Saturday, July 02, 2005
It Matters More Than You Think
Quick! -- what is the first phrase that comes to your mind from church last Sunday? I'll bet you even money it's a phrase from a hymn you sung, or the chorus of your favorite praise song from the service.
Music is a powerful, powerful force when it comes to what makes a lasting impression on your mind. Have you ever seen those films of guys at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, rocking back and forth? They are using rhythm and music to recall memorized scripture. Can you recall precise sentences used by your high school teachers? I doubt it -- but I bet you can write down the lyrics fro the ten most popular songs on the radio during that same time period. If you pick up a book you read in high school, it is almost a new experience -- but if a song comes on the radio, you sing along like you were still 16.
That's why I love this post from The Bluefish pointing to this essay on something called "Hippocampus Extensions." Here is a snippet from the HE piece
And there is an ancillary point here -- how hard do you work at memorizing scripture? I don't hear this much discussed around church today, and it should be. The best way I know to keep garbage from infesting my mind is to push that garbage out by reciting memorized scripture. When you hear something just wrong, does an opposing scripture come to mind? Wouldn't it be great if it did? That doesn't mean you reject new ideas, it just means you integrate them carefully instead of letting anyone with a beat and a catchy melody drive them into your soul unexamined.
Music has been a part of the church from the beginning. (Psalms are songs, remember?) It helped people remember what was important in a time when few could read. It still should, even though most can read now.
Music is a powerful, powerful force when it comes to what makes a lasting impression on your mind. Have you ever seen those films of guys at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, rocking back and forth? They are using rhythm and music to recall memorized scripture. Can you recall precise sentences used by your high school teachers? I doubt it -- but I bet you can write down the lyrics fro the ten most popular songs on the radio during that same time period. If you pick up a book you read in high school, it is almost a new experience -- but if a song comes on the radio, you sing along like you were still 16.
That's why I love this post from The Bluefish pointing to this essay on something called "Hippocampus Extensions." Here is a snippet from the HE piece
Once melody and rhythm have disarmedDoes your church "vet" what it sings? Don't you think you should? I brought this up in Session once and everybody just stared at me -- I guess they thought the publishers did it.
One's judgment, and one's reason has been charmed
And there is an ancillary point here -- how hard do you work at memorizing scripture? I don't hear this much discussed around church today, and it should be. The best way I know to keep garbage from infesting my mind is to push that garbage out by reciting memorized scripture. When you hear something just wrong, does an opposing scripture come to mind? Wouldn't it be great if it did? That doesn't mean you reject new ideas, it just means you integrate them carefully instead of letting anyone with a beat and a catchy melody drive them into your soul unexamined.
Music has been a part of the church from the beginning. (Psalms are songs, remember?) It helped people remember what was important in a time when few could read. It still should, even though most can read now.
