Is some music morally “good” and some music morally “bad”? Dr.
Frank Garlock says, “of course.” In fact, he argued that ours is the first
generation which has attempted to claim that music is amoral.
I just finished listening to a sermon Dr. Garlock
gave at Bob Jones University a few years ago, and I was surprised that he didn’t
focus on music lyrics. Rather, he focused on the sound of the music
itself. Although he noted that the Bible refers to music over 500 times, he
based most of his message on 1 Corinthians 14:7-11. These verses, he claimed,
showed that one can tell whether or not the music is good by its language.
In the examples he provided, he suggested that we instinctively know what to do when we hear a specific sort of music. We know how we’re supposed to
feel when we hear “Taps,” for example. I suppose this is the same logic some
people use to explain why only “traditional organ hymns” are appropriate for
Christian services.
According to Dr. Garlock, people today choose
where to go to church more based on the music they play rather than the teachings
they preach. Music, he argued, closely aligns to a person’s values and
identity. The implication is, I guess, that people who listen to Hard Rock
music have different values than people who listen exclusively to traditional
organ hymns.
So, what if you used the same lyrics from a
traditional organ hymn and set them to Hard Rock? According to Dr. Garlock,
that doesn’t work, because Hard Rock music has its own “language,” remember? So
the “bad language” of the Hard Rock music contradicts whatever “good message”
might come from the lyrics? That seems to be Dr. Garlock’s point.
But how does one determine whether the language of
a particular music style is morally good or bad? Dr. Garlock never directly answered
this question, although he did warn
that rock music 1) is as addictive as alcohol and drugs, 2) can alter your
state of consciousness, 3) has the power to possess your spirit, 4)
hooks into your life, 5) and causes serious withdrawal symptoms if you try to quit
listening to it.
Why, I thought, Dr. Garlock isn’t holding back
here. All this from 1 Corinthians 14:7-11? I have to admit that I read these
four verses, but I didn’t understand them in nearly the same way. First off, I
agree that music is a language, but I disagree that some music is automatically morally good while some
is automatically morally bad. Like any language, it depends on how the music is used. Hard Rock isn’t a “bad language”; rather, it would be more
accurate to think of Hard Rock as “English” and traditional organ hymns as “Spanish.”
In other words, they are two distinct and separate languages. Nobody would ever try to claim that English is somehow better than Spanish, right? (Yes, as I type this, I imagine the Catholic Church's fondness for Latin, and the Muslim's preference for Arabic, but anyway...)
It has long interested me that some people promote
traditional organ hymns as the only sort of music appropriate to God. The organ
has been around for a long time – over two thousand years – but it 1) is
distinctively Western, and 2) does not have its origins in church music. So,
people who claim that a church should only use the organ to accompany singing in
church are 1) consciously or unconsciously demonstrating a Western music bias,
and 2) probably unaware that organ music accompanied gladiatorial combat before it was ever used in church services.
Did Paul know that organ music was used in gladiatorial
combat? Whether he was aware of this or not, how does this fact change our understanding of the
verses in 1 Corinthians 14? My point is, it would be rather silly to throw out organ music just because it used to be played while gladiators killed each other, right?
If people want to argue that Ke$ha’s lyrics aren’t
good for impressionable young girls to hear, that’s one thing. If people want
to suggest that certain music videos are inappropriate, fine. However, I find
it to be quite silly for anyone to try to make a blanket statement that certain
music styles are inherently “bad" or "evil," and that certain musical instruments are
somehow automatically “good” or “holy.” To me, it’s a classic case of people reading
too much into a few sentences.
What are your thoughts on the power and
influence of music?
“Music is my
religion.” – Jimi Hendrix
Is it just me or do you find the sound of an organ actually kind of creepy?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I listen to hard rock and metal, and I try to be a good person. I work hard, I try to be nice to people I come into contact with, and I love the people who are close to me. I don't take drugs, I don't smoke, and don't drink too much. I don't understand how this guy thinks hard rock and metal is going to turn you into some degenerate. If he talked about the lyrics, that is one thing, but the lyrics of the songs I listen to aren't about partying or anything like that.
I find it funny how he says hard rock is addictive like drugs or alcohol. Maybe deep down inside, he likes hard rock, but his own silly ideas prevent him from listening to it.
But I really like how you pointed out his bias toward western culture and how he is completely unaware of the history of the instrument he advocates people to listen to.