How Music Informs The Development Of Christian Worship Throughout History Essay

Temple worship was a key element in prayer for the Hebrews. The Book of Genesis mentions how Abraham built shrines near Hebron, and Ali. Abraham’s son, Isaac, worships at the same place and Jacob made a memorial with a stone for Yahweh. There were many ways of worship through the temple. Since there was no actual prove of his image, people created artworks of different divine images and shared them with each other to show their loyalty to Yahweh. At the temple, people would offer food, clothing to the statues of the God’s in the temple. Music was another way to show the love for Yahweh. Music uses lyrics to praise and bless Yahweh. It brings everyone together in the temple.

Music is an important aspect of every society. Music can tell stories, release emotions, build bridges and break down barriers, but above all music is entertaining. There are various forms of music but not many have as rich a history as gospel music. The importance of gospel music has been relevant in American music for more than a century and its importance to society is still relevant to this day (See Appendix A). Gospel music helped slaves escape to freedom and paved the way for other styles of music. It promotes a spirit of hope and provided an outlet to worship God. So how exactly has Gospel music impacted today’s society?

For by no means would I have the Latin language completely removed from the divine service, as my chief concern is with the youth. If I could bring to pass that Greek and Hebrew were as familiar to us as the Latin, and offered as much good music and song, we would hold mass, sing and read on successive Sundays in all four languages: German, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew.”

To participate in worship, a person must have a relationship with God. In other words, how can a person worship someone he/she does not know or experienced. To obtain that link an individual must become a part of the body of Christ by accepting Jesus as their personal Savior and surrender their will for God's will and plans for their life. They must also have had an encounter with God as Saul on the Damascus road and David with his many issues. However, music has a multipurpose, it drives away evil spirits, calms the mind, and drives a person toward the love and warmth of Christ.

African American religious music is the foundation of all contemporary forms of so called "black music." African American religious music has been a fundamental part of the black experience in this country. This common staple of the African American experience can be traced back to the cruel system of slavery. It then evolved into what we refer to today as gospel music. The goal of this paper is to answer three main questions. What are the origins of African American religious music? How did this musical expression develop into a secular form of music? What is the future of African American religious music? These questions will be answered through factual research of African American traditions, artists, and various other sources.

This essay is separated into four parts by the approach used to analyze the music preformed by Paul Brandt on April 5th, 2017 as part of a religious studies course focusing on religion and music at the University of Calgary, RELS373. Scott provides a standard of music’s role in cultures, explained in lecture, culture is seen as a product of religion, geographic location, and language. The phenomenon of a spiritual experience due to music is explained through the perception of William James. The metaphysical nature of music is analyzed philosophically, from the point of view of Rudolph Otto. The experience of praise (to God) is analyzed with a doxological approach through the lenses of James Frazer and Dietterich.

1. Discuss the use of music in Catholic and Protestant worship practice, from the development of polyphony, through the music of J.S. Bach. In so doing, discuss the shift in responsibility for musical development from the Catholic Church to the Lutheran Church.

Music played a significant role in the lives of ancient Greeks. They believed that music fostered one’s relationship with the gods, and some instruments, such as the lyre, were created by the gods. Music and dance were also taught

I believe my biggest critique with this style of worship is that I question if music is enough. Does music make true transformation in the way worship shapes our affections, values, perceptions and beliefs? Sure, good music add to the experience of worship and it may enhance someone’s spiritual walk. But, does it build a true sustaining relationship with God or with the people of God? Thus, it is my belief that music only functions as background, mostly on the surface and not real

When examining the theme of Music and Religious Life, the question that often comes up is, what makes this music religious? Is it the choice of the musician or is it out of the artist’s control all together? It’s hard to say with confidence that the answer is just one or the other because it’s easy to find exceptions for each. When looking at artists that have been able to have a career as a “musician” and as a “religious musician” like Johann Sebastian Bach and Isaac Slade from The Fray, it appears it’s not about what the artist’s preference is, but the preference of the people and environment around them.

Music is ever present in the rituals of the Greek city-states and only seldom do we find a Greek ritual deprived of any musical expression. Every public act of worship was accompanied by hymn singing, instrumental accompaniment, dances or musical processions. Greek Festivals were dedicated sites of musical performances, ranging from the spontaneous hymnic cries of the crowds to the intricate skills of professional musicians. At the core of this study lies the basic assumption that each Greek cult, each God or Goddess in their varied local manifestations, demanded a specific musical worship, a unique cultic soundscape. The inherent local soundscape of each and every Greek cult defined it`s traditionally accepted set of musical-patterns, governing

Sometimes the question is raised should Christians or religious people listen to secular music or be entertained by television shows? Music has always been a source of entertainment from the days of ole until today. Music is either spiritual or secular. Secular music can be defined as music that does not have a biblical message; it instigates promiscuity, violence or any other possible harmful acts. Some say listening to secular music is harmless because it doesn’t influence your spirituality. The music you listen to should glorify God. Music in its original state was to please God in praise. God had appointed an angelic being to be in charge of the music to sing songs of praise and worship. Some forms of secularism in the music industry are the music director’s desire for the praises and attention for himself or the words of the song have no spiritual tone to it. That same angelic being was stripped of his position to play heavenly psalms, but he still possessed his craft. Some secularist behavior is through music. So the music which was once the sound of praise filling the heavens was now a sound of praise that fills the earth and in some cases corrupting the minds of the people. Some of the musicians of today sing of the devil. They have Satanic rituals before their concerts and during their concerts. Not all music brings about corruption but it may promote promiscuity.

Music had been had played a major role in many cultures throughout the history of humankind. Music has been used for various events and occasions for humans. These events and occasions may have been religious or even war-related.

In certain religious practices were done to music, such as sacrifices. The Hymns and prayer were also sung during services, such as

When addressing the issue of the use of instrumental music today in the light of New Testament doctrine, the first thing that needs to be addressed is the fact that God has never left His worship up to the faulty decision-making of His creation. From the time of Adam and Eve to the present, man’s decision making has been questionable. If man is left to himself and his own devices with a question that must be answered correctly, it is possible he will make the wrong decision. Jesus said in John 4:24, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” So, if we are left with a question as to whether instrumental music is acceptable in worship to God in the light of New Testament doctrine, the answer must come from