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I have been reading a lot lately about the topic of American church music, and on an impulse, ordered Jubilate! Church Music in the Evangelical Tradition by Don Hustad. Written in 1980, it is relevant and interesting in its discussion of the history of church music with a special focus on American church music.
Hustad was heavily involved in church music through most of the Twentieth Century as a professor (Moody Bible Institute and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) and as a organist for the Billy Graham crusades.
I am not thrilled with many of the books I read about church music. Many are filled with unsubstantiated, wild theories and riddled with errors. But this book is worth reading. It is balanced, well researched and yet accessible. You do not need to be a professional musician or a philosopher to understand it.
There is much to learn from the book, but I especially appreciated the way Hustad discussed the function of church music and contrasted it with the function of art (classical) music.
To understand the relevance of this to where we are today, you need to understand that there is a contingent within Christianity that believes that church music should ideally be art music. They believe that art music is humanity's best music and because God deserves our best, art music should be offered to God in worship.
On the other hand, another contingent believes that music should be accessible to everyone. Everyone cannot appreciate art music. So, this group believes that more simple music (folk or pop) is more appropriate for church. They are not so worried about what music is best but which music best works in a church.
Of course, this debate is not new. It has gone on for hundreds of years. For example, Martin Luther hated the fact that the church's music was inaccessible to most believers and he worked to develop hymns based on simpler folk tunes.
Hustad clearly values art music and does not mind it in the church. But he also understands how church music needs to function. Music has different functions in society. In some cases, it might be used for creating a particular atmosphere. In others, it might be used enhance the emotion of a story (in a play or movie).
The function of church music according to Hustard is to serve the purposes of God, particularly in the corporate expression of worship, fellowship and mission. And since corporate worship always involves a congregation of non-musicians, art music is probably not the best option for church music because the congregation cannot fully participate (in singing or even listening).
Understanding this distinction is important. If you believe, like Luther, that art music is not best in corporate settings, you have nothing to be ashamed of. That decision does not mean your music is inferior (though you will probably get that criticism from the high church crowd). It just means that you have different expectations of how you want church music to function.
There is much more to learn from the book especially about history (it is 400 pages with little fluff), and you can buy it used for about $5. You might pick it up if you are involved in church music.
