Still Considering Bach, Bubba & the Blues Brothers

In my earlier post on With One Voice by Reggie Kidd, I summarized Bach, Bubba & the Blues Brothers.  I wanted that to function as a book review of sorts.  Now I want to expand those summaries of Reggie Kidd’s ideas and play with the concepts abit.  I’ll interact with material from the book and throw in a few ideas of my own.

Bach- Some Christians have the time, aptitude and resources to fully appreciate classical culture.  I say fully because I appreciate classical culture though it is not where I live.  It is like a vacation spot where I am spoiled at times by Mozart, Bach, Rossini, Tchaikovsky and others.  I haven’t spent the time to study their background and the origins of the various pieces.  I enjoy them, but I don’t have a full appreciation of their work.  But some of my fellow Christians do fully appreciate them.

Classical culture points us to the transcendent.  It is largely about the quest for truth and beauty.  It requires the highest of skills to play/perform.  This is what makes it beyond the reach of most congregations except on special occasions (like a “vacation”).  We need to venture to a performance of Handel’s Messiah periodically to get a taste of beauty and transcendence.  Some of the greatest hymns have been set to music by these musical giants as well.

But I love what Reggie says: “Now, Jesus loves Bach’s music and that of his aesthetic kin- of this I am certain.  I am equally sure, however, that he finds their most elevated and demanding stuff to be but nursery tunes.”  Even in our heights we fall far short of the bar set by our Creator.  Let us not think our worship is better because our songs are more elegant or deeper.  All our praises need to be purified by the blood of Jesus.

But the lush music is a pointer for our longings as well.  Reggie notes the disagreement between Ambrose of Milan and his disciple Augustine of Hippo (you may have heard of him).  Ambrose loved lush music in worship.  Augustine feared it, thinking it would distract him from the text.  They should work together!  A rich text may require rich, lush music.  Music is to capture the meaning of the text, amplifying it so we are lost in wonder at the Redemeer’s love for such as us.  Reggie puts it this way: “there is an expansiveness of spirit Christ would inculcate in us and which art of this kind fosters.”

But the bond of peace and spirit of humility must dominate our preferences.  “Life in community outweighs the pursuit of aesthetic equilibrium.  … Some of the noblest artists I know rein in their preferences and training to serve worship communities with humbler aesthetics than their own.”  First, there is no formula: 1/3 Bach + 1/3 Bubba = 1/3 Blues Bros. = Perfect Worship Service.  Each community will have its own dominant, or most comfortable, voice.  But there are times when it will leave that “home” to expand and deepen their experience and faith.

Bubba- Simple, folk songs point to a Savior who became a Galilean peasant who worked wood with His hands.  He did not enjoy the courts of kings and their paid musicians.  He most often worshipped in the stark simplicity of the synagogue, not the pomp & circumstance of the Temple.

As a new convert Reggie discovered how simple most chord structures were in hymns.  He calls congregational song “functional art.  It is music more ‘of the people’ and ‘by the people,’ and less ‘for the people.’  Congregational song is participatory art, not performance art. … A lot of what we would call ‘art music’ or ‘classical music’ is beyond the ability of ordinary people.  When it is done in worship, ‘art music’ tends to be done by the few on behalf of the many.”  This has long driven my desire to avoid “special music” (aside from special occasions) and the atmosphere of a concert performance.  We should seek participation not perfection in our congregational music.  The musicians of the community should be able to join together to make music for the rest to sing to.  This way all are able to bring their gits and abilities to the King.  We make music for Him, not our preferences and enjoyment (though we may, even should, enjoy it).  I am not a good guitarist.  But I love to strum along, making music to my King.  I believe He takes an odd delight in this because I am moving beyond my comfort zone.  I am able to fellowship with Him in a different, but just as necessary, way than I do in prayer or meditation.  My mind churns over the lyrics, often lifting me from sin & misery by recalling God’s abundant grace toward me.

Reggie attributes to Steve Brown something I’ve been also telling people for years (maybe I got it from him and forgot I did).  Church is like a long trip in the family car when I was a kid.  You have to change stations so everyone gets a chance to listen.  It is about love: loving the widows enough to allow them to worship in their most comfortable voice, and loving the kids to allow them to do so too.  And loving most everyone inbetween.  There we find there is no one way to do this thing called worship in song.  We find God has given us a rich, accessible heritage to expand our hearts and minds.

Reggie quotes C.S. Lewis’ thoughts on hymns.  They sound like some people’s thoughts on contemporary worship music.  He viewed them as 5th rate, somehow beneath him.  But then he saw the godliness of many of these less-astute people, and he was humbled.  It is simple songs, be they hymns or contemporary songs, that anchor our faith.  Their verse and chorus stick with us, reshaping our minds that we might be transformed in our life (Romans 12).

The Blues Brothers- like these soul singers, “we are ‘on a mission from God’ to help our generation and those that follow to find their own voice in the Savior’s song.”  Missional music is popular music, the music of the community around us.  We learn to speak Gospel-truth in their musical language.  “There is an ‘outward-boundness’ to the gospel that a faithful church will not neglect to incorporate into its worship.” 

If we expect non-Christians to learn our language, we fail to recognize the implication of the Incarnation.  God condescended to speak “our” language.  We have been sent, as Jesus was sent, to speak the language of those around us as we communicate the good news.  The same is to be true for some of our songs.  We use familiar art forms to convey biblical truth so cultural barriers are removed (only God can remove the spiritual barriers).  Let us remember that God is Lord of history and culture.  That some misuse something does not necessarily make it illegitmate.  Just as Jesus can redeem our reading, thinking, eating, drinking and sex, He can redeem song to accomplish His purposes. 

Reggie also notes that the Apostles “laid out their thoughts in the Greek of their audience rather than in the Hebrew of their faith’s deepest roots.  They chose to use not the heritage language of Israel but the universal language of the world into which they were being sent.”  Not only that, but they wrote not in Classical Greek, but common or Koine Greek.  This was the language that Alexander the Great forced on his conquered foes.  Yet, God used it despite is questionable origins.

God did not intend for us to only sing our songs together.  He means for us to sing our songs to the world.  Each of us will be challenged in different ways.  We have our own voice, but we are not to sing alone in the corner.  We are to join our voice to other voices: first Jesus Himself and then His people.  We sing many songs, many ways, that are all part of the Great Story, His Story.  We sing to Him, to one another and to a needy world.  And so we need Bach, Bubba and the Blues Brothers.  I’m grateful Reggie Kidd wrote to remind us.