Musica

A Seventh-day Adventist Philosophy of Music For two years a committee set up by the General Conference administration worked on preparing guidelines on music. The research from this committee has been brought together in a statement, which was given out to delegates to the 2003 Annual Council in Silver Spring, Maryland. The statement, which was not discussed at the Annual Council, is beingreleased for input by the world Seventh-day Adventist Church. Members who wish to make comments and suggestions should send them to Elder Ted N. C. Wilson, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, Maryland 20904. God has woven music into the very fabric of His creation. We read that when He made all things “the morning stars sang together and the angelsshouted for joy”—Job 38:7 The book of Revelation portrays heaven as a place of ceaseless praise, with songs of adoration to God and the Lamb resounding from all (Rev 4:9-11; 5:9-13; 7:10-12; 12:10-12; 14:1-3; 15:2-4; 19:1-8). Because God made humans in His image, we share a love and appreciation for music with all His created beings. In fact, music can touch and move us with a power that goes beyondwords or any other type of communication. At its purest and best, music lifts our beings into the very presence of God where angels and unfallen beings worship Him in song. But sin has cast a blight over the Creation. The divine image has been marred and well-nigh obliterated; in all aspects this world and God’s gifts come to us with a mingling of good and evil. Music, which may move us to the mostexalted human experience, may be used by the prince of evil to debase and degrade us, to stir up lust, passion, despair, anger, and hatred. The Lord’s messenger, Ellen G White, continually counsels us to raise our sights in music. She tells us, “Music, when not abused, is a great blessing; but when it is put to a wrong use, it is a terrible curse.”—1T 497 Of the power of song, she writes: “It isone of the most effective means of impressing the heart with spiritual truth. How often to the soul hard-pressed and ready to despair, memory recalls some word of God’s,—the long-forgotten burden of a childhood song,—and temptations lose their power, life takes on new meaning and new purpose, and courage and gladness are imparted to other souls! . . . As a part of religious service, singing is asmuch an act of worship as is prayer. Indeed, many a song is prayer. . . . As our Redeemer leads us to the threshold of the Infinite, flushed with the glory of God, we may catch the themes of praise and thanksgiving from the heavenly choir round about the throne; and as the echo of the angels’ song is awakened in our earthly homes, hearts will be drawn closer to the heavenly singers. Heaven’scommunion begins on earth. We learn here the keynote of its praise.”—Ed 168 As Seventh-day Adventists, we believe and preach that Jesus is coming again soon. In our

worldwide proclamation of the three angels’ messages of Revelation 14:6-12 we call all peoples to accept the everlasting gospel and prepare to meet our soon-returning Lord. We challenge all to choose the good and not the bad, to “say‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.”—Titus 2:12, 13 We believe that the gospel impacts all areas of life. We therefore hold that, given the vast potential of music for good or ill, we cannot be indifferent to it. Whilerealizing that tastes in music vary greatly from individual to individual, and that ultimately choices must be made individually, we believe that the Scriptures and the writings of Ellen G White suggest principles that can inform our choices. We therefore offer the following principles as a guide—not as a manual—to the world Seventh-day Adventist Church. Principles to Guide the Christian 1. The...