Why history is important

Filed in Music Philosophy on September 21, 2009



I have been working through a series of posts on what I believe about the role of music in the church.  Not surprisingly, I have been getting some push back on some of what I have been saying.  I have no problem with that--practically everything about music is debatable and the debate is healthy. 

On a related note, I have been watching an interesting debate online regarding the impact of history and philosophy on the theology most of us hold to. 

In case you have not noticed, the Reformation is the current rage within Christianity as Reformed Theology grows in popularity.  Some seem to see the Reformation as the pinnacle of Christianity and almost long for a return to the theology and philosophy of that period.

People that revere the Reformation are likely to fall into the camp that I have alluded to in the past; they believe that because the Reformation was the pinnacle of Christianity, composers such as Bach from that general era represent the pinnacle of music.  They explain it this way: music is a representation of the culture and because the culture was so God-influenced during that period (according to them), music was more God-influenced too. 

I am not afraid of saying that I do not buy into today's attempts to romanticize the Reformation or the accompanying idea that the music was superior then.  If you or I lived during the Reformation, we would likely be persecuted or killed for our beliefs by the church leaders of that time (yes I mean Luther and Calvin).  Surely, we can appreciate their immense contributions to Christianity while still acknowledging their faults.  I am afraid that they had a lot of faults.

That being said, I think the group I am discussing makes some good points about history, philosophy and their impact on what we currently believe.  I read someone very arrogantly but rightly say that the study of history complicates things but is important so that we can overcome biases in our search for truth.  That is because history uncomfortably helps us realize that we are conditioned in many of our beliefs by events and philosophies from previous centuries.

History makes us realize that things are complicated.  If you think theology is simple, study history.  If you think that everything is black and white, study history.  When you talk to someone that knows everything about everything, you are talking to someone who almost certainly does not know history.

I am reminded of a relevant quote: He that knows all the answers does not even know the questions.

Certain issues of faith are non-negotiable for Christians.  But other issues are not necessarily simple.  And that is why I am happy to hear from those who disagree with me about music on this blog.


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Lenny
9/21/2009 10:11:55 PM

Greg, great post as always. I have never thought of it that way. When I was in school, we studied history but mainly just memorized dates and such. I can see how a much better approach would be to discuss the bigger picture than just learning facts.

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Paul
9/22/2009 5:45:23 PM

Appreciate your comments here. It's sobering to look at history and realize the potential our disagreements have to degenerate into outright evil behavior and severely blemish the testimony of Christianity to the world.

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