All Things to All Men
Few passages of Scripture are more popular among contemporary Christians than 1 Corinthians 9:19‐23. Especially fashionable is Paul’s line in verse 22 about becoming “all… Read More »All Things to All Men
Articles on Culture
The superiority of folk culture to pop culture
The motivations behind Vaughan Williams’s use of folk idioms in his music also clearly demonstrates the distinction between folk and pop music in his thinking.… Read More »The superiority of folk culture to pop culture
Multiculturalism and Judging Culture
One of thorniest issues facing Christian missions is the propriety and possibility of judging other cultures. Since all cultures are affected by both human depravity… Read More »Multiculturalism and Judging Culture
The Purpose of Music in Missions
The purpose of culture is not to reach the lost or give authentic expression for Christians; it is to express and cultivate right worship. In… Read More »The Purpose of Music in Missions
Defining pop culture
Unfortunately, according to Cecil Sharp and Vaughan Williams, folk music as an art is largely dead, and this provides the first evidence of a distinction… Read More »Defining pop culture
Multiculturalism and Contextualization
In a recent interview, mission leader C. Douglas McConnell was asked to name the greatest challenge facing the global evangelical missions movement today. He responded,… Read More »Multiculturalism and Contextualization
Missions and the antithesis
Last week, I spoke at the Preserving the Truth Conference in Troy, MI. Of the three points that I made in my presentation (notes, audio),… Read More »Missions and the antithesis
Distinguishing high culture from folk culture
A primary goal of Vaughan Williams was, of course, to compose art music. His many hours finding and indexing folk tunes resulted in the use… Read More »Distinguishing high culture from folk culture
Multiculturalism: You Might Be Surprised
South Africa has more official languages than any other country: English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele, Tswana, Sotho, Pedi, Venda, Tsonga and Swazi. These languages represent… Read More »Multiculturalism: You Might Be Surprised
Finding common ground in the missions debate
Here’s the reality: those of us blogging here fully realize that our positions are not popular. Not popular, I suppose, greatly underestimates the matter: for… Read More »Finding common ground in the missions debate
Differences and Universals in Music Across Cultures
A missionary cannot properly evaluate the differences among cultural expressions until he has understood their universals. At the root of the most thoughtful defenses of… Read More »Differences and Universals in Music Across Cultures
A Humble Request and Prolegomena
In my handful of posts this month, I want to give some anecdotes from church history to inform us as to how missionaries, attempting to… Read More »A Humble Request and Prolegomena
Paul and Cultural Critique: Titus 1:12-13
In relation to critiquing other cultures in an age of cultural relativism, Titus 1:12-13 caught my eye a couple of years ago as I was… Read More »Paul and Cultural Critique: Titus 1:12-13
Vaughan William’s interest in English folk songs
An interest in English folk songs emerged in England toward the end of the nineteenth century. By 1898 the Folk Song Society was founded, and… Read More »Vaughan William’s interest in English folk songs
Missions and Music
One of missionaries most challenging issues is what kind of music to use as they plant indigenous churches. Two extremes exist: on the one hand… Read More »Missions and Music
Conservative Christians will be committed to transmitting these worship forms to future generations
Conservative Christianity, at its heart, is committed to preserving transcendent ideas rooted in the very nature and character of God. It seeks to accomplish this… Read More »Conservative Christians will be committed to transmitting these worship forms to future generations
Distinguishing High, Folk, and Pop Culture
A common error exists frequently in contemporary discussions of the use of folk idioms as a compositional element in art music. Many authors today equate… Read More »Distinguishing High, Folk, and Pop Culture
Translating vs. Transforming
Millard Erickson, in his Christian Theology, speaks of two different approaches to contemporising the message of Christianity. One is to translate the message, and the other… Read More »Translating vs. Transforming
Should western music be transplanted to missions church plants?
On Saturdays we repost articles from the archives that apply to current issues. The following article deals with what music should be used for indigenous… Read More »Should western music be transplanted to missions church plants?
Should a missionary simply adopt a culture’s music when church planting?
On Saturdays we repost articles from the archives that apply to current issues. The following article discusses whether a missionary should simply adopt a culture’s… Read More »Should a missionary simply adopt a culture’s music when church planting?