Duly Noted
Christopher W. Mathews on the Necessity of Song in Worship
When I read "The Pharmakon Athanasias" by S. M. Hutchens in the May/June 2013 Touchstone, I was impressed with the wise and eloquent case it presented for the integrity of the content and structure of Christian worship, as opposed to popular trends that erroneously market the truth of the gospel. My frequent "amens" were interrupted, however, by a statement that I think reflects a common but inaccurate perception concerning one element of corporate worship: "Music, which has, in a kind of madness, come in many places to be the definition of 'worship,' is not required." The claim I have italicized is neither biblical nor historic and may very well be at the core of many ills of the congregation of the saints, potentially shackling the spiritual formation of believers and even the growth of the Kingdom.
Both the Old and New Testaments contain resplendent examples of music-making in the context of worship, as well as commands for the people of God to sing and make music. Moses led the Israelites to sing on the other side of the Red Sea; with tambourine, Miriam inclined the women to do the same. David's establishment of musicians and their leaders for pre-Temple worship serves as a model for the formation of music ministries even today. In fact, music so marked the worship of the Israelites that the Babylonians, who had taken them into captivity, taunted them about it: "For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, 'Sing us one of the songs of Zion!'" (Ps. 137:3). After the exile, Nehemiah records that he searched out musicians for the dedication of the wall, so that once again there could be music for worship, just as David had prescribed.
Corporate singing as an act of worship continued among the Jews through the inter-testamental period and on into New Testament times. It was only natural, then, that Christ and his disciples sang a hymn after celebrating Passover. Singing was such an integral part of worship that Paul frequently associated it with the act of praying, both in practice (Acts 16:25) and in doctrine (1 Cor. 14:15). His twin exhortations to the Christian churches of Ephesus and Colossae to sing "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs" come from the perspective of a converted Israelite who had experienced music as a normal element of corporate worship.
This is, of course, merely a cursory survey of the practice of worship music as recorded in the Scriptures and does not include the myriad instructions and commands woven throughout the Bible regarding singing and music. Even apart from the Psalms, singing is expected of the people of God, explicitly commanded and anticipated from the believer with the same mandate as giving an offering, studying the Word, observing the sacraments, and sharing the gospel.
Music Through Church History
What can be said of music in corporate worship following the New Testament period? In a.d. 112, Pliny the Younger, the Roman governor of what is modern-day Turkey, observed of Christians, "They were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god." Augustine confessed that he was "inclined, while not maintaining an irrevocable position, to endorse the custom of singing in church." After music was banned from her convent, the eleventh-century nun Hildegard von Bingen passionately wrote, "They who without the weight of sure reason impose silence upon a church in the matter of songs in praise of God, and thereby unjustly deprive God of the honor of his praise on earth, will be deprived themselves of the participation in the angelic praises heard in heaven."
While the town council of Zurich followed Zwingli's lead in removing the organ and subsequently all hints of music from corporate worship, this approach was temporary—music returned to Zurich's congregation by the end of the sixteenth century—and out of line with the views of other significant Reformers. Introducing the 52 musical works in Georg Rhau's 1538 Symphoniae iucundae, Martin Luther commented, "After all, the gift of language combined with the gift of song was only given to man to let him know that he should praise God with both word and music, namely, by proclaiming through music and by providing sweet melodies with words." In his preface to the Genevan Psalter of 1543, Calvin wrote, "As for public prayers, there are two kinds. The ones with the word alone; the others with singing. And this is not something invented a little time ago. For from the first origin of the Church, this has been so, as appears from the histories."
Drawing from the teaching and practices of the early Reformers, the compilers of the 1640 Bay Psalm Book, the first publication in the American Colonies, perhaps wrote most passionately about singing, specifically singing of the psalms:
So that if the singing of David's psalms be a moral duty and therefore perpetual; then we under the New Testament are bound to sing them as well as they under the old; and if we are expressly commanded to sing Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, then either we must sing David's psalms, or else may affirm they are not spiritual songs; which being penned by an extraordinary gift of the Spirit, for the sake especially of God's spiritual Israel, not to be read and preached only (as other parts of holy writ) but to be sung also, they are therefore most spiritual, and still to be sung of all the Israel of God: and verily as their sin is exceeding great, who will allow David's psalms (as other scriptures) to be read in churches (which is one end) but not to be preached also, which is another end so their sin is crying before God, who will allow them to be read and preached, but seek to deprive the Lord of the glory of the third end of them, which is to sing them in Christian churches.
In this light, reading and expositing psalms without singing them would be like reading the Words of Institution and preaching on the Eucharist without eating the bread and drinking the cup; teaching baptism without getting wet; exhorting the tithe without taking a collection. Psalms (and hymns and spiritual songs) must be sung. Music is not optional. If a church reads and preaches the Scriptures, it is clearly obliged to sing and to make music in the context of gathered worship.
Indispensible & Meaningful
The perspective that music is not required within the course of "a full service of Christian worship" not only opposes the weight of biblical and historical evidence, but also deprives the Church of her collective voice by relegating this powerful gift of God to a mere option. Furthermore, the chief theologians of local congregations who are persuaded that music is an elective element of corporate worship tend to distance themselves from meaningful discussion and debate concerning the sounds of music. This tragedy may very well move music into the same category as the color of carpet or choice of flowers. Since neither carpet nor flowers are essential to Christian worship, pastors most often delegate their selection to others with the sole mandate, "Don't cause division." Similarly, since music is regarded as non-essential to Christian worship, those same leaders remove their expertise and wisdom from the dialogue and give the worship leader one mandate: "Do what they like."
However, when music is properly viewed as a necessary, required element of the corporate gathering of God's people, it once again becomes the province of church leaders, and there can be a sober discussion not only regarding texts, but also melodies, harmonies, rhythms, and accompaniment. While church musicians are important to this dialogue, the issues of musical style, substance, and presentation are principally theological and deserve the careful attention and active participation of pastors and parish priests. These conversations should not focus on market-driven functionality, but on the rich biblical and historical traditions that root the Church in her past, while also recognizing the place of the local congregation both geographically and chronologically.
When music receives proper recognition as an indispensible element of corporate worship and congregational song receives appropriate attention and affirmation from church leaders, believers will be compelled to lift their collective voice and they and their church will be emboldened. Boys will hear men sing songs of the faith taught to them by their fathers, and they will recognize that they belong to a faith that is enduring and strong. Aging women will sing with young girls and remember that God has reserved for himself thousands who will not bow to the world but who will continue to demonstrate the love of Christ until he comes again. When the wealthy couple sings, they will see the struggling couple in the pew next to them doing the same and remember that wealth is a gift from God, meant to be used to bless those in need. The believer struggling with sin will hear the convicting words sung by others around him and will himself join in their songs of God's mercy and grace.
A Unifying Element
When sung, the truths of Scripture combine with the emotions of the congregation to become more memorable and foster deeper reflection. The songs of the Church serve as unifying elements as we make melody not only with those who share our time and place, but also with the "great cloud of witnesses," those saints who have gone before us, as well as current and future followers of Christ scattered throughout the world. When congregational song is used in corporate worship with conviction and wisdom, unbelievers recognize the unique place of the Church in history and culture, see and hear the gospel proclaimed by the people of God, and are made aware by the Holy Spirit that they stand outside a community that invites them to partake freely of the grace of God lovingly wrought through the broken body of Christ.
Let the Church sing, then, not as an option, but as an act of obedience, faithfully following the commands of Scripture and the example of the saints and fully receiving from the Spirit the benefits God intends by this beautiful gift. Let the preachers and teachers of our day take up the issue of music with conviction and sobriety as we seek to restore music to its proper and intended place in worship. And while doing so, let us carefully guard against the idolatry that can come from music as we faithfully proclaim with each note we compose, play, and sing: soli Deo gloria.
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