Our Philosophy for Music in Worship

At PCM we believe everything we do should begin and end with the glory of God. That means more than simply including God in our thinking; it means trying to understand how we fit into God’s thinking.

This includes the music we use in worship. A philosophy of art is known as an aesthetic. In this case the aesthetic is musical. What is the reasoning behind our choices of musical content and expression at PCM?

Our musical aesthetic is informed by three theological truths.

Christian worship is a response to God’s grace in Christ.

Grace is what makes Christian worship possible. Since human beings are born slaves to sin, without the liberating grace of God we cannot serve God with our hearts. Instead we worship idols of our own making.

But God has spoken to us graciously in Christ. Because we are completely powerless to save ourselves, Christ saved his people. That’s why Christian worship always begins with God’s Word to us in Christ.

There is a second part to Christian worship though. There is a time for us to speak. We respond to God’s grace in Christ with thanksgiving and praise; and also with confession and repentance.

Those are the two parts to Christian worship: God speaking to us and us speaking to God.

Christian worship uses the good gifts of creation

When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden he told them to cultivate it. They were to work as God’s regents, made in his image, to work with the good things they’d been given and employ them in novel ways to the glory of God and their own enjoyment.

One rule governed their time in the garden. They were commanded not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. As we know they ate what they were told not to eat. So instead of abstaining to the glory of God, they ate to their own glory and died.

From Adam we have inherited a propensity to use the creation sinfully – with an eye to our own glory rather than the glory of God. And in so doing our works become a source of misery to us rather than joy.

But the creation is still good, even though we are prone to use it sinfully. So we should use the good gifts of creation boldly in the worship of God, but with this caveat – the commands of the Lord must be obeyed. What is clearly directed in the scriptures must be followed. God places limits on our creativity. Worship is not a “do as you please” proposition.

Well-crafted worship orders all the music used in worship to the glory of God

God made all things and declared them good. That includes every sound and rhythm. There is not a sound of any kind that can be declared evil – just as there is no color or smell or taste which can be declared evil.

To say that all sound is good doesn’t mean that any sound is good for anything you want to use it for. Placement and use need to be considered.

Because the world is good, it is rational and we can understand it. Even when discernment is difficult, some measure of understanding is possible. When it comes to the sounds of music those sounds can be judged by simply asking the question, “What are those sounds good for?”

Some people think that any sound can mean anything you want it to mean. In other words, sounds find their meaning relative to the uses they are put to. Oddly, this version of relativism has become a popular justification for an indiscriminant approach to music in worship.

But musical forms are not neutral. They possess inherent meaning because God has made a meaningful world. Even Hollywood understands this. Film makers spend a lot of money making sure that their musical scores support their plots, characters, and settings. How would the score to, “The Sound of Music” work for “Star Wars”? Leaving film aside, imagine the reaction of the American people to the President of the United States being greeted on the tarmac in Paris by a rousing rendition of the Star Spangled Banner played by a band made up entirely of kazoos. Or what would you think of setting the text of "Amazing Grace" to the tune from Gilligan’s Island?

These examples serve a point. Forms are content. There is no such thing as a neutral form. Without considering the propriety of the forms we use we may compromise the very intent of a lyric or the purpose of a portion of a worship service. When it comes to form and content they should exist in harmony. If we don’t keep that in mind we may use music that does not fit well with the worship of God.

The Musical Aesthetic of PCM

The musical aesthetic for PCM may be described with three terms: acoustic, eclectic, and fitting.

Acoustic

It is acoustic because we prefer to keep the relationships between musicians, music, and listeners as close as possible to God’s creation and to our expression. While we use some amplification, we do not want electronic instruments to dominate and drown out the voices of those who sing. This is rooted in our conviction that Christian worship is a response to God’s grace in Christ. Electronic music has a place in our world. It can glorify God. But it adds another layer of technology between worshippers and music and for that reason we don’t use it in worship at PCM.

Eclectic

It is eclectic in two senses. First, we want to bring together the diverse gifts God has given to our church – everything from piano to guitar to flute. Another source of our eclecticism is the cultures our people come from. It is our hope that our congregation will grow even more culturally diverse. And with their cultural backgrounds will come musical legacies. As much as we can we will seek to incorporate those musical forms in our worship.

Fitting

“Fitting” refers to the ordering of musical forms to God’s glory through worship.

There are different parts to a worship service and music should “fit” with the intent of those parts. Whether we’re speaking of instrumentals or singing, the music ought to be in harmony with purpose.

Prelude and Postlude

Prelude and postlude are much more than “bumper music” – they are intended to help the worshipper transition from the concerns of life to the worship of God. In the case of the prelude the music should help the worshipper prepare for corporate worship. Consequently it is often more reflective in nature. In the case of postlude music the intension is to aid the worshipper in moving back into the routines of daily life but with a renewed resolve to do so in the service of God.

Hymns

We’re encouraged by the Apostle Paul in Colossians 3:16 to sing Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Hymns are sung in response to God’s Word. Consequently they are sung with God in mind, not us. Because they are sung to God they often praise the attributes, greatness, and creating and saving work of God. Because of the subject matter they are grand and majestic in their content and presentation. They are not songs about us, or about how we are feeling; they are songs about God.

Psalms and Spiritual Songs

This is music that often is about us. It is designed to either help us bring to God the content of our hearts, or it is intended to help us order our minds and hearts. It is often used prior to prayer, during the Lord’s Supper, to accompany an offering, or even following a sermon. Because of its self-referential nature it is often informal and reflective, even intimate at times. Instrumentation should fit the intent here as much as with hymns.

Because of the narcissistic character of the times we live in, it is tempting to allow this type of music to press out hymns. But it is just as tempting in churches like PCM to make the opposite error and completely remove this type of music. It has its place and it is important for helping people respond to God’s grace in Christ.

Conclusion

There is a great deal more that could be said but this is merely intended to be an introduction to why we make the musical choices we make at PCM. It is the hope of the leadership of the church that you will both understand and appreciate the reasons behind those choices. It is also our hope that you will worship with us and strive to do so, “in spirit and in truth.” John 4:24.