Through A Glass, Darkly

Measuring the Music by John Makujina

During my time on Sharper Iron, I was told again and again that I needed to read John Makujina’s Measuring the Music. I am ready now to give my thoughts on this work. However, I must give one disclaimer. Prior to getting on SI, I had never heard of Central Baptist Seminary, Kevin Bauder, or John Makujina. Their reputation has impressed me, and I have no desire for this critique to question their character or ministry. I simply seek to question JM’s arguments. I hope that this will not come across as an attack on his person or thirst for truth.

As I read through Measuring the Music, the overarching argument seemed to be that CCM doesn’t descend from an aesthetic (a guiding principle in matters of artistic beauty and taste). In other words, CCM doesn’t rely on an ordered set of principles determine beauty and quality. The issue of chaos and order is one of particular interest to me as a math teacher. I’ll give a brief math discussion now and then apply it to the issue at hand.

The overarching secular scientific philosophy of the world is that out of CHAOS arose ORDER. With the advent of computers, God has allowed a branch of mathematics to flourish that undermines that idea. Chaos theory encompasses the research that seeks to find mathematical processes behind seemingly random events. Here is an interesting little demonstration if you have the time and inclination to understand the basics of this idea.

http://www.jgiesen.de/ChaosSpiel/Spiel10English.html

In chaos theory, order appears chaotic for a bit but finally settles back into an ordered result. This branch of mathematics has deep theological implications. It reflects that our world was created and set in motion by the Great Engineer. We didn’t evolve out of chaos. We’ve descended from perfect order. Even though parts of life appear chaotic and completely without discernable order at times, even the most obscure oddity in life can be interpreted with some mathematical order (the TV series NUMBERS gives insight into this idea).

In light of chaos theory, let’s consider the main argument of JM against CCM—the perceived lack of an aesthetic (a guiding principle in matters of artistic beauty and taste). JM perceives that CCM has no rules, and therefore the works that are created in that genre are chaotic and inherently substandard. So the question arises, does the creation of a worthy piece of work have to stem from an ordered set of principles for it to reflect the order inherent in our Creator? Or are even our seemingly random creations also capable of reflecting the order of the Creator? We can’t assume that since CCM lacks an aesthetic that it therefore cannot reflect our ordered Creator. The lack of a discernable aesthetic does not mean there is not one, only that we are unable to articulate it.

Why do I argue this point? Well, I find it necessary to point out that there are always two sides to any extra-Biblical argument. If Scripture stated explicitly that all good creative works stem from a discernable aesthetic, then we would have nothing over which to argue. But the Bible does NOT state such a thing, and we can make equally persuasive arguments from both sides. In the end, the winner of the argument will be the one who is most persuasive in his presentation of his beliefs, NOT necessarily the one whose premise is correct. I could work to pick apart more individual arguments from JM’s book, but I find it tedious and unfruitful to argue over things Scripture doesn’t specifically address.

Another reason for avoiding debates over his individual points is that he starts the book from such a faulty premise that dealing with his individual arguments would be unfruitful. His unspoken presupposition is that CCM is a cohesive unit. So he asserts criticisms of the punk band One Bad Pig and thinks that has implications for Derek Webb. The problem is that JM is very ignorant of contemporary Christian music. There is a big difference in Simple Gifts by Amy Grant and The Word by Sarah Groves. There is much in the Christian music industry that should be pruned away. There is much in the Christian music industry that has been used by the Spirit to draw many to Himself. It is such a broad genre, that sweeping generalities are completely inappropriate.

Consider JM’s concerns in his conclusion over the lack of theology in CCM. He apparently is not familiar with King of Glory by Third Day, God is God by Steven Curtis Chapman, The Word by Sarah Groves, Blessed be the Name by Tree 63, Write Your Name Upon My Heart by Sonicflood, Wedding Dress by Derek Webb, Before There Was Time by Caedman’s Call, and the list could go on. He is also unfamiliar with the wealth of independent work in individual churches, some of which, in my experience, is among the deepest worship available.

There is certainly a problem with the crass commercialism rampant in the CCM industry. But those problems are not inherent to the musical genre. The same commercialism defiles the Christian book industry and even manufacturers of the Bible. The answer is not to throw out an entire genre because of said abuse. We don’t demand folks cease from manufacturing the Bible because some publishers pervert it through inanely titled devotional bibles. We don’t boycott Dangerous Duty of Delight by Piper because its cover is designed to look like Prayer of Jabez in an attempt to get a foothold in their market. Furthermore, for every artist involved in the secular marketing frenzy, there is an independent artist writing deep music that’s being spread among believers at a grass roots level.

That is a brief look at the problem with his main arguments. I haven’t addressed the positives of the book. I will briefly say that I appreciated his correction of some of the inane arguments offered by fundamentalist authors over the years. That was valuable and helpful.

Posted by walsup at November 30, 2005 1:17 PM