Inspire, Fall 1991

0 A News Publication for Cedarville College Alumni Spire Fall 1991 LifeInTheKeyOfC usic.There are probablyfew areasabout which people aresoquick toexpress their likesand dislikes and yethave so little technical knowledge. AtCedarville College,weexposeourfaculty,staff,stu- dents,alumni,and visitors to a variety ofmusical and artistic expressions. These may rangefrom a Pops concert to a philharmonic orchestra concert,from the Cathedrals Quartet to a presentation of Handel's Messiah. Some would say the range extends from the secular to the sacred and would express surprise that a Christian college would engage in what is commonly referred to as secular music. Indeed,ifthesecular/sacreddivision isadichotomyfalsely constructedby man,then perhapsabetter approach isthrough Ephesians5:10whichencouragesusto"trytolearn whatis pleasing totheLord" (NASV)or"prove whatis acceptable to the Lord"(NKJV). Instead of making musical choice on the basis ofa particular performer or style, we suggest that wecan and should listen to a wide range ofmusic which is appropriate to place beforetheLord. Onetestofappropriatenessistruth. Alltruth isofGod,therefore all music mustbejudged by Christiansin relation to truth. The late Frank Gaebelein hassuggested thattruth hasdurability—itdoesnotwearout,itkeepson being true. Truth also hasunity—ithasitsowninnercoherence;it will tend toward order. And truth hasintegrity—itis notcontrived merelyforthe sakeofeffector marketability. A second test is beauty. Jonathan Edwards expressed the conceptofbeauty thatis appropriate beforeGod whenhesaid: God is thefoundation andfountain ofall being and all beauty. ..ofwhom,andthrough whom,and to whom is all being and petfection,and whose being and beautyare,asitwere,thesumandcomprehen- sion ofall existence and excellence. A third test is excellence. This is notelitism;thisisratherthe measureofour listeningandourperformanceaccord- ing to God's standard of excel- lence. This is to pursue quality, not mediocrity. Theartisticexperience,couched within the aboveframework,allows ustoim- plementoneofthe Cedarville College objectives: to undergird the studentin the Christian faith and stimulate him/ her to evaluate knowledge in the light ofscripturaltruth. Atthesametimewe attempt to foster appreciation of and participation in wholesome cultural activities. You were about your Father's business Talking with rabbis in the temple Playing with children Sailing with fishermen Forgiving sins and healing lepers. Tell me,Jesus, Which part of your life wassacred; Which part wasconcerned with the world? Merilee Zednik