[Worship] All them counterpoints, Part II

["gabrieli gabrieli" <gabrieli@hotmail.com>]

Dear Celebrators--
   
   I forgot to add that the asterisk was supposed to lead you to the
comment that I had NO OBJECTION to using any theatrical effect in
church or for worship or whatever; the point here was that the secular
world MUST RELY UPON these things to "manufacture" or "create an
atmosphere" to party or have fun. The people of God have natural,
albeit Holy Ghost-augmented, "built-in" celebrators, courtesy of the
Creator--the human voice, a marvelous wind instrument, and hands and
feet--marvelous percussion instruments and dance enablers! :-)
   Now for some of "them other counterpoints"--

1. All human cultures contain both good and evil, and all human cultures 
are essentially PAGAN. NO human civilization is "godly", 
due to the fact that WE ARE BORN HEATHEN and in need of Jesus' blood
to wash us clean from sin. What human civilization ISN'T steeped in
paganism?
    There is NOT NOW, NOR HAS THERE EVER BEEN, a CHRISTIAN CULTURE.
The righteous of all nations, even those seen by John in the book of
Revelation, are but a REMNANT. Although Christianity has influenced
and continues to influence nations through the ages, ALL CULTURES
RESIST THE GOSPEL and refuse to acknowledge Yahweh, His Son Jesus,
or follow His ways. "Judeo-Christian" refers ONLY to that which
CONFORMS COMPLETELY TO THE WORD OF GOD, SO THIS EXCLUDES Europe,
Asia, Africa, the Americas, Oceania, Australia and every nation on
this planet in the solar system! Only blood-washed Jews and Gentiles
qualify for the title "Judeo-Christian."
    Unfortunately, too many believers equate "Christian" with "Euro-
pean", "American", "Western", "Republican" and any number of other
things. This is inaccurate and misleading. The history of both Europe
and the Americas reveals a long, tragic story of child abandonment,
war, paganism, animistic and "christopagan" worship, slavery and
barbarism, rape, theft, murder--and we haven't even touched
political and economic disenfranchisement! Greed and the quest for
gold brought many to what is now called the "United States", and the
"need" for cheap labor helped to systematically destroy the indigenous
peoples of the Americas, and hasten the slave trade, which in turn,
cursed the "New World" with every form of evil attached to "the love
of money". Slavery was a direct outgrowth of IDOLATRY.
     Across the pond, Roman Catholics, Protestants and Eastern Ortho-
dox fought and killed each other, and did EVERYTHING ungodly to 
Jesus' relatives--the Jews--and blasphemed the name of Jesus while
doing so! Again, these were not "Christians"-they were pagan folks
in pagan "churches"--christened, effused or baptized sinners who had
never known Jesus, had NEVER been converted, and felt murder was a
perfectly acceptable method to rid the land of "heretics." And let's
not forget those "Missionary Murder Methods"--otherwise known as the
"Crusades"--systematically organized campaigns of cruelty designed
to "convert the heathen Arabs" and "rid Jerusalem of Islam."
     Jesus told Peter to put His sword DOWN, but European "Christians"
forgot that Bible verse, and it was so much easier to just take your
blunderbuss and round up Africans (and don't forget to rape the
females before you get them on the slave ship; it's just like home
on the feudal manor when you raped the peasant girl on her wedding
night) and white "indentured servants" (European slaves). Then you
ship them off to land you "discovered" for the King and/or Queen,
but make sure you rid the land of its inhabitants, first. Just don't
forget your Bible to read on the slave ship and in between beatings
and brandings of the "inferior property" you sell, buy and own!
     If we jump back across the Atlantic for a moment, let's consider
the fact that ancient, cruel blood sport--euphemistically known as
"bullfighting", continues unabated. The same nations that produced
wonderful music that we sing in worship today, also produced several
genocidal campaigns, unleashed fascism and totalitarian movements
across the globe, and revel in anti-semitism, classism, racism and
every other "ism" contrary to the word of God. The continent of Europe
was and is "founded upon sin and idolatry", and all its cultures are
and were, "rooted in paganism." Religious freedom is FORBIDDEN to
Christians is Greece, Eastern Europe, Spain and any number of places
OPPOSED TO THE GOSPEL. So, I guess I can't sing "Christos anesti"
or "Be Thou My Vision" or even "Wohl mir das ich Jesum habe", because
these hymns came from heathen lands steeped in pagan, idolatrous
practices!
     So, we are forced to conclude that SIN, like righteousness, is
an equal opportunity employer! Europeans and Euro-americans did all
these sins BECAUSE THEY WERE PAGANS, not because they were "European"
or "white." The only "Christian culture" is the culture CHRISTIANS
CREATE--and this is not limited to ethnic origin, gender, race, class
or socioceconomic status!
     Europe was and IS steeped in paganism, so if I accept the argu-
ment that any movement, music, dance or cultural expression "steeped
in paganism" must be excluded, then I have at least six centuries of
Western music to discard, because it came from pagan European cultures
steeped in idol worship and sinful practices. This applies to EVERY
ART FORM from Europe, because ballet descended from decadent court
culture, and much European painting and sculpture depicts mythological
subjects from Greek and Roman paganism. Many of the artists were
decadent alcoholics, sex addicts and profligate adulterers and 
fornicators of the first magnitude--so there goes all the stuff at
the Prado, the Louvre and Florence! And we haven't even TOUCHED
the theatre world...
     Did I mention the pagan composers of Western music? How many of
these people acted ANYTHING like Jesus Christ? The content of most
operas is BLATANTLY HEATHEN--stories that enshrine suicide and glorify
adultery and rape, fanciful tales of Venus worship and re-enactment
of Grecian myths--these are elegantly crafted soap operas complete
with abandoned lovers and idol gods/goddesses!
     Again, Christian culture is found wherever and whenever Christians 
create--so NO country, nation or political entity can 
claim to be "Christian" in the fully biblical sense, since every
nation is composed of heathens.
     The Europeans who savaged the Americas were NO MORE pagan than
the inhabitants they found here, they were JUST AS pagan as the 
inhabitants they found here! The history of Asia, Africa, Latin
America, Australia and Oceania is essentially the SAME story of
"man's inhumanity to man", and ONLY the gospel and the blood of Jesus
has the power to TRANSFORM PEOPLE AND CULTURES into "children of the
light, and of the day."

2. WE SHOULD NOT UNDERESTIMATE OR IGNORE THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
    TO TRANSFORM ANY HUMAN OR HUMAN INSTITUTION. In some of the
    discussions, it appears that "once heathen, always heathen" is
    a "given." The fact is, if a heathen is "converted", and "old
    things are passed away", it follows that there will also be a
    transformation of music and dance, as well. "Old ways" of dancing
    will also change, as "new wine" is poured in. This is happening
    in the Orient, the Americas and elsewhere, as Christians "re-
    discover" the beauty of their own indigenous art forms, and
    begin to re-create and re-shape their culture in the image of
    Christ.
       I learned from a missionary that many Chinese Christians have
    "reclaimed" the gong and even changed its two symbols (which
    mean "good luck") to the symbols for "blessed sound"--the Chinese
    phrase which means "gospel!" The gong has stood for banging away
    or even "conjuring up" evil spirits--and it is now being used to
    carry the Good News of Jesus Christ!
       Chinese culture was and is NO MORE pagan that anything in the
    USA--we have child sacrifice ("pregnancy termination")and a "help
    your neighbor pull the plug" movement (assisted suicide), 
    systematic gang warfare, adolescent and adult (adults are called
    "crime syndicates" while kids are called "ghetto toughs"), and any
    number of sexual perversions available at your local Sodomy
    Cafteria--otherwise known as "adult bookstores" or "houses in the
    red light district." So I guess we need Jesus to TRANSFORM OUR
    NATION, TOO!

3. Recognizing and validating any culture is NOT the same as "deni-
    grating God's glory",nor antithetical to  Christian worship.
    Affirming the variety of ethnic expressions used in Christian
    worship is not a "political" exercise or "divisive" activity,
    unless you CHOOSE to ASSUME that it is! If I sing Palestrina and
    I am NOT an Italian male living in 16th century Venice, how does
    this constitute "division?" Does it divide the Body of Christ
    when Appalachian white spirituals get sung in Quechua? What is
    so "divisive" about learning the Tcherkessia to be used in
    worship?
        Why is it "acceptable" for African-Americans to sing German
    chorales, English hymns, Latin chants and French carols, but
    "politically motivated" for Euro-Americans to sing black 
    spirtuals, gospel anthems or shout songs? How does this "draw
    attention to our differences?" Validating one's culture has
    nothing to do with "lifting up man", BUT EVERYTHING TO DO WITH
    THE SUCCESSFUL TRANSMISSION AND ENCULTURATION OF THE GOSPEL,
    WHICH CAN BE PLANTED AND FLOURISH IN ANY AND EVERY CULTURE.
        If you enter any church and see your culture represented,
    you are likely to feel "at home" there; this is not the "enshrine-
    ment" of your culture--it simply IS. Again, if you enter a church,
    and you are NOT in your culture, it may take you some time to
    feel "at home", but you CAN feel at home, if you CHOOSE to! You
    may initially "feel different", but no one is TRYING to make you
    react that way--you are not familiar with the folkways of that
    church. Again, your unfamiliarity JUST IS--and is no indication
    of how "spiritual" you are, nor an indicator that the believers
    were busy glorifying their culture at the expense of you!
        Many of our churches are multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and
    composed of every socioeconomic strata--and our worship should
    also reflect this reality, as well as the reality that the Body
    of Christ is composed of God-created varieties of people! Why 
    should the affirmation of ANYTHING "good, pleasant, virtuous,
    of any value" be seen as "detracting" from God's glory? If we
    announce that we are forming a Christian conga line around the
    church, and the music we will sing comes from Puerto Rico, we
    are saying that we will praise God in this particular form.
    HOW DOES THIS CONSTITUTE SIN, OR UNNECESSARY EXPRESSION? I have
    yet to hear anybody say "Glory to Puerto Rico" in a worship
    service...
        "Learning and appreciating someone's heritage" is NOT IN
    OPPOSITION TO GLORIFYING GOD, but is the JOYFUL ACCEPTANCE OF
    ANOTHER TREASURE IN THE FATHER'S HOUSE. Why is it being assumed
    that "heritage appreciation" AUTOMATICALLY is antithetical to
    lifting up the name of Jesus? Our "agenda" is nothing less than
    the worship of Yahweh and the evangelization of every "kindred,
    nation and tongue" on the planet, so that "Jesus reigns where
    e'er the sun, does his successive journeys run".
        Successful missionaries have always used the principle of
    being "all things to all men", as Paul stated, so why can't we
    worship the Living God of Pentecost in all the languages and
    cultures of Pentecost?
        Again, we can experience God through our own culture, and
    the culture of others, UNLESS WE CHOOSE TO ATTACH NEGATIVE
    THOUGHTS OR ASSUMPTIONS to MULTICULTURAL EXPRESSIONS OF WORSHIP.
        Someone mentioned that it took a "lifetime" to learn a 
    culture--this is true in one sense, but it doesn't take a lifetime
    to learn a song in a language and music form (or dance form)
    other than your own. For instance, if you start working on 
    Giovanni Gabrieli's "Jubilate Deo" `a 8 TODAY, and completely
    memorize your vocal line (it's scored for double chorus, brass
    and organ) by May 23 (Pentecost Sunday this year!), you will have
    learned to:
                 praise God in ecclesiastical Latin
                 praise God in the Italian sound of 16th
                   century Venice
                 listen to how one man "heard" the music of 
                   God 
                 perform and faithfully interpret a motet from another
                   time and place

and it didn't take you a "lifetime" to learn it! (It probably FELT
that way, though, by the time you got to the "qui fecit coelum"
section--especially if you were an alto or tenor!!)  :-o
     Christians create and re-create music, dance and movement forms,
and there is no limit on what the Gospel can transform, if we permit
the Holy Ghost to remove sin and PERMEATE any and all cultural
expressions used to magnify Yahweh!

Dancing Hebraically, singing in Zulu
  and playing the flute for Jesus,

Charity Dell
gabrieli@hotmail.com


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