so that the ultimate goal of the Christian of glorifying and praising God is not blurred through the years. Since music is a medium in which the blending of the best and the worst can be done more subtly than through any other media form,42 the christians will have to be extra careful in the selection of music for church use. In conclusion, Dr. Lickey, a church musician, has this to say about judging the music for church use: Responsible Christians would not seek to see how close to the edge of purity they could get but would rather turn their backs to the world.43