C. S. Lewis’ essay “On Church Music” (1949)[ published in Christian Reflections, Ed. By Walter Hooper, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1967, p. 94-99.] is disappointingly shallow. He focuses on high vs. low church music and edification, which seems to him to be resolved if advocates of both adopt an attitude of intending to glorify God rather than pleasing their own taste. In humility, the ungifted glorify God by silence during trained musical excellence. Equally humbly, the musically gifted glorify God when sacrificing their own desires and provides the ungifted a coarser fare than he or she would wish.
Unfortunately, Lewis did not deal with issues such as why music appears to be one of the main activities in heaven (Revelation 4:8&11, 5:9-13, 7:12, 15:3-4) , and why it has power to move soul and spirit in church, and why the Scriptures extol it (e.g., Psalm 150:3-5). The missing link is the nature and character of God. In the essay, Lewis nods to this as an afterthought, that God does not need our music in any substantive way, citing Psalm 50:12. But he knew better. It is intrinsic to God that he is both creative and compassionate. His passion for lost humans is so strong that He sent Jesus to die on the cross to save them, and His creative energy such that He created humans to begin with so that they might glorify Him and enjoy fellowship with Him. As Lewis himself wrote in Mere Christianity, regarding joy, power, peace, and eternal life: “They are a great fountain of energy and beauty spurting up at the very centre of reality. If you are close to it, the spray will wet you: if you are not, you will remain dry.“ Or, as Jesus said, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘Out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:38)
God invested music with the power to directly stimulate man’s soul and spirit in our innermost being. For some, prayer is this channel of connection to God, but music is much more so, that both men and angels enjoy. Because that is the purpose of creation, to enjoy fellowship with God forever. (Sadly, music has such power that the evil one can use it to lead humans astray, but that is not the subject here.) What are we to enjoy? That God’s very essence of self-sacrificial love has been shared with us, both by nature and by redemption, and the fellowship of like-spirited beings is glorious. The melodies, harmonies, rhythms, instrumental sounds, words, verses, and poetic structures all strike deeply embedded receptors in us, encouraging passionate response. The best music uses these attributes to enhance our response to its propositional content.
The bottom line on Church music is that it succeeds in submission to God’s purposes, and fails otherwise. God’s purposes are both knowable and achievable, if we are willing. Worship is more than music, and not all music is worship, but music of worship brings glory to God through our participation, and its impact on us.
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