In addition, Best's work with the artistic abilities and responsibilities of the church musician and worship leader has served as a major contributing factor to a. In addition, this chapter will present a comprehensive account of Best's aesthetic philosophy of worship and in the context of the Christian life seen within a biblical framework. These changes were largely linked to the culture of the church and the secular world.
Bring them in' departed from musical integrity in the early stages of the gospel revival. The musical appreciation of the church leadership, including the musicians, and the congregation is very low. Certainly, the music and ministry of the Youth for Christ movement greatly influenced church music and surrounding debates in the following decades.
39 for more on the development of the contemporary Christian music industry and the praise and worship movement. Changes in worship music effect and are reflected in the worship philosophies of the 1970s and 1980s. He writes: "The glory of God must be the basis of the philosophy of ministry in music or anything else.
Brooks, Worship Quest: An Exploration of Worship Leadership (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2015) for more on the responsibility of a worship leader. Why is the Church so often the refuge of the banal and the home of the stupid. Furthermore, he argues that believers need to understand that text and music have different roles and functions in the music of the church.
Building on the ideas presented in Music through the Eyes of Faith, Best formulates a clear philosophy and theology of worship and the art of unceasing worship. I can then quite easily create a connection between the power of music and the presence of the Lord. He writes, “Truth is in the law, and truth is in loving the commandments and keeping them.
There is much overlap between music through the eyes of faith and unbroken worship in articulating a philosophy and theology of the arts and worship. Harold Best's publications have had a wide influence on the evangelical worship literature of the last two and a half decades. According to Kauflin, Best's reference to the church as "the last guardian of the spoken and written word" significantly shaped his own.
Although Best's writings and ideas were influential in the development of the worship program as well as elements of the keyboard curriculum at Biola, his.
Clark Measels and Carson-Newman University
On a personal level, Measels acknowledges the best in shaping and strengthening his philosophy of music and worship: “So much in my life has been a search for order—a structure upon which things depend. It really [is] quite impressive.”93 In addition to Best's influence on Measels, Music Through the Eyes of Faith has been used in the music department through Jeremy Buckner, provost and professor of music at CNU. Buckner encountered music through the eyes of faith while teaching a graduate music education course on the psychological bases of musical behavior.
Buckner, who was already familiar with the philosophy of music and the meaning offered in relation to music education by Leonard Meyer and others, had yet to find a source that would thoroughly address the meaning of music from a distinctly Christian worldview.94 Measels. Buckner uses Music Through the Eyes of Faith as the required textbook for his undergraduate course Teaching General Music95, a course that encourages students to connect their faith and learning to music through a historical survey of musical philosophies. I want students to think about how this [idea] relates to how we can teach redemptively.”97 Additionally, Buckner identifies a strong tendency to “deify music to a degree” given the “redemptive qualities of music” he sees as a problem that exists in the field of music education.98 Like Best, he recognizes that people must “respond or [not] respond to music.
Best was the first person I had met who could sum it up in a Christian worldview.”99 In addition to the neutrality of music to elicit human (moral) response, Buckner also agrees with Best's argument that the word should be dominant in worship. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS) since 2019, and former professor of church music and worship at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) for nine years, expands the reach of Best's influence through his teaching, using Music Through the Eyes of Faith as a required primary text for graduate courses in music and philosophy of worship.100 He notes that this book helped "shape classroom discussion, writing assignments, and ultimately student assessment."101 Best's argument for pluralism music in corporate worship meetings and the biblical basis aesthetic philosophy had a marked influence on the worship curriculum at SBTS under Crider.102. Additionally, Crider recognizes the influence of Best's writings and philosophy of music and worship within the local church.
He says, "Best has helped music and worship ministry leaders bring objective, biblically-based clarity and vocabulary to music and worship conversations that were once fraught with deeply personal, subjective, and ultimately emotionally charged divisions."103 And, from personal experience, Crider claims that. He encountered Ceaseless Worship during his doctoral work, but because of his fundamental disagreement with Best's position of musical pluralism and amorality, he does not use Best's books in the courses he teaches. As seen in the writings, conversations and interviews with selected worship writers and educators, the reach of Best's influence is extensive and continues.
And according to Scott Aniolo, Best's idea of the amorality or neutrality of music became "the default evangelical view."105 Moreover, the influence of Best's love for Christ, along with his desire to think deeply about music and art, and within them, a Christian perspective significantly shaped worship and music curriculum at Baylor University, Biola College, Carson-Newman University. Some of these institutions use his texts as required reading; others changed course requirements as a result of Best's work with NASM. Each of these institutions drives Harold Best's philosophy to the next generation of Christian musicians through his personal influence on these educators.
CONCLUSION
Chapter 3 offered an overview of the twentieth-century evangelical worship landscape, noting significant changes in worship philosophy and practice, developments that Best observed and experienced. In the 1950s, the worship environment changed with the development of rock 'n' roll and the rise of the Youth for Christ movement. These shifts, along with the start of Billy Graham's crusades that combined rock music and sacred lyrics, sparked divisions and debates about appropriate musical styles for worship.
The split grew in the 1960s with the charismatic renewal movement and the Baby Jesus Movement. Eric Routley, Calvin Johansson, Vic Delamont, and Donald Hustad are among the prominent voices in the worship literature of these decades, providing insight into the worship practice and philosophies of the time. In addition, he, along with Delamont, wrote about the role and responsibility of the minister of music.2 However, Johansson served as an opposing voice for Best, as he argued against musical neutrality and resisted musical pluralism in worship, especially in the publications of his later.
Webber's career as a teacher, editor, and writer was a prominent influence in 1990s worship philosophy, practice, and style debates (arguing for traditional liturgy). Where Hustad sought to step beyond the worship wars into a focus on spiritual renewal, Dawn and Frame built cases and sharply articulated their side of the worship debates. The increase in the volume of worship literature has continued through the first two decades of the twenty-first century, now addressing worship structure in addition to life-wide worship.
His experiences at Nyack as a student and professor, at Wheaton as dean of the conservatory of music, and his extensive work with the National Association of Schools of Music significantly shaped his aesthetic philosophy and, at the same time, provided him with a platform to work. outside of it. Detailed summaries of the main ideas in each work, as well as accounts of their reception from various reviews and interviews, place these books within the larger body of evangelical literature. The main point of contention found with this book concerned Best's musical relativism, articulated through his support of musical pluralism and the morality of music.
Unceasing Worship builds on the ideas outlined in Music through the Eyes of Faith, but focuses more on worship. Best's aesthetic philosophy, as presented in Music through the Eyes of Faith and Unceasing Worship, is specifically based on the foundations laid by Schaeffer, Seerveld, Wolterstorff, and Gaebelein. Schaeffer's use of the doctrine of creation and image Dei, as well as his scriptural support for the use of art in the church and the responsibility of the Christian artist, is evident in Best's plea for musical pluralism.10 Moreover, Seerveld's plea for Christians to participate in aesthetics as a act of obedience and Wolterstorff's argument that the value of art rests in its ability to fulfill its purpose can also be seen in Best's argument for the pursuit of excellence and in his criteria for artistic evaluation.11 Moreover, there is a direct connection between Gaebelein and Best exist in their respective arguments for Christian responsibility and artistic.
