Mark's Views, Perhaps — from behind my eyeballs
World magazine, in its current issue, has a sidebar about two a cappella music CDs. What so amazing to me is that these are by Mennonite (or mostly Mennonite) youth (or mostly youth). Also amazing is that these are the kind of Mennonites that practice the Christian woman’s headship covering. Most amazing of all, though, is this: our son Andrew is a tenor in the Acclamation Chorale. That’s just pretty special. 🙂
Here’s what Arzenio Orteza has to say in his World sidebar: Read it all
They arrived today. Ten boxes of CDs by my favorite a cappella youth choir. My favorite choir, actually. Directed by my favorite choir director. 😀
This is their first intentionally-recorded-for-publication CD.
I’m happy and pleased (and proud in a good way, I hope) to present to you the a cappella Roth Male Octet, competently headed by our son Andy: Read it all
Or maybe we’re the bourgeoisie. Or the upper crust. (I’m just using those terms for the anyhow, OK?)
I just want to say that in my home congregation, we all sing. Even the men. Maybe it’s because we are a conservative Mennonite church. We sing four-part a cappella (you know, with no musical instruments).
In fact, once a quarter we have a Sunday afternoon men’s singing time, using Hymns We Love #3. And then in the evening we have a singing service for everybody. With fingerfood snacks in between.
I thought of that several days ago when I read this article: Read it all
One of the young women in our youth group (or at least in it within recent memory) got married this weekend.
She (they, I’m sure) asked the youth group (Hopewell Mennonite Church) to sing four songs at the reception.
Here are my two favorites:
Title: “Can You Hear?”
Soloist: Jason Boss
Last month I sold some folks two vintage player piano rolls via eBay: Gospel Boogie and The Death of Floyd Collins.
Well, now you can listen to their piano playing those very two rolls: Piano Roll Hits! Read it all
Do you believe the myth?
And live by it?
And defend it?
And get defensive and testy when it’s challenged?
Here are the opening and closing paragraphs of a piece I learned about on…uh…Facebook:
For years I have heard the claim that the type of music in corporate worship is irrelevant. It is not the music that matters, but the lyrics. Music is supposedly “neutral,” and the lyrics alone determine the message. There is simply no factual basis for this belief. The propagation of this idea has resulted in much spiritual confusion today where the music used in worship actually wars against the content of the lyrics.
[…]
In summary, music always speaks. It always has something to say on its own—free of lyrics. What our worship music says about God must line up with what we are told about God in His Word. We know God two ways: both by His character and by His works as they are recorded in Scripture. Nobody is very interested in knowing the character and works of God today, and that ultimately is the root of the problem. We cannot speak honestly of one we do not know. God is made over into man’s image today, and the music used to worship Him reflects that. A thorough knowledge of God through His Word will have a reformational effect on Christian worship. Only when we know God can we truly worship him in spirit and in truth.
Soli Deo Gloria
Do read the whole piece: Music is Never “Neutral” by Tom Schlueter
