The Arts & The Regulative Principle
Hey everyone! It has been a joy to read and survey all your posts in the virtual circle! May Christ ever be precious to us and may we use all our five senses to gaze upon all that God promises to be for us in the face of Christ.
I have been pondering the fulness of the means of grace that God in Christ Jesus has procured for us in the gospel--particularly in relation to worship. Specifically, Reformers like Calvin and Zwingli had their limitations and strict convictions in the nature and expression of worship. Though Zwingli was a musician himself, he saw only silence and meditation on the Scriptures as the means to worship God. Calvin, on the other hand, encouraged singing--Psalm singing only without any instruments in corporate gatherings. In family gatherings, he encouraged the use of instruments. As some of you are aware, Luther thought quite differently than these two. For he has been called the 'Father of congregational singing'. More than that, Luther had quite an openness to the nature and expression of corporate worship: "Next the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise. She is a mistress and governess of those human emotions which control men or more often overwhelm them." Furthermore, this next statement struck my mind with magnanimity and struck my heart with warm profundity: "Nor am I of the opinion that through the Gospel all arts should be cast to the ground and should perish, as some misled religious people claim. But I want to see all the arts, especially music, used in the service of Him who has given and created them."
Reading this at first put gladness in my heart because, as you can see, Luther is winsome and apprehensive as to the means of grace Christ has purchased for us in the gospel in this area. However, reading these thoughts of a Reformer--seeing music as penultimate to the Word of God in worship also made me wonder about a few things. Especially because we live in an age where the preaching of the Word of God is depreciated and where the gospel is scorned by the culture, post-modern fancies, and the spirit of self-autonomy. In other words, what did Luther mean when he said he "want[ed] to see all the arts, used in the service of Him who has given and created them." The Great Conversation (Emergent Church) that has risen over the culture today wants to see all the arts in worship services. And I'm sure you are familiar with the arts from a post-modern perspective. Don't get me wrong, I believe that the art of music, poetry and so forth have great redemptive value in our worship services when they adorn the gospel, magnify God, and cause the Church to exult in edification! But coming again from Luther's perspective, the Reformation, and Scripture, how do we also grapple with the Regulative Principle on this issue? Most of what I say and quote from in this comes from reading Paul Jones' chapter entitled Hymnody in a Post-Hymnody World, in Give Praise To God.
I love you all! Fill me in--Am I totally off? Bear with my roughly-thought-out ideas.
Peace to you,
Gabe--Psalm 149:1
I have been pondering the fulness of the means of grace that God in Christ Jesus has procured for us in the gospel--particularly in relation to worship. Specifically, Reformers like Calvin and Zwingli had their limitations and strict convictions in the nature and expression of worship. Though Zwingli was a musician himself, he saw only silence and meditation on the Scriptures as the means to worship God. Calvin, on the other hand, encouraged singing--Psalm singing only without any instruments in corporate gatherings. In family gatherings, he encouraged the use of instruments. As some of you are aware, Luther thought quite differently than these two. For he has been called the 'Father of congregational singing'. More than that, Luther had quite an openness to the nature and expression of corporate worship: "Next the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise. She is a mistress and governess of those human emotions which control men or more often overwhelm them." Furthermore, this next statement struck my mind with magnanimity and struck my heart with warm profundity: "Nor am I of the opinion that through the Gospel all arts should be cast to the ground and should perish, as some misled religious people claim. But I want to see all the arts, especially music, used in the service of Him who has given and created them."
Reading this at first put gladness in my heart because, as you can see, Luther is winsome and apprehensive as to the means of grace Christ has purchased for us in the gospel in this area. However, reading these thoughts of a Reformer--seeing music as penultimate to the Word of God in worship also made me wonder about a few things. Especially because we live in an age where the preaching of the Word of God is depreciated and where the gospel is scorned by the culture, post-modern fancies, and the spirit of self-autonomy. In other words, what did Luther mean when he said he "want[ed] to see all the arts, used in the service of Him who has given and created them." The Great Conversation (Emergent Church) that has risen over the culture today wants to see all the arts in worship services. And I'm sure you are familiar with the arts from a post-modern perspective. Don't get me wrong, I believe that the art of music, poetry and so forth have great redemptive value in our worship services when they adorn the gospel, magnify God, and cause the Church to exult in edification! But coming again from Luther's perspective, the Reformation, and Scripture, how do we also grapple with the Regulative Principle on this issue? Most of what I say and quote from in this comes from reading Paul Jones' chapter entitled Hymnody in a Post-Hymnody World, in Give Praise To God.
I love you all! Fill me in--Am I totally off? Bear with my roughly-thought-out ideas.
Peace to you,
Gabe--Psalm 149:1
posted by the Zepeda family at
1:37 AM
2 Comments:
It seems to me that the best way to think of and practice the Regulative Principle is to let the Word of God saturate all things we do in corporate worship. In other words, read the Word, sing the Word, pray the Word, preach the Word. But that's referring to what we do actively in worship. Is it possible to use and redeem the other artistic disciplines in other ways within the church. In order to use the visual arts to the glory of God (e.g. painting) I'm not sure we have to actually do them during the worship service (as some Emergents propose). We could use the visual arts to make our church buildings more aesthetically beautiful. Throw away the cheesy flannelgraphs and gaudily framed Thomas Kinkade paintings, and replace them with serious art.
What we do in a worship service needs to be actively centered around participating in God's Word. But we can do this in beautiful and creative ways that glorify our Creator God and give us joy. What we need to avoid is art for art's sake and focus on art for God's sake and our joy.
By
Matt H, at 12:26 PM
I think that you are going down a great trail Gabe. I know that is something Ash W. as put a lot of thought in to. I think that you would find it beneficial to converse with her about it. My personal thoughts are just about the same as Matt's. Aesthetic beauty is something that the Protestant Church in general has shyed away from out of reaction to Catholisism. Looking back at the Reformers we see people who were not only burning bridges with the Catholic Church (a good thing) but also building totaly sep. ones and on some of the issues such as arts they decided to build a totally different framework. They throw out the baby with the bathwater. Let us use the arts to the glory of God. Oh by the way Gabe how is Bek doing? When is the Little thing on the way? We want to know!
By
David, at 5:35 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home