Music and "Swing“ . . . Music belongs to God. (Jas. 1:17). He created our ears, fixed the ether waves, and passed the laws of harmony. God loves melody and has bestowed upon us the capacity to love and enjoy it too. In music God has implanted great power to inspire, com fort and to stir the depths of men’s souls. It is wrong to divorce music from spiritual things, for its highest function (Psa. 105:1-3) is to serve as a vehicle of praise to God. Music is a universal language, but how different is that language in lands dark with paganism and superstition. There the musjc is in the minor, sad and fearful, clearly showing the darkness of hearts which know not the God of light and love. On the other hand, in Christian lands where the story of Christ has gone, the music is vibrant, (Psa. 150:1-6) joyful and triumphant. The mechanics of music testify to the creative (Psa. 104:23) hand of the Great Composer, God. The notes of the scale are all related on the basis of exact mathematical precision. Middle “ C” has just 440 vibrations per second, while the “ C” above middle “ C” has just twice that number or 880, and so up and down the scale. Each note has its own distinguishing characteristics. Do is basic and restful while sol is soul-stirring and military. Mi is romantic and idealistic while la is pensive and sometimes sad. Only recently have we come to discover the fascinating relationship between light (Job 38:7) and music. If our ears were properly attuned we could hear the sunset as well as see it, or we could see the harmonious color of the song of the meadow lark as well as hear it. Some day, (1 Thess. 4:17) God willing,- we shall. But even today music is one of life’s choicest joys. How dull our years should be without melody. How wrong to take this delightful creation of God and misuse it. Swing and its older brother, jazz, is a strange new mad ness in music. Born in the corruption of evil minds, this foul plague has literally swept the world. The air today is filled with it as radios blare it forth, juke boxes grind it out and dance bands sell it. Swing is difficult to describe for sometimes it is subtly, sensuously sweet, and other times blatant with harsh discord. But always there is present that underlying beat of lawlessness and unrestraint. Absent is the nobility and inspiration of true music. Certainly, this is not God’s music. Shun it. No one will deny that swing moves in bad company. Its bosom companions are an infamous trio, the dance, the movies, and liquor. Its effect seems to be to promote a frenzy of emotional excitement which with some becomes a delirium. The jitterbug demonstrations connected with it amount to barbaric shamelessness and the contortions vile and sug gestive. Swing is nothing less than a satanic seduction of music for sinful purposes. Those who love their Lord Jesus should have absolutely no part (1 Thess. 5:22) in it. But music is ours (Col. 3 :1 6 )! Its majesty, melody and rhythm belong to the Christian. It is ours to thrill to the dignity and stateliness of the grand old hymns (Eph. 5:19). It is ours to sing the psalms of David (Psa. 104:33) or the songs of evangelism. It is ours to carry in our hearts con stantly the easily-remembered choruses of today. Christians should employ music to its fullest capacity. They should play and sing and never stop. This is a power in the Christian life. Here’s the criterion if you want one. Let your music con stantly honor the Lord Jesus (Col. 3 :17). That’s the antidote for the devilish attraction of modern perversions of music. Let your music always be in harmony with the melody of your blessed Saviour’s voice (Rev. 1:15). (A third message to young people will appear shortly in The King's Business.)
Athletic Participation? Shall a Christian take part in athletics, games, contests, sports? Why most assuredly he may, and, in doing so, should exhibit the best in honesty, (Phil. 4:8) clean living, good sportsmanship and, above all, the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. God has giyen each one of us an amazingly wonderful body, with vast capacities for development and enjoyment. It’s quite right that we should keep these bodies in good health (1 Tim. 4:8) and athletics serve toward that end. You see, on the athletic field the same principles prevail for us as in the church auditorium. We’re to glorify God in our bodies (1 Cor. 3:20) always whether we’re playing a set of tennis or singing the Psalms. God is the same One over the baseball field as over the Sunday school classroom. We must live for Him just as carefully in the one as in the other. Christians ought to, strive to do well in everything they do. In their classes they should endeavor to be honor stu dents. In their jobs they should be the most reliable and trusted employees. In athletics they should always play (1 Cor. 9:24-27) to win, but fairly. By so doing, opportuni ties will be presented to honor Christ. Athletics should al ways be viewed as a means (1 Cor. 9:19-23) to an end, first to build our bodies so that we may be of better use to the Lord, and| to open avenues of testimony so that we may speak to others of Him. Satan often uses athletics to cover up some of his nefari ous business. Christians will remember this, and take care never to become enmeshed in anything that is shady or defiling. Pray (Phil. 4:6, 7) much about your athletics. Suffer this word of warning. The world today makes much of athletics. But they mix into “pure” athletics certain cor rupting influences such as betting, graft, commercialism and sensationalism. Of course these things are “off bounds” for Christian athletes. We play to build the body and train the mind so that we may the better endure hardships for the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ. Of course athletics (or anything else) are definitely wrong and harmful when they become so demanding and important that they assume the most prominent place in one’s life. That place must be unalterably reserved (Col. 1:18) for the Lord Jesus Christ. If you’re wondering about this, you can check by asking yourself, “Are athletics robbing me of the time with my Bible?” “Will my taking part in this sport cause my prayer life to be neglected?” “ If I accept a place on the team, will my love for the things of God, the souls of men, or the meetings of God’s people, become less?” If the answer to any of these is “ yes,” then athletics are out of their proper place, and are dangerous to the spiritual life. Jesus was very much an outdoor person during His so journ here with us. His thirty-three years were almost wholly lived in the hills, (Matt. 5:1) valleys, or near the bodies of water which in the beginning He had created. The hillsides were His favorite classrooms. By the side of the sea He taught many wonderful lessons. Many nights He spent in prayer alone on the mountain top. The Yowls of the air, the fish of the sea, the grass of the field, furnished sermon topics for Him. Some modern city folks live too artificially. The out-of-doors is God’s great athletic field. Paul, too, was very fond of the athletic metaphor. He likened the Christian life to a great race in the stadium (Heb. 12:12) of time, on both sides of which myriads of spectators watched. With earnestness he coaches you, ad vising the laying aside of every weight. Dramatically he points to the tape, the goal where in the judges’ box stands the Judge of all races, the Son of God. He exhorts that we press forward, (Phil. 3:13, 14) keeping our eyes on Jesus, remembering the crown (2 Tim. 4:7, 8) that will be given to all who win. Life is a race. May we run it with an undivided heart. Satan would seek to deter us by subtility and subterfuges. Look not to him, but upon the face of Christ at the end of the race. To some who run God will say, “Well done” (Matt. 25:21). To you? Page Twelve
This article is incorporated in a booklet by Dr. William W. Orr which may be obtained in the Biola Book Room, 560 S. Hope St., Los Angeles 13, Calif. T H E K I N G ' S BUS I N E S S
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