Crabsy

I like what you are saying. Symbol, narrative, music etc help us to move beyond the material and conceptual towards the essence of things. Speaking of which, I have just finished a dinner which included a very acceptable sub-ten-dollar bottle of wine and was made perfect by the Mendelssohn violin concerto playing in the background. There is more to life than a full belly!

Music, at its best, figures the subject to subject nature of the theophanic encounter. Without describing or conceputalising, the music puts one in touch with aspects of oneself that are inaccessible by other means. The encounter with Jesus/Christ works similarly. It is not in 'understanding' Jesus that we find truth but rather that in engaging Jesus as subject to subject we encounter the Divine and are confronted (judged) for who we really are as individuals and as the society in which we are immersed. To the extent that we are open to it this is inevitably formative of person and society, one might even say metanoic.

crabsy,
>>If we are to perceive the presence of Jesus we need such things as symbols, narrative, terminology, ritual and music. The relative quantities and qualities of these must vary to suit each personality type. Our religious heritage can supply much of this as a starting point, but the contemporary world must also create its own. Revelation did not stop with the writing of the Bible. It is, rather, ongoing.<<

What a clever and beautiful expression of the basic tenet of Christianity!

Waterboy and George,

Thank you for your appreciative responses. And I’m glad you recognise the importance of music. It’s a field I work in and one that needs a lot more status and development than it currently receives both in education and in the church.

And of course don't forget that it is through music that Wagner together with his mate Nietzsche sought to promote the concept of the Prussian master race.

Daviy

If that's a problem to you then what are the implications for you that words and language have been used to perpetrate some of the worst evil ever devised by man?

Nothing is good or bad save that it is thought to be so.
Music and words have no intrinsic value, it is only how they are used.
Music and a bottle of wine? Music in your churches? Ok if you enjoy it, but it has no essential essence or deeper meaning.
I like music to, and it goes well with a nice red. Just enjoy without making it more than it is.