Key Factors Of The Division Over Instrumental Integration Into Worship

Then there were other people who did not like change in the church. They thought the only instrument should be a piano and the only songs that should be sung were the hymns. And then there was a third group. This group liked a mix, they did not see a problem with some new music and adding a few instruments, but they also liked the traditional hymns, they did not feel like they had to get rid of one to have the other. Their concern was more with trying to please all people; obviously not everyone was going to like everything that occurred, but to compromise was there thought and tactic.

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.

Have you ever noticed that when people talk of Jews, at least in a protestant church, that the Israelite legalism, rituals, dress and hair standards are the first things to mind? The topic of Judaism may come with stereotypical opinions and “Christian Judgement” that are without merit or understanding. Judaism, by a Christian worldview, had to change after Pentecost, since the animal sacrifice to atone for sin Christ completed on the Cross. However, Judaism does not accept this truth of Christ and His work on the cross, but Judaism remains in the world. So, what was this change in Judaism and when did it take place? There have been numerous fluctuations within Judaism, only the theme constructed in this essay has its foundations around the most important facet of Judaism- the Temple. With the Temple in the forefront of this essay, we will discuss the modifications that Judaism went through, at what time, different perspectives that the destruction of the Temple had, and how the Christian sect views these vagaries. The Temple destruction of A.D. 70 converted the Jewish faith in its singular fashion, while, at the same point, the Jewish faith never had a total change by always changing throughout time.

Church buildings, musical instruments, ministers’ attire, choir robes, hymns, names of converts, schools and curriculums had Americans’ religious, cultural, and economic trademark. The Christianity that addressed issues of life in the American cultural context was transplanted in different parts of the world. Unlike the transition of the Hebraic-Christianity from the Jewish culture to the Gentile world in the first century, which developed its own unique theological, cultural, and leadership identity in a short period of time, the phenomenal growth of Christianity in the majority world has been largely influenced by the dominance of American Christianity. As the result, we have Christian faith that is not well anchored on local theology. And to most of the churches in the majority world, up until recently,

The long history of Christian anti-Semitism, in thought and deed, is perhaps the worst scandal in all the church's history. It is the Oedipus complex, for Judaism is Christianity's father. All Christians are spiritually Jews, said Vatican II, echoing St. Paul. Christianity subtracts nothing from Judaism, but only fulfills it (Kreeft 1987).

After a reform congregation, The Emanuel Congregation, was formed and the Mikvé Israel was losing its members, the congregation decided to install a committee that would have to find and recommend ways to make their synagogue ritual more appealing. Their recommendations were: to form a choir, and to install an organ. To finance the new organ, the congregation decided to sell one of their off-site buildings by means of an auction. The cost of the organ alone, exceeded the income of their property sale. Nevertheless, the congregation decided to build a new gallery for their new organ and choir. The mahogany organ was shipped and arrived on schedule from Amsterdam in 1866, and was inaugurated in the same year. Ever since, mostly non-Jews were hired to play the organ, as Jews were prohibited from playing a musical instrument on

Levine’s book titled The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus proves to be a highly informative resource when trying to understand the intricate relationship between Christianity and Judaism. Levine’s primary objective seems to be a desire to address the idea that there is a vast, irreconcilable disparity between the beliefs and practices of Christians and Jews. Levine’s central argument focuses upon a common misperception of this dissimilarity: it is the result of Jesus being in direct opposition to Judaism. Furthermore, she contends that only a decided openness and interfaith dialogue between Christianity and Judaism can truly provide the most complete and compelling portrait of Jesus’s life and work. To me, the most edifying facet of Levine’s argument was her call to anchor Jesus within the historical and cultural context in which he was teaching in order to best understand his work and his message. Levine not only provides support for this idea throughout The Misunderstood Jew, but near the end of the novel also offers up ways in which both Christians and Jews can reconcile these two ostensibly conflicting perceptions of Jesus. Therefore, in this essay, I will analyze Levine’s arguments regarding the importance of historical/cultural context in Chapter One and Chapter Four while synthesizing it with her solutions presented in Chapter Seven.

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.

When this happens, there is no question that this is not an adiaphron, but rather it is something that is prohibited by the Scriptures and the Confessions. The Gospel cannot be hidden, “For then Christians are deprived of the true comfort they have in the Gospel against the Law's terrors, and the door is again opened in God's Church to the papacy. … Whatever causes confusion between the Law and the Gospel should be diligently prevented (i.e., by which the two doctrines, Law and Gospel, may be confused and mixed into one doctrine.”9 Now those who advocate for contemporary worship would argue that the music doesn't obscure the Gospel,

Music not only has issues in discrimination and racism but also in religion. In an article by Lake State Publications (2002), the transformation of music started during the early Christian era. It said that only Gregorian Chants were recognized in sacred ceremonies. However, secular and non-religious songs became rampant when the church had an unlikely encounter with the French Nobles called troubadours causing them to write the very first secular songs and ask the ministers to sing them to the public. Secular music continued to gain importance to the masses and vocal music became more important

“Ancient” music, or the majority of music composed before 1750, is audibly distinct from the music that followed it. The reasons for this are not immediately clear. An uninitiated listener would almost certainly be able to identify music as being either ancient or not, but would probably be incapable of articulating exactly why this is the case. Analysis of the concrete changes in musical notation that took place during this transition, however, reveals illuminating details about the metamorphosis of music during this period. These developments cannot be divorced from the social and religious undercurrents of the day. As the authority of the Catholic church diminished, humanism and religious reformation began to flourish among the more secular

Blended worship allows the many generations to encourage one another. In Colossians 3:16, Paul writes that believers should, “let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God. While there are varying opinions on the original meaning of the phrase “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs,” it is clear that in the context of Paul 's writing, there was more than one type of song used in worship and that worshipers are to engage with each other through teaching and admonition. While music does not equal worship, it is an important aspect of a Christian worship

1. I believe that the secular music didn't survive from that time as well as sacred music, because it wasn't heavily influenced by the church. Sacred music however was dedicated to religious purpose.

Nevertheless, he was worried that while chanting hymns his affections were drawn more to the “well-trained, melodious voices” than the meaning of music or worship itself. While he recognized the value of music and that is to stir one’s mind to greater religious passion and kindle a more zealous flame of holiness, he also thought of it as a grievous sin when the music itself brought more enjoyment than the words it conveyed. Nevertheless, Augustine recognized that King David was ordained as a instrumentalist, and good quality music communicated religious truth, for “the rational and well-ordered concord of diverse sounds in harmonious variety suggests the compact unity of the well-ordered city.” He believed that music could stir reverent feelings to great certainties, remarkably when well-delivered. However, when musical gifts were stressed over the religious intent, this grieved the Holy Spirit.

With the change at hand in spiritual music, the Catholic high priests had to do something to correct the problems. The high priests felt that the secular feel and style of music that was becoming evident in spiritual music was tainting the sacred message in these pieces. The Council of Trent was called into affect to address this reoccurring issue. The Council of Trent lasted for eighteen years all of which used to decide the correct and just way to solve this musical predicament. The Council deliberated on this topic and came to agreement that the reason for the issue was the “irrelevant attitude of the church musicians” (Augusta County Public Schools). During the Council of Trent, certain instruments were banned from spiritual music, encouraging and a cappella style once again. These instruments were forbidden because of the secular influence that was invading the purity of the sacred music of the bible. There was many uprising that came from The Council of Trent and the decisions made. Many