"Augustine approved of music but added strong caution. 'When it happens that I am more moved by the song than the thing which is sung, I confess that I sin in a manner deserving punishment.' We must beware of these dangers, dear brothers, in our use of music in worship." (The Betrayal: A Novel on John Calvin by Douglas Bond)
This made me say "Wow." I, who like music very much, am sometimes more aware of or moved by the melody and harmony than the words. The two should both be excellent, but the words in worship should be our focus. An elder at church has mentioned that before, but this quote brought it to me in more force.
Monday, February 7, 2011
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2 comments:
Hey there :-) I just found your blog off of the Feelin Feminine blogroll and I'm finding it very interesting!
I do have a question about your opinion in this...
Why can't music be more important that the words, in your opinion? I sometimes find that while words can sometimes be trite expressions of wonder, etc, sometimes the music can put to sound things that I can't express in words, or that I find the lyrical accompaniament lacking...
Just a thought :-)
That's a good question, Kristen!
I think I know what you mean, and...I believe the music can be more important than the words, but not in the sense that the music distracts us from God! I think that is the main point of the quote. We can make an idol of the music, or let it distract us from the intended ends of worship.
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