RAPID RESPONSE REPORT
DEFENDING HISTORIC CHRISTIANITY IN A POSTMODERN WORLD
Editor: Bill Crouse
CULTURAL APOLOGETICS: The Example of J.S. Bach
Would J.S. Bach be able to reach PM's if he were alive
today? Well, he doesn't need to be alive; apparently he's doing it
from the grave! According to an
article in Civilization
http://www.civmag.com/articles/C0002F01.html thousands of people are being converted
to Christianity in
First question: Why is this happening? I believe it's because Bach couched his message in art that was so magnificent that the world could not ignore the message. Bach may be one of the greatest musical geniuses the world has ever produced. He wrote 300 musical cantatas which were written for worship services in the church. Only around 190 of these have survived. He was the supreme practitioner, along with Handel, of the Baroque style (1600-1750) of music. It was one of the richest periods for musical development. It was during this period that the opera, oratorio, and the cantata were born. Musically, many instrumental forms such as the fugue, concerto, sonata, suite, prelude, and toccata arose from this golden period. Baroque music is characterized by intense ornamentation, tension, counterpoint, and then ultimately resolution. There was a consensus in that day that there was harmony in the universe. It showed in their vibrant and positive music. There is not much that brings on a positive mood like baroque music. For proof, next time you're driving to work, try one of Vivaldi's mandolin concertos. Of course, you'll have to buy it first. Join a club and start collecting some of the great works of the period, such as Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Handel's Water Music, and Royal Fireworks, Bach's Goldberg Variations, and the Brandenburg Concertos. And if you really want to test your stereo system, try Bach's works for organ. There's nothing like it on the planet!
Second Question: What can we learn from Bach with regards to sharing the Gospel to our PM world? C.S. Lewis once said: "I believe that any Christian who is qualified to write a good popular book on any science may do much more by that than by any directly apologetic work."(God in the Dock, p.93) Why not just substitute art for science? I doubt that he would object, after all, his works of fiction are great works of art that are read because of their high level of artistic achievement. In short, we can reach our PM world by creating art which is so exquisite that it cannot be ignored. Jesus tells us in Matt. 9:38 that we should pray that the Lord of the harvest will send laborers into the harvest fields. Just a humble suggestion: Might we petition the Lord and beseech Him to send us another J.S.B.? And then to put feet to our prayers, get interested in the arts and encourage our children to develop whatever talent God has given. Back in the 70's Clark Pinnock wrote:
"The price of Christian cultural isolationism is irrelevance; the reward of cultural awareness is the gaining of a hearing. One of the tragedies of our time is the fact that those best equipped to give answers have none to give, while those who do have hidden them behind barricades of ignorance. Evangelical Christians are often culturally barren. Because they refuse to read widely and to keep up with what the non-Christian world is thinking, they become unregenerative, pietistic, and inward looking; and themselves vulnerable to the very influences they refuse to understand. It is not safe for Christians to sleep. Unless we read correctly the message bombarding us from all the media, of relativism and secularism and positivism, we will lose all our children for Christ and finish with a congregation of smug Christian secularists" ("Cultural Apologetics." Bibliotheca sacra, Jan-Mar., 1970, p. 61). (This article is not available online, but if you would like a copy of the article, we can email it to you by request.)
What we are saying is simply this: Art can be a bridge to our PM neighbor. It does not have to be "Christian Art," and we do not have to be great artists ourselves; we need only to understand and appreciate what man in God's image creates out of his spiritual being. Non-Christians sometimes say things that are eternally true with incredible poignancy. Not long after our marriage, my wife and I went to see the musical, Man of La Mancha. In it was a scene where a prostitute in desperation sings "I was born on a dung heap and I will die in a dung heap." I can't tell you how forcefully this moved me to have a sense of what it must be like to be lost. I rather suspect that, like me, many of you have been Christians for so long that we have forgotten what it must be like to be lost. Contemporary art can bring back the feeling of hopelessness without Christ (Bergman's films and the paintings of Bacon come to mind).
You know what really makes me ecstatic? Here in the Dallas area there are two churches (fairly upscale) which have full-time ministers on their staffs with the title: "Minister of the Fine Arts!"
MORE ON WORLD GOVERNMENT AND TURMOIL IN THE
Previously, in issue #3 (8/21/2000), we mentioned an article about an influential Cardinal who advocated planetary government (www.natcath.com/NCR_Online/archives/081100/081100f.htm). Well there must be some controversy in the Catholic Church as another influential cardinal, known as the Pope's Lightning Rod, severely criticized the concept of global government. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger believes the movement means to reduce poverty by eliminating the poor (http://www.zenit.org
(Check under news for Sept. 15, 2000). By the way, this is the same Cardinal who writes books defending the Catholic faith. He is also the apparent author of the "Dominus Jesus" paper which rocked the ecumenical world for its politically incorrect opinion that the Roman Catholic religion is superior to all faiths. When criticized from the Jewish quarter he responded that "Catholics are waiting for the moment when Israel too says yes to Christ." You gotta admire this guy's khutzpa! For a brief biographical sketch of this man of the cloth willing to stand up to PMs see www.spectator.org/frank/frank000927.htm
Despite the above remarks by Cardinal Ratzinger, the Pope recently addressed the criticisms of world religious leaders, and proclaimed that the RC Church does not wish to appear arrogant. He did not deny approving the document, but did add that non-Christians will not be denied salvation. Amazing! Here's the Pope's remarks: http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57409-2000Oct1.html
Also in a previous issue we invited a response to our question as to whether or not Christians should fight the trend toward world government (9/11/2000, #4). Here is a response from a graduate student:
"Nation states or even republics are not any more an inherently Christian form of government than any other. Remember, Christianity began under the Roman Empire, essentially a global government if there ever was one. Although certainly a far cry from a Christian government, (at least before Constantine) it did have some advantages. For one, look at how fast the gospel was able to spread to the far reaches of the empire. This is to say that a global government should not be feared simply as some kind of apocalyptic nightmare. Since the Church will be triumphant and the gospel WILL reach all nations (ethnos), then even a one-world government cannot stop that. God may even chose to use it. On the other hand, while a global government need not be feared as being inherently evil, as Christians we should be concerned about any government that sets itself up without recognizing that its authority comes from God. Therefore, in light of the international leaders that are in place now, I'd say, yes, there is reason to be concerned. However, our response is found in your statement that before we can expect reform we must have revival. The Christian response is not fear, but prayer. We should be praying for revival in the world, that His Kingdom come, and that will certainly be a global kingdom."
Certainly a thoughtful reply, and thanks for taking the time to respond. The first several sentences do raise some questions that we will respond to in a future issue. Are forms of government neutral in terms of the Christian worldview? Are not some philosophies of government more in harmony with the Christian revelation? As we are preparing to vote for the most powerful man on earth, should I as a Christian bring even philosophy of government under the Lordship of Christ? Just in passing, it seems that some Philosophies of government have a contrary view of human nature when compared to Scripture. Since for most PMs, "All life is political," this is an issue we must address.
NOTEWORTHY ARTICLES
Here in Dallas we have a free newspaper most Christians wouldn't dare touch because of its liberal positions. However, from time to time I find the investigative reporting better than the Dallas Morning News. Recently, this newspaper did a special story on Marvin Olasky. If you've never heard of him, he is the informal advisor to Presidential candidate, George Bush, who came up with the phrase "Compassionate Conservatism." He has also written a provocative book on the church's neglected role in providing social services. The book is The Tragedy of American Compassion. You can find the article from the Dallas Observer here: http://dallasobserver.com/issues/2000-09-28/feature2.html/page1.html ) The article gives a very positive impression of this avowed Christian. If you read the article, ask yourself what it was about this man's life which left a positive impression on an advanced liberal PM paper?
If you are interested in the creation-evolution debate and the inroads the Intelligent Design movement is making, this article ("Challenging Darwin's Myths.") may be of interest. It's a good summary: http://www.apologetics.org/articles/myths.html
I have been interested in the man, Bill Clinton, since the 70's when he was running for Governor of Arkansas. I suppose I have read most of the books written about him. He went to all the right schools; he has an IQ in the range of 160; he has a photographic mind; he almost never sleeps; is one of the most powerful men in the world, yet seemingly devoid of conscience. Recently a writer for the Washington Post wrote an article entitled "Clinton's Final Bid for Redemption." It's about 20 pages; it's written by someone who is fairly sympathetic with his political views, that's why it's all the more interesting. http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/style/postmagazine/A28073-2000Sep7.html
Believe it or not, the feature article in this month's Atlantic Monthly is about the Evangelical intellectual movement! You have got to read this! For some reason, this magazine regularly does features on evangelicals. Prior to the current one they did one on the best-selling fiction series Left Behind. It was interesting how they struggled to understand evangelical dispensational eschatology. Here's the URL for the current article: http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2000/10/wolfe.htm
Be sure to note all the links to related vignettes. In case you missed the one just mentioned about the fiction series, here's the link: http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2000/01/001gross.htm
"Is Tyranny Creeping up on Us." This sobering article by Paul Craig Roberts is on the subject of political correctness. I was particularly interested in his references to fascism. It's short. http://www.townhall.com/columnists/paulcraigroberts/pcr2000927.shtml
Remember in a previous issue we mentioned that a lot of the analysis of the presidential debates would be about body language. These are "I told you so," articles. The one is an interesting commentary by a professor of Wesley Biblical Seminary in Jackson, MS. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/americas/newsid_955000/955903.stm and http://www.afa.net/Culture/mf100400.shtml
With the risk of too much repetition: PM is preoccupied with perception rather than reality; symbolism rather than substance; and endless parsing of words and subjective interpretation rather than original intent (It's called "spin."). The end justifies the means (Nothing wrong with lying if a politically correct end is the goal. Actually, if there is no truth there can be no lies!)
FOR CHRIST AND HIS
KINGDOM