The Historical Recognition of God’s Beauty

Certainly one of the distinguishing marks of Jonathan Edwards’ theology in relation to the whole history of Christian thought is his radical elevation of beauty to preeminence among the divine perfections. Augustine, however, reflected on the nature of beauty centuries earlier.

Augustine. In his Confessions he said: “Too late I have loved you, O Beauty, so ancient and so new, too late have I loved you. Behold, you were within me, while I was outside: it was there that I sought you, and, as a deformed creature, rushed headlong upon these things of beauty which you have made. . . . They kept me far from you, those fair things which, if they were not in you, would not exist at all.”

Beauty is the perfection of God’s divine being. God alone is the essence of beauty in an original and exclusive sense.

Jonathan Edwards. For Edwards, beauty is not only that “wherein the truest idea of divinity does consist,” but also “it is first among the perfections of God; it constitutes in itself the perfection of all the other divine attributes” (Religious Affections, p 298).

He argued that the source of beauty is God Himself. God’s beauty is seen in His moral virtue and in the agreement (unity) of the Godhead. Edwards said these qualities transfer to inanimate things in a secondary beauty, consisting in “mutual consent and agreement of different things, in form, manner, quality, and visible end or design; called by the various names of regularity, order, uniformity, symmetry, proportion, harmony.” Examples of such are “the mutual agreement of the various sides of a square, the beautiful proportion of the various parts of the human body, and . . . the sweet mutual consent and agreement of the various notes in a melodious tune” (Essay Concerning the Nature of True Value, Chapter 3).

“It has pleased God to establish a law of nature by virtue of which the uniformity and mutual correspondence of a beautiful plant, the respect which the various parts of a regular building seem to have to one another, and their agreement and union, and the consent or concord of the various notes of a melodious tune, should appear beautiful because therein is some image of the consent of mind, the different members of a society or system of intelligent beings, sweetly united in a benevolent agreement of heart. . . . And here I should further observe . . . that God has so constituted nature, that the presenting of this inferior beauty, especially in those kinds of it which have the greatest resemblance of the primary beauty, as the harmony of sounds, and the beauties of nature, have a tendency to assist those whose hearts are under the influence of a truly virtuous temper, to dispose them to the exercises of divine love, and enliven in them a sense of spiritual beauty” (Ibid.).

Unregenerate people do not approve of beautiful objects because they perceive this analogy; rather, their appreciation of beauty is directly attributed to the common grace of God.

Beauty cannot originate from anyone other than God Himself, and it is a window into heaven for those who have ears to hear and eyes to see (regenerated hearts). God’s beauty is self-evident and speaks for itself through its intrinsic power of attraction to a mind not surrendered to the noetic effects of sin.

The Theological Reach of God’s Beauty:

God is beautiful in His person.

Integrity of His being. God’s self-revelation corresponds to what He actually is in word, deed, general revelation, and special revelation.

Tri-unity of God. The tri-unity of God culminates in absolute beauty. The Son is the perfect image of the Father, the “express image of His person” (Heb 1.3), the “image of the invisible God” (Col 1.15); and the Holy Spirit perfectly testifies of the Son (John 15.26).

Incarnation. The incarnation of the Son reveals the beauty of God in a special way and to a supreme degree through the personal (hypostatic) union of two such diverse natures as deity and humanity in one person. Here, we have perfect unity without monotony, diversity without chaos, with perfect proportion and splendor.

God is beautiful in His perfections.

God’s attributes unite in perfect harmony. There is no greater variety than God’s infinite perfections, nor a more intensive unity. Though holiness governs all of God’s attributes (Isa 6), the Bible does not exalt one attribute of God at the expense of the others. They form a glorious, harmonious whole without any inherent contradiction. The absence of chaos or monotony in His divine attributes amplifies His absolute beauty. They also mutually contribute to God’s purpose and performance manifesting the splendor to which man should respond.

God is beautiful in His purpose.

God has an eternal plan which embraces all that comes to pass (Ro 9.8–24; Eph 1.4–12; Jn 6.22–66). Based on His own holy and wise counsel, God governs, efficaciously or permissively, every detail of His universe in accordance with His perfect and unchanging plan. The chief aim of His purpose is to bring glory to Himself which is the aim of all beauty. Furthermore, there is perfect harmony between the purpose and performance of God.

God is beautiful in His performances.

Creation. Each person of the Godhead perfectly and harmoniously exercised His role in the Creation of the universe, earth, and man. The product, prior to the fall, was absolutely beautiful including a natural order which reflects the glory of God and culminating in man who was made in the image of God (Ge 1.31 “very good”).

The mistake many have made at this point is to seek the beauty of God’s creation and miss the beauty of the Creator [cf. Ro 1.18ff] (cf. Augustine’s quote).

Redemption. Salvation is beautiful in that it involves perfect and harmonious actions of the triune God. The product of salvation is beautiful in that it blots out the ugliness of sin and restores the believer in the image of God which was marred at the fall. The believer is a new man created by God in righteousness, holiness, and true knowledge. Finally, salvation culminates in the believer being conformed to the image of Christ through glorification (Ro 8.28–29).

The Practical Response to God’s Beauty

Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us. Ps 90.17

The objective view of beauty evaluates the arts on the basis of excellence of craft and the admirability of the object. The subjective view evaluates beauty on the basis of human response alone and experience.

Immanuel Kant, father of the Enlightenment, maintained that beauty was solely subjective and that art could be considered beautiful only if it produced desired feelings in the audience (Critique of Judgment). Kant’s ideas have deep roots in modern culture. Since Kant denied the reality of God, he also denied the reality of objective beauty. To Kant, God was whatever you “postulated” Him to be; likewise, beauty was whatever the individual wanted it to be. Kant exalted the idolatry of self.

Relativism encourages us to make choices based on what makes us feel good, rather than on the basis of excellence and admirability. We must learn to enjoy that which is admirable and excellent through study, discipline, proper exposure, and teaching.

C. S. Lewis wrote in An Experiment in Criticism, “the first demand art makes on us is to surrender.” Art is communication, and we must carefully analyze it to see to what we are surrendering. Unity (without monotony), Diversity (without chaos), Proportion (without distortion), and Splendor (the ability to manifest one’s perfections and attributes) describe the object, not the listener. They are qualities of the piece of music, and either they are there or not there. Just as a reader must have a good knowledge of language to appreciate fine books, so a listener must have a knowledge of music to appreciate fine compositions.

Our culture is so steeped in pop music that requires nothing of us that we may soon forget there is anything else to be known other than the trite and profane. If we understand, for instance, that it takes a musician 15 to 20 years to learn to play the cello well, shouldn’t we be willing to work a bit and learn to listen well? With an objective, God-centered view of beauty vis av vis a subjective, man-centered view, we will see what is good even when it doesn’t please us, giving great works the chance to speak to us over time.

The objective view of beauty also protects our sensibilities from lethargy and carnality. It takes little patience or work to enjoy the things on which Americans spend most of their time. Television, pop music, movies, fast food, advertising, etc. are all designed to be easily digested by a dumbed-down general public. They require little if anything of us. As a result, we become lethargic, and our attention span decreases, losing the ability to see as God sees, hear as God hears, and perceive as God perceives.

A theocentric (God-centered) view of beauty also develops a sense of “taste.” Some think taste simply means “personal preference,” but the Miriam-Webster Dictionary defines taste as “the power or practice of discerning or enjoying whatever constitutes excellence, especially in the fine arts.” As such, taste is a facet of wisdom, the skillful application of God’s truth, and the ability to distinguish what has value from what does not. Learning to enjoy what is admirable is to improve our tastes and a sure way of glorifying God for the gifts He has given our artists. Animals do not possess “taste” and appreciate beauty, either their own, or anyone else’s; it is a gift to men alone made in His image (Gen 1.27–29).

Some mistakenly equate subjective enjoyment with objective excellence. There is such a thing as a counterfeit aesthetic experience, that is, the feeling that you have experienced something profound when all you have really experienced is a fake. Whether it is a telephone commercial on TV that brings a tear to the eye or a pop song that manipulates our emotions, entertainers have learned how to get a cheap response from their audience when nothing admirable or excellent has been offered. Like a cheat, some offer an emotional experience; and the naive mistake it for a spiritual experience. This is the artistic equivalent of fast food – all the fun of real food with none of the nutrition.

Pop culture, unfortunately, is determining the worship in many “evangelical” churches. The result is that we are increasingly offering cheap, sensational, and superficial Christian music which at best is smarmy and “feel good.” There is a creeping banality in our musical choices. The main requirement is popularity without admirability. If the most important thing in music is that we “feel good,” what is to stop us from following our appetites for their own sake in other areas. When left to ourselves, our sensibilities always tend toward the low, debased, superficial, trendy, and eventually the depraved (Rom 1.18–31).

Conclusion Kant articulated the modernists’ position: There are no absolutes; therefore, we can know beauty only by our subjective feelings. Edwards, who has all but been forgotten in our modern age, reflected the Biblical view declaring that the source of beauty is the nature of God. Christians hold to absolutes. Why not here?

The way to live faithfully in our world and not be of our world is to lead the way regarding the nature of beauty. Why should we design another shapeless building in which to proclaim the eternal truths of God? Lewis said we will not read nothing. If we do not read good books, we will read bad books. If we do not delight in refined things, we will delight in debased ones. The same is true of music.

Man must submit his intellect to the truth of God, his emotions to the love of God, his will to the holiness of God, and his aesthetic values to the beauty of God. Since Christ is the apex of the beauty of God, conformity to the image of Christ is the ultimate and chief result of man’s response to the beauty of God. John said, “We shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” (1Jn 3.2) Isaiah foretold of that day when we shall see the returning Christ: “Thine eyes shall see the King in His beauty.” (Isa 33.17)

Beauty also transcends that which is visible and audible. Miquel Najdorf, the Polish chess grand master, received a brilliancy prize for a chess victory which has come to be known as the ‘Polish immortal.’ A relatively short game (22 moves), containing diverse combinations of play with seven sacrifices by Najdorf leading through a series of forced moves on his opponent’s part, culminated in a crushing checkmate. This particular chess game is truly beautiful – beautiful not because of the shape or color of the pieces used, but because of the logical coherence and variety in the combination of force, time, and space within the principles of the game of chess.

This leads to the question, What is the essence of beauty? Relativism is the general malaise of our time. An increasing percentage of the so-called intelligentsia holds that there are no absolutes. Churches have also been seduced by the same unbiblical thinking. They have accepted the modernist position that beauty is purely a matter of preference. They maintain that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder;” this is the emotional or psychological theory which locates beauty in the response of the perceiver. Beauty, however, is a force with which to be reckoned. Even the unbelieving opera lover may unconsciously know something of the profundity of God’s beauty through common grace that the professing Christian remains ignorant of: namely, that beauty is
a significant element of God’s nature and creation, and that beauty is a reflection of the character and ways of God which can be objectively evaluated. As such, a God-centered view of beauty locates beauty in certain qualities inherent in realities.

In a Christian view of aesthetics, three qualities are usually identified: (1) unity or integrity – a well-knit internal unity, completeness, or whole; (2) proportion or harmony – an orderly, harmonious relation and arrangement of the parts; (3) splendor – a definite capacity for manifesting its pattern. These three qualities result in unity without monotony and variety without chaos.

God, in His person, perfections, purpose, and performance, exemplifies the qualities of unity, proportion, and splendor. The triune God is indeed the supreme example of unity without monotony and variety without chaos.

This article (one of two) will examine the reality of God’s beauty from a biblical perspective as it pertains to our music choices. The next article will examine this issue from a historical and theological perspective.

The Word of God uses a rich variety of words to express the concept of the beauty of God: beauty, excellency, glory, honor, and majesty.

Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him? Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency; and array thyself with glory and beauty. (Job 40.9–10)

O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! (Ps 8.9)

Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips therefore God hath blessed thee for ever. Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. (Ps 45.2–4)

I will speak of the glorious honor of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. (Ps 145.5, 10–12)

They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the LORD, they shall cry aloud from the sea. (Isa 24.14)

Let favor be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD. (Isa 26.10)

It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God. (Isa 35.2)

And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land. For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! (Zec 9.16–17)

The word of God contains certain principles which guide our music choices. Our choices must be framed by the implications of Scripture rather than the standards of the world.

Implication 1: Anything not like God is ungodly! Contrary to what the world would have us believe, music is not immune from the effects of sin. Music is not simply neutral as some suggest.

Harold M. Best, the Dean of Music at Wheaton College opines in his book, Music Through The Eyes of Faith: “There is nothing un-Christian or anti-Christian about any kind of music.” (p 52); “The Christian is free of the moral nothingness of music. . . .” (p 59)

How does this square with God’s Word? Throughout Scripture, we find that music is intrinsically moral. Good music is that which displays the beauty of God. We are to sing unto the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness. (2Ch 20.21)

I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high. (Ps 7.17)

Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. (1Ch 16.29)

Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. (Ps 29.2)

In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people. (Isa 28.5)

The word “holiness” comes from the Hebrew word qadesh (vd’q;) which literally means “to cut, to separate, distinct apartness, set apart as sacred by God’s presence.” First, qadesh refers to the majestic transcendence of God emphasizing the Creator/creature distinction. Second, it means that God is separate in His being from all that is evil, impure, and defiled. His own being defines purity with no trace of darkness in it. Holiness is God’s self-affirming purity. Nothing outside of God, Himself, can define it. In the sheer weight (glory) of God’s almighty presence, men must worship God in the majestic beauty of holiness. Beauty is defined by God’s being, not by men’s subjective opinions. Beauty is not in the mind of the beholder. It exists first and foremost in the mind of God. Man, who is created in the image of God, reflects beauty in holiness, righteousness, wisdom (the skilled application of God’s truth), and knowledge. Beauty must be defined by the objective character of God and not by the subjective impulses of unregenerate men.

Our music should not blur the Creator/creature distinction by communicating undue familiarity with God in the lyrical text or an irreverent demeanor, mood, atmosphere, or disposition in the musical composition and performance style. Further, our music should be free from all aspects of impurity and evil in its cultural associations.

Righteousness relates to God’s holiness by corresponding to that which is right. Righteousness entails rectitude of action and disposition according to the perfect standard of Holiness. Righteous music operates according to the standard of holiness – God’s self-affirming purity which sets Him above His creation and separates Him from anything that defiles. There must be righteousness in musical text, composition, and performance style which operates according to the perfect standard of God’s being and the objective, timeless principles of God’s Word which are rooted in the unchanging, absolute character of God. Man cannot unilaterally operate on his own self-autonomy. To do so is sheer, unmitigated idolatry. True beauty, which is the basis for all the arts, exists originally and eternally in the mind and nature of God. Our concept of beauty must correspond to God’s mind which we can know only through Scripture, and which we can see remnants of (His beauty) in a sin-cursed creation. God commands us to mirror His holiness and perfection. To abandon that standard invites the severest judgment and displeasure of God. Holiness is the standard for sacred music. Righteousness is the corresponding action which must conform to the standard.

We are natural musicians because of the special nature of the human brain . . . . Our responsiveness to music, however, like our responsiveness to language (is) . . . unique in the animal kingdom” (Tone Deaf and All Thumbs? by Frank R. Wilson, Neurologist: p. 2, 68).

Implication 2: God is our new song.

The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation. (Ps 118.14)

Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. (Isa 12.2)

The unsaved, natural man, appreciates music for various self-serving purposes. The music we listen to, the music which we perform, the music we entertain ourselves with each one is a uniquely different purpose – to bring glory to God. When we sing and play our instruments for the Lord, we are to image, mirror, and reflect to our listeners who God is and what He is like. In that way, God is our new song!

Conclusion God is worthy of receiving our praise and adoration through the medium of music. He has ordained that music be employed in the worship of His majesty. Therefore, it is incumbent upon his worshipers to approach Him in a godly fashion and with a godly purpose.

Establishing a Methodology of Congregational Worship For a Christian, every decision should have a scriptural, theological basis as its foundation. The Word of God is the only certain, objective source of criteria for decision-making. A theology of a topic is what the Bible teaches about that topic. This may involve explicit instructions or implicit principles.

From that theology must flow a believer’s philosophy. Based on the scriptural principles that have been gathered concerning a topic, the believer must develop a philosophy. A philosophy is the “why” and the “how” of the topic.

Finally, the believer can formulate a methodology based on that philosophy. This is the “what” of the topic—the nitty-gritty decisions and choices that need to be made every day.

Unfortunately, many Christians skip the first two steps when making decisions, or their methodology is completely inconsistent with their professed theology and philosophy. In reality, the inconsistent methodology is simply an indication that they don’t really believe their theology and philosophy. A person’s methodology is a foolproof indicator of a person’s theology.

A Theology of Congregational Worship What Is Worship? All of the controversy over what worship really is has driven believers to ask this very important question—What is worship? In reality, worship is why we exist (Is. 43.6-7). It is therefore very important that we develop a sound, biblical definition of what it means to worship. In order to do so, we must go to the Scriptures. Any definition is insufficient unless it finds its basis in the Word of God.

Throughout Scripture two elements predominantly characterize worship—a presentation of truth and a biblical response to that truth. A brief survey of some passages will demonstrate this point:

Nehemiah 8.1-6 So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly. He read it aloud from daybreak till noon. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law. Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

Matthew 28.9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.

In each case (and there are many more), worship involves a biblical response (either external or internal) to a presentation of truth about God. This is the essence of true, biblical worship—response to truth. Jesus summarized this fact when he said,

“God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit [internal response] and in truth” (John 4.24).

True worship, therefore, is not confined to Sunday morning. All of life should be worship. Every act, thought, and attitude of a Christian should be a biblical response to truth about God. This is expressed throughout the New Testament:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship (Romans 12.1).

Therefore, worship can be defined as follows: Worship is a biblical response to God resulting from an understanding of biblical truth about God.

What is Congregational Worship? Congregational worship is more focused than general “lifestyle” worship. Congregational worship is the gathering of the people of God in order to corporately worship Him as His people. This form of worship is clearly commanded and exemplified in Scripture:

Psalm 149.1 Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.

Congregational worship was also exemplified in the early church (Acts 2.42-47; 13.1-3). It is clear both from Old Testament command and from New Testament example that God desires believers to lift His praises together. He wants His children to gather for the purpose of honoring Him. This worship is still individual, heart-felt response toward God, but it is done publicly in the presence of other believers. This brings God even more glory than if it were done privately. C. H. Spurgeon said, “Personal praise is sweet unto God, but congregational praise has a multiplicity of sweetnesses in it.”

It is also important to recognize the worship language that Paul uses to describe the New Testament Church:

1 Corinthians 3.16-17 Don’t you know that you yourselves [as a congregation] are God’s temple [naos, same word used for the Holy Place in the Temple] and that God’s Spirit lives in you [plural]? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you [plural] are that temple.

1 Peter 2.5 You [plural pronoun] also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house [oikos, ”dwelling”] to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Therefore, congregational worship could be defined as follows: Congregational worship is a unified chorus of biblical responses toward God expressed publicly to God resulting from an understanding of biblical truth about God.

A Philosophy of Congregational Worship From this theology, we can determine a biblical philosophy of congregational worship. First, congregational worship must be God-oriented. Because congregational worship is specifically designed to be a response to God because of biblical truth about Him, God must be the center of the service. Because the Bible is our only objective source of truth about God, Scriptural truth about God should be the content of congregational worship. Because worship is intended to be a response to God, congregational worship should be directed to God.

Second, congregational worship must be doctrine-oriented. Because believers can respond only when they have understood biblical truth, congregational worship should be filled with doctrinal truth. Because worship requires understanding doctrine and understanding requires work, believers should not shy away from elements in the service that have deep, thought-provoking content.

Third, congregational worship must be affection-oriented. Eighteenth-century theologian Jonathan Edwards made a distinction within the broader category of emotional response. According to Edwards, “passions” are emotions that are immediately gratifying, shallow, and result from emotionalism that bypasses the intellect. Since understanding of truth is bypassed, this kind of emotionalism is not acceptable for congregational worship. Instead, service elements that develop God-honoring affections should be used for congregational worship. “Affections” are emotions that result from volitional acknowledgment of objective truth. They take work to develop and are more lasting and pleasing to the Lord. Affections toward God are the essence of true worship.

Fourth, congregational worship must be congregation-oriented. Because the purpose of congregational worship is that believers join together as the body of Christ to express a unified response to God, service elements that are individualistic or personal do not have a place in congregational worship. Music used in congregational worship should be limited to that which expresses objective truth that applies to all Christians.

A Methodology of Congregational Worship We have seen that true worship has two parts—a presentation of truth and response to that truth. Both of these must be present in a worship service for worship to take place. Therefore, every element in the service will facilitate one or both of these.

The Congregation as Participants Every member of the congregation is responsible to worship the Lord during a worship service. A “spectator” mentality of people in the pews is easy to develop but clearly anti-biblical. You should be engaged in worship at all times during the service. If there is a lag between “events,” use that time for prayer and response to the Lord.

Congregational singing is one of the most important aspects of a worship service. It is the one event where every member of the congregation can verbally worship the Lord together. Make good use of this time to understand the biblical truth expressed in the hymns and respond to the Lord through the music.

Worship Leaders The purpose of the music director, orchestra, choir, and other musicians is to lead in the worship of God. Their purpose is not to entertain or perform. Their purpose is to lead the rest of the congregation in worship. The congregation should participate with the worship leaders.

During an instrumental number, meditate on the words of the hymn and notice how the musical arrangement strengthens the message of the text. If you don’t know the words, open your hymn book and meditate on the text.

During a vocal number, strive to worship along with the group or soloist by understanding truth and responding with them. The music will aid in the learning of truth and the expression of response.

If the song primarily teaches doctrine, strive to understand its implications and respond to the Lord accordingly. If it primarily expresses a response, strive to join with the musicians in your heart.

Word from God View preaching as the primary time when God speaks during the service. This is the time when believers are confronted with clear, biblical truth from God. Every attempt should be made to be sensitive to conviction from the Lord. Worship occurs only when you acknowledge truth and respond with change, affection, or consecration to God.

Does Order Matter? There are two primary purposes for carefully thinking through an order of service. The first is to make sure that biblical worship is taking place. The service must allow for adequate presentation of truth and response to that truth.

Second, a carefully planned order of service can help the congregation more easily recognize and think through what they are doing. There is no biblically ordained order of service, but too many churches plan their service with little or no thought. God deserves better.

What music should be chosen? Only music that fits our philosophy of congregational worship should be chosen. We should chose only music that is primarily objective in content, Godward as opposed to man-centered, and that which applies to all believers as a whole. Sentimental, individualistic music, no matter how true, should not be chosen for congregational worship.

We should strive to chose the best hymns, both in their texts and musical styles. We should chose music that fits a particular function within the service and that will maintain a mood of reverence and solemnity before the Lord.

Conclusion Methodologies are not inspired; they are derived from biblical theology and philosophy. Our goal should be that our methodology be driven by our theology. Personal preference or taste is not the primary criterion. Our Methodology of Congregational Worship should come from our understanding the Word of God.

Scott Aniol is Associate Pastor at First Baptist Church in Rockford, Illinois.