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Making Music to Move the Masses - Hailey Morgan

Starting off this semester with a look back at the origins of music was honestly a much needed refresher. When Dr. Abernathy told us that bad music can, quite literally, harm one's soul, I felt an immediate sense of guilt. Since coming to college, I have really neglected listening to worship music and have instead surrounded myself with many popular, secular songs. That said, the St. Basil reading could not have arrived at a better time!

I love how most of our early music was created with the sole purpose of helping people to better understand deep theological messages and ideals. The wording that St. Basil uses when describing how worship music should work is absolutely beautiful and incredibly clever! By packaging important truths within joyous songs, we are both learning and memorizing key facts about Christianity. By subconsciously hiding these truths within our hearts, we are all the more prepared to, as St. Basil would say, educate our souls. In addition, we can cling to these songs in times of trouble and worship the Lord even when it is difficult.

Still, we must always remember to keep our focus on the Lord when singing praises to Him. Even St. Basil warns that getting caught-up in the music and not the message of a worship song is not at all beneficial. When we sing, we should be singing to the Lord and not for men. 

 Edit - Replied to Leanne White and Brooke Hutcheson.

Comments

  1. Leanne ElizabethJanuary 24, 2021 at 4:27 PM

    My father always said, "Le, if you plant corn, you grow corn." In other words, whatever secular content you plant in your head, whether intentional or not, that "seed" is going to grow. Listening to music with sinful messages of lust or hatred dampens your spirit and those thoughts take over your mind like vines on the side of your house. The best way to prevent those branches from entangling you and consuming your mind, body, and soul is to just not plant them.

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  2. Braylan StringfellowJanuary 25, 2021 at 2:21 PM

    I am guilty of the same thing. I find myself listening to secular music way more than I do Christian music. It is kind of weird that I always find myself doing this because I do a whole lot better mentally when I listen to Christian music.

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