Music Better As Community Expression

Yes, I am now of the opinion that music is at its best when experienced within the context of the organic church life community.

With that said, please allow me to confess my tension with the subject.

I love music. I always have. I didn't grow up in church but music has always been a part of my life. My parents always had the radio on or they were listening to records and 8 tracks (out of the buffet style stereo cabinet) of the Beatles, the Eagles, the Beach Boys, Jan & Dean, and others out of the 50's, 60's, and 70's. Growing up I enjoyed all styles and got into listening to Top 40 countdown shows and thus gained oodles of useless trivia information. In high school I listened to a lot of U2, the Doors, and Rush. Of course I went to concerts. And I also began an interest in playing drums. Music was a large part of my party experience. My music was the anthem of my rebellion at the time.

After I came to the Lord, music was now more deep and rich as it was an integral part of my worship lifestyle. In my opinion there is just no comparing with music that expresses the glories of Jesus Christ. To quote Beethoven, "All music should be to the glory and honor of God." Secular music for the most part seems dead and dry - lifeless. Music that honors Christ is alive, encouraging, and inspiring. They are realms apart! Of course as I lived on in the subculture that is most of Christendom, the praise and worship music that used to help usher me into realms of glory turned into performances, shows, and entertaining. The contemporary Christian music I listened to for encouragement and for help in renewing my mind, became predictable and shallow. Even when I was moving within prophetic circles where the praise and worship experience was more spontaneous and creative, I felt it was too often unbiblical (borrowing too much from an old covenant experience or perspective), lacking in spiritual depth and Christ - centeredness, and too fleshly - which seemed to only reinforce my weakness for sensationalism. Also, later on I served as executive producer on a recording project of my wife's original music. We recorded in Nashville with an old friend of mine and had the opportunity to work with some people who are "in the biz". After experiencing that project and researching the music industry in general, I believe that I have a good feel for the synthetic and pyrite nature of Christian music as a business. In his book At The Crossroads, CCM insider Charlie Peacock gives a good description of the feelings of many sincere Christians who are dissatisfied with the musical expressions found in most of popular Christianity:

" In fact, I observed that many followers of Jesus are moving from respect and appreciation for contemporary Christian music to disrespect and disinterest. It is meaning less and less to them. Much of today's audience is looking for meaning in community-based music - music and artists that do not smack of an entertainment corporation's heavy-handed marketing, imaging, and fear-based artistic tinkering. Because the music has meant less and less to its artists and corporate overseers, it naturally means less to the audience. Time and again, words and phrases like "authentic", "real", and "less manufactured" come up as people describe what they are looking for in music."

In Frank Viola's important and helpful book Pagan Christianity he tells, "By A.D. 367, congregational singing was altogether banned. It was replaced by the trained choirs. Thus was born the trained professional singer in the church. Singing in Christian worship was now the domain of the clergy and choir." Even with the contributions of the Reformation he writes, "At first, the function of the (protestant) choir was to set the tune in leading congregational singing. But before long, the choir began to contribute special selections. Thus was born 'special music' by the choir as the congregation watched it perform." In the organic house church communities that I am in relationship with, we practice something that has been exotically rare on planet Earth for the better part of the last 1700 years: we have seen singing restored back into the hands of God's people when they gather! There are no ministers of music, no worship leaders, no praise teams, and no choirs. Everyone can sing, anyone can suggest and start a song, anyone can share in between, and we often write our own songs together. Our songs are Christ-centered, express depth, and match the truth and reality of our experience with the Lord. Sometimes an original song is ministered (not performed) to the group and it is always edifying in the truest sense. We sing spontaneously when we eat together. We often have other types of musical expression for special occasions. It is amazing how much more creative and original God's people can be when they are set free to function in the habitat of a shared life community. What is more amazing is how profound an impact a return to simplicity can be on our spiritual health.

I have long agreed with Bono's (U2) observation that "music is the language of the spirit". Music is a universal communication. It is part of the human experience within creation and beyond to other realms. God the Father created music to express His deep love and admiration for the Son (this is a mystery), therefore Jesus Christ is musical! All of creation testifies to and celebrates the glory and wonder of our matchless Lord. And music is a part of that. Sadly, music has also been perverted and distorted by God's enemy, fallen angels, the fallen nature of man, and subsequently by culture at large. Most of our postmodern societies today are intoxicated with entertainment, celebrity, fantasy, sex, violence, and rebellion. These preoccupations are vividly portrayed through our music and the industry that propels it. But thanks be to God that because of His redemptive work, Jesus Christ has triumphed over culture and is restoring music to its intended purpose. And it starts with The Church as His visible expression. I would like to see The Church stop taking its cues and inspiration from the trendy entertainment world and to instead look at primitive tribal and village life as an example. There are parts of our world where this can still be observed. The people living in tribes and villages seem to be more in touch with their instincts, the land, weather, seasons, spiritual things, and the reality of the human life cycle. The way that they integrate music into their community life is noteworthy. Instead of to perform or for strictly entertainment purposes, they use it to commemorate major events in life like birth, transition into adulthood, marriage, and death. They use it to celebrate things like the rain coming, change of seasons, the harvest, a good hunt, etc. They will use music to tell stories, to relax, and to recreate. All deeply satisfying within the context of a corporate life. The anthems and sad festivity of the disease that is rugged individualism (a disease that has crippled The Church) just cannot compare and always seem to leave one empty and discontented.

Herein lies my tension with music. I love music. I love most styles especially rock. I admit that I still sometimes like the concerts, the show, the entertainment of it all. I like the energy, the power, the passion, and the artistry. I like the way it makes me feel and touches my soul. I buy music. I attend a concert from time to time. My wife occasionally participates in music events and shares her artistry through song. If I had to make a choice between being blind or deaf I would pick being blind so that I could still hear. I do love music, but I love Jesus Christ more. I am not trying to advocate some sort of ban or sensor. I do not wish to share anything that would create a sense of bondage or guilt. But as stewards of the freedom we've been given, I am challenging The Church to examine her motives and methods, to become more in tune with her new creation instincts, to be more compatible with the Spirit, and to take higher ground for the glory of Jesus Christ. In turn, I believe culture will take notice and inquire as to what is happening in our midst. And that would be music to my ears!


- Jon K. Slusser


Note: A full treatment of the topics of the music industry, contemporary Christian music, and music in church history is beyond the scope of this blog. The author recommends two books for more in depth examination: At The Crossroads by Charlie Peacock (1998 & 2004; Shaw Books) and Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola (2002; Present Testimony Ministry) - in particular chapter 6 Ministers of Music: Second-String Clergy.