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Teaching Music in the Global Church · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reformed Thinking. Today we are setting out on a
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very specific mission. For our deep dive, we're taking
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a close look at excerpts from a fascinating chapter titled
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Teaching Music in the Global Church.
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This text is written by Thomas Hochstetter and Kelly
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Cunningham, and it is drawn from a much larger, comprehensive
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work called Biblical Missions, Printables, Priorities and
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Practices. Our goal for this conversation
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is to uncover the biblical design for music in the church.
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We want to move past simple aesthetic preferences.
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Whether you like acoustic guitars, massive pipe organs, or
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a Capella harmonies, we want to look past all of that.
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Instead, we want to see how singing functions as a robust,
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incredibly effective discipleship tool.
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We're looking at the theology, the practice, and the global
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application of music as a means of growing believers in the
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faith. We're going to examine the
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mechanics of how a melody carries truth into the human
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heart. And we're going to look at real
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world case studies from places like Cambodia and Uganda to see
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how these principles hold up across different cultures.
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That is a very helpful starting point, and we should establish
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our theological lens right away. As Protestant Christians who
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hold to Reform theology and adhere to the Westminster
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Confession of Faith, we approach this topic with a very specific
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understanding of how the gathered church is supposed to
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operate. In our theological tradition,
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corporate worship is heavily regulated by Scripture.
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We often refer to this as the regulative principle of worship.
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It means we do not just invent ways to approach God based on
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what feels good or what draws a crowd.
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We look to Scripture to see what God has actually commanded us to
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do when we gather. And singing is not some optional
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add on. It is not an entertaining
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interlude to keep people occupied between the prayers and
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the preaching. It is an active, explicitly
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commanded element of the liturgy.
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The text we are examining today grounds its entire argument in
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this reality. Music is mandated by God, and
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therefore it requires our utmost attention and care.
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The authors are writing from the strict perspective, arguing that
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because God designed it, we have to handle it according to His
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instructions. And that biblical pattern of
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music predates the church entirely.
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Our source text lays out a timeline that is genuinely
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stunning when you look at it all at once.
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The authors point out that God created the rules for music at
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the very beginning. Let's walk through this
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chronological progression, starting in the book of Job,
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specifically Job 38.7. The context here is God speaking
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to Job out of the whirlwind, laying out the sheer scale of
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creation, and he asks Job where he was when the foundations of
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the earth relate. When the morning star sang
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together and all the sons of God shouted for joy, we see angels
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singing for joy at creation. Before human lungs ever drew
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breath, the cosmos was already filled with song.
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Right. And if we if we connect this to
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the bigger picture, it changes how we view the physical
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universe. I mean, music is not a human
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invention. When we think about the physical
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rules of music, the reality of harmony, the mathematical
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precision of rhythm, the specific ratios of intervals
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that make up a scale, those are physical realities that God
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spoke into existence. He created the physics of sound
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waves. He created the way frequencies
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interact. A perfect fifth or a major chord
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resonates with us because our Creator designed the physics of
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sound and the anatomy of the human ear to interact in a way
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that produces a sense of resolution and joy.
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The fact that an entire congregation can sing the same
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melody and naturally fine harmonies is a demonstration of
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divine design. Wait, before we move on from
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that, let's define a concept you and I have discussed before,
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which the authors bring into this framework common grace.
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For the listener who might be new to Reform terminology, how
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does common grace apply to the physics of music?
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You were saying God gives gifts like the math of music to all of
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humanity, not just believers. Precisely yes.
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Common grace refers to the unmerited favor God bestows upon
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all people, regardless of their spiritual state.
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It is the reason the rain falls on the just and the unjust, as
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Jesus says in Matthew 5. It is also the reason a
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brilliant composer who does not know Christ can still write a
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Symphony that moves you to tears.
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God gave humans the neurological and spiritual capacity to grasp
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these musical laws, to organize them, and to find beauty in
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them. So when Jubal shows up in
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Genesis 4.21 and the text identifies him as the father of
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all those who play the liar and pipe, we see common grace in
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action. Humans, even fallen humans, are
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taking the raw materials of creation and organizing them
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into instruments. They are discovering the laws of
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acoustics that God embedded in the universe.
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That makes the progression through the Old Testament so
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much clearer. Fast forward to Exodus 15, right
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after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea.
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They have just witnessed the greatest military empire on
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earth, swallowed by the waves. What is their immediate response
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to miraculous salvation? Moses leads them in a song.
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They do not just sit down and write a historical theological
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treatise. They sing.
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They sing yes. Then you get to the Era of the
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Kings in First Chronicles, where Temple musicians are explicitly
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trained and organized for the liturgy.
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David sets up guilds of musicians whose entire vocation
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is to facilitate the praises of Israel.
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But here's the moment that always stops me in my tracks,
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Matthew 26.30. The authors highlight Jesus
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singing with his disciples in the Upper Room.
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That is a staggering historical and theological reality.
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The context of Matthew 26 is the Last Supper.
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Jesus has just instituted the Lord's Supper.
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He has broken the bread and shared the cup.
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He knows Judas is betraying him. He knows the sheer physical and
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spiritual agony waiting for him in Gethsemane and at Calvary.
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And what does the text say? And when they had some of him,
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they went out to the Mount of Olives.
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We know from the Jewish customs of the Passover that they were
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likely singing the Halil Psalms, which are Psalms 113 through
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118. So I want you, the listener, to
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consider how music acts as this continuous thread from Genesis
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to Revelation. Have you ever really considered
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the reality that Jesus sang hymns just hours before the
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cross? It's hard to grasp.
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It is. Think about the lyrics of Psalm
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118. Bind the festival sacrifice with
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chords up to the horns of the altar.
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Jesus sang those words knowing he was the sacrifice.
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He used melody and poetry to prepare his soul for the
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greatest trial in human history. That shows us that music is not
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a luxury. It is a vital provision from God
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for our spiritual endurance. If the Incarnate Son of God
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utilized congregational singing to fortify His heart for the
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cross, how much more do we need it for our daily trials?
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Which brings us to the future as outlined in the Book of
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Revelation. The authors point out that the
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timeline stretches forward to the future songs of the Saints.
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In Revelation 5 and Revelation 15, we see the redeemed
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multitude singing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb.
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Music is an absolute constant in the biblical narrative.
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It is the language of creation, the language of the redeemed on
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earth, and the language of the glorified in heaven.
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OK, let's unpack this. Well, let's unpack this, because
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if the timeline proves God hardwired us for music, what is
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the actual mechanism? How does singing a hymn do
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something to my brain and my soul that just reading a Bible
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verse does not? The source material spends a
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massive amount of time breaking down the theology of Colossians
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3 and Ephesians 5. To answer this exact question,
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let's look closely at Colossians 3.16.
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The apostle Paul issues a straightforward command.
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Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and
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admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns
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and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to
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God. The authors lean heavily on
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Colossians 3.16 here, specifically focusing on the
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original Greek to show us the mechanics of how singing
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functions. As a teacher and a counselor,
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walk us through how Paul breaks down the mechanics of singing in
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that verse. Well, the authors focus on three
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specific Greek participles Paul uses.
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It is fascinating to see the mechanics of how this works.
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The first participle is Titus contest, which translates to
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teaching. This refers to the instruction
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of God's Word, the imparting of doctrinal truth.
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The second is nuthadontes, which translates to admonishing, and
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the third participle is adantes, which means singing.
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The argument the authors make is that singing is the actual
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vehicle through which the teaching and the admonishing
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take place. Right, let's look at that first
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participle. D descontes, or teaching music
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is an unparalleled pedagogical tool.
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You can see this in how human memory works.
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Most adults can remember the lyrics to a pop song they heard
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20 years ago on the radio, even if they have not heard it since.
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Oh. Absolutely.
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I still know commercial jingles from the 90s.
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Exactly. Yet they might struggle to
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remember the main point of a summon they heard last Sunday.
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Melody, rhythm and rhyme act as mnemonic devices.
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They help theology bypass our intellectual defenses and settle
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deep into our long term memory. When a congregation sings a well
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written, theologically robust hymn, they are memorizing
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doctrine. They are learning the attributes
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of God, the nature of the atonement, and the promises of
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the Gospel, all without opening a textbook.
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And then we get to that second participle, NUSA, taunts or
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admonishing. I want to push on this a bit,
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because admonishing sounds incredibly awkward in our modern
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cultural context. The definition relates to
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walking alongside someone to correct their path, to offer a
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warning, or to provide moral instruction.
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The idea of turning to the guy next to me in the Pew and
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admonishing him sounds like a recipe for a very uncomfortable
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Sunday morning. How does singing mitigate that
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social awkwardness, that is? A brilliant observation.
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Direct verbal admonishment is difficult.
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If you walk up to a struggling friend and say you are giving
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into despair, you need to trust the sovereignty of God.
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That can trigger immediate defensiveness.
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It feels confrontational. But consider the social dynamics
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of congregational singing. When you are standing next to
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that same friend and you both open the hymnal to a mighty
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fortress's our God, and you sing the words.
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Did we in our own strength confide are striving would be
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losing. You are admonishing him.
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You are declaring objective truth into his ear.
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That's. Amazing, right?
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But. Because you are both directing
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your voices toward God, the confrontation is removed.
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You are locking arms and facing the truth together.
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The melody softens the blow of the correction and makes the
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hard truths of Scripture palatable.
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OK, let's. Unpack this.
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That is a massive paradigm shift for how a lot of people view
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congregational singing. We were essentially singing our
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theology to each other. And the text moves from
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Colossians 3 right into Ephesians 5.1 wine, which
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contains very similar wording but adds A crucial dimension.
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Paul says we should be addressing one another in psalms
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and hymns and spiritual songs. We need to stress this
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horizontal aspect of worship. When you are standing in the
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Pew, you are not just singing vertically to God in an isolated
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bubble with your eyes closed pretending no one else is in the
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room. You are singing horizontally to
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one another. That changes the entire dynamic
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of a Sunday morning. The authors argue that this
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creates a whole new level of responsibility for the
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individual believer. Your audible participation in
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the liturgy is a vital part of your neighbor's spiritual
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nourishment. You're expressing the Word of
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Christ to the person next to you, bringing them encouragement
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and admonishment. Just as a sermon equips
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believers with truth, both the didactic and devotional elements
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of music equip believers for daily spiritual battles.
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Let's talk. About a relatable hypothetical
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scenario. To show what that looks like in
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practical application, our source gives some excellent
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specific examples. You can use a song to strengthen
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a broken spirit. Imagine a fellow church member
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who is grieving a terrible loss. Maybe a widow who is attending
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church for the first time since your husband passed away.
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She might be weeping. She might not have the physical
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or emotional strength to sing a single note.
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But when she stands there and she hears the voices of 200
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other believers surrounding her, confidently singing, it is Well
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with my soul. Your voice carries her.
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You're ministering to her. You're lending her your faith
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when hers is battered and. Conversely, you might use a song
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to correct a straying friend singing lyrics that call for
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repentance and holiness. You are also using music to
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instruct a child, giving them theological vocabulary before
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they can even read a Bible. When a four year old learns to
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sing Holy holy, holy Lord God Almighty, early in the morning,
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our song shall rise to thee. They are learning the doctrine
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of the Trinity. They are learning the attribute
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of divine holiness. They are learning that God is
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worthy of morning praise. So ask yourself, when you sing
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in church, do you realize you are counseling the person
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standing next to you? Are you singing loudly enough
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for them to hear you? Because the congregation is
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ministering to one another in this way, the individuals
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leading that musical worship carry an immense weight of
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responsibility. If music is a form of counseling
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that puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the person picking
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the songs. The source material draws a hard
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line here. The authors argue that the
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qualifications for music leaders are primarily spiritual, and
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they map directly to the standards for deacons laid out
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by Paul in First Timothy 3. Let's.
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Look at those qualifications in First Timothy 3.
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Paul says deacons must be dignified, not double ponged,
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not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain.
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They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear
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conscience. The authors are taking these
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character traits and applying them to the worship leader.
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Wait. Hold.
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On Let me push back on this on behalf of the listener, isn't
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that an impossibly high bar? Well, if we say the music leader
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has to meet Deacon qualifications, aren't we just
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going to end up with terrible music and most small churches?
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If a church has 50 people and the only guy who can play the
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piano is a 20 year old college student who definitely isn't
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ready to be a Deacon, are the authors suggesting we just sing
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off Kia Capella? Should they reject a highly
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skilled musician simply because he is spiritually immature?
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The. Authors would argue yes, the
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spiritual qualifications must take precedence over the musical
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skill, and they based this on the function of the role we just
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discussed. The music leader is a
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representative of Christ to the congregation.
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They stand before the gathered body and to a watching world as
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a model of Christian maturity. But their primary duty goes far
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beyond simply picking tunes that sound pleasant.
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Their most crucial task is discerning theological truth
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from error. OK.
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Explain that how does picking a song require theological
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discernment? Think about what we just
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discussed regarding Colossians 3.
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If the congregation is memorizing doctrine through
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melody, the person selecting those melodies is deciding what
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theology the church will carry in their hearts throughout the
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week. If a song contains subtle
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theological errors, perhaps it promotes a prosperity gospel
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mindset, or it diminishes the severity of sin, or it presents
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a view of God that is more like a romantic boyfriend than the
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sovereign Creator of the universe.
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A spiritually immature leader might pick it simply because it
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has a catchy bridge and is currently popular on the radio,
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right? They just like the beat, yeah.
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The music leader must have the theological acumen to spot those
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subtle errors. They have to ensure the songs
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offer a full, well-rounded expression of biblical content.
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They must reject anything that diminishes the glory of Christ
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or misrepresents His Word. Bad theology paired with a great
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melody is incredibly dangerous because it sneaks past our
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critical thinking. So the.
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Heart is prioritized over the art, but the text is also clear
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that they still have to actually lead the music.
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The spiritual qualifications are paramount, but the musical
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competencies required are substantial.
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The source outlines these clearly.
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A qualified leader ideally needs to be able to read notation.
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They need to understand how to arrange music so that it sets
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the specific instrumentation available in their local
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context. If you only have a piano on a
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cello, you cannot just play the arrangement designed for a six
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piece rock band. They must understand the rules
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of harmony and they need strong vocal and instrumental
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leadership skills to guide a room full of non professionals
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to sing together confidently. Finding.
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Someone with that blend of theological maturity and musical
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capability is rare, which is why the authors stress the patients
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require hired by church elders. You rarely find someone who
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arrives fully formed with all these skills.
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The best method, according to the text, is finding and
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discipling these leaders from within the local congregation.
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This requires a massive amount of long term vision.
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Elders must invest themselves in the lives of potential
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candidates. They have to provide training,
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perhaps even funding formal theological or musical education
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for them. And crucially, the churches must
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give these emerging leaders room to make mistakes.
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A young leader might pick a song in the wrong key, making it
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impossible for the men in the congregation to sing without
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straining. Or they might awkwardly
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transition between elements of the service, causing a confusing
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silence. The congregation and the elders
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must manage those moments with grace.
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They have to correct the leader without breeding discouragement.
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If you destroy a young musician's confidence the first
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time they make a mistake, you will never develop leaders from
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within your own ranks. This.
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Highlights a very high view of the local church.
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The temptation for many congregations, especially in
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Western cultures with a consumer mindset, is to simply outsource
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the problem. If the music isn't great, they
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want to hire a polished professional from outside the
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community who can instantly make the music sound like a studio
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recording. But the authors argue that the
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biblical model leans heavily toward discipleship.
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You cultivate the talent within the body.
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You raise up leaders who actually know the flock they're
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leading, who know the specific struggles and joys of the people
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standing in front of them and that.
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Concept of Raising up the Next Generation leads directly into
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the textbook section on the pedagogy of praise and how we
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nurture children in the Church. If we want lifelong worshippers,
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we have to treat music leadership like an educational
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discipline. What's?
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Fascinating here is the texts intense focus on sequential
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learning for children. You don't just hand a 5 year old
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a hymnal, point to the four part harmony on the page and expect
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them to understand what is happening.
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You have to build their capacity step by step, honoring their
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developmental stages. Let's.
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Break this down methodically, because the progression outlined
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in the text makes so much sense. The first step the authors
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mention is teaching children simply to match pitch.
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This is the most basic building block.
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You play a note on the piano, or you sing a note, and you ask the
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child to recreate that exact frequency with their own vocal
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cords. It sounds simple, but it
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requires them to connect their auditory processing with their
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physical vocal mechanism once. They can match pitch.
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You move to teaching them to identify a steady beat.
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This is getting their bodies to understand rhythm.
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You have them clap along to a metronome or March in time to a
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song. Rhythm is the skeleton of music.
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Without it, everything falls apart.
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After they have pitch and rhythm, you introduce them to
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singing in parts through simple rounds or canons.
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The classic example is row row, row your boat.
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One group starts and a few beats later the second group starts
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the same melody. It teaches the child to hold
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their own musical line while hearing something different
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happening simultaneously. And then?
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The final step in the sequence is moving to partner songs.
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This is where two entirely different tunes are blended
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together to create harmony. A common example in children's
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choirs is singing Swing Low Sweet Chariot while another
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group simultaneously sings When the Saints Go Marching In.
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The chord structures match, so the two distinct melodies
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harmonized beautifully is a brilliant, methodical way to
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train the ear to hear complex musical textures.
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The. Authors also mentioned the
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necessity of modeling basic soulfish for the listener who
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might not be familiar with the term.
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Soulfish is the system of assigning syllables to notes on
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a scale. It was developed centuries ago,
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originally by a monk named Guido Alvarezo in the 11th century, as
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a way to sight read music. We know it today, as do Re MI FA
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so latito. The text describes this as a
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crucial stepping stone. Why do?
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Children need soul fish. Isn't there a danger of making
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church music feel like a rigid school classroom?
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Where does the joy come in? If kid just wants to sing loudly
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about Jesus? Why make them learn syllables
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from the 11th century? It is.
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A fair question, but the authors would argue that discipline
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actually unlocks A deeper joy. Think about language.
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We teach children the alphabet, and we teach them the rigid
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rules of grammar and syntax. That can feel tedious, but
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learning those rules is what eventually allows them to write
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beautiful poetry or articulate complex thoughts.
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You have to learn the scales before you can improvise.
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Jazz solfege maps the intervals of the scale onto the child's
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brain. It gives them a spatial
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understanding of how music is constructed internally before
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they ever have to look at complex written notation on a
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staff. When they understand the
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relationship between Do and Saul, they can sight read a new
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hymn with confidence. The discipline removes the
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anxiety of not knowing the song, which frees them to actually
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focus on the lyrics and experience the joy of worship
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there's. Also, a very physical aspect to
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this training that the authors highlight, the text mentions the
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necessity of helping children find their true singing voice as
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opposed to just yelling with their speaking voice.
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A child's vocal cords are small and fragile.
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If you tell a group of kids to sing out loud and proud, their
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natural instinct is often to just yell rhythmically, right?
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Which is terrible for them, yeah.
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Yelling damages the vocal folds over time.
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A trained leader knows how to teach children to use proper
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breath support from their diaphragm and to use their head
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voice, ensuring healthy vocal maturation so they can sing for
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the rest of their lives. All.
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Of this technical training, however, has a massive
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theological anchor that both authors heavily stress.
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The absolute rule is this children's musical participation
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is not a performance. When the children's choir stands
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at the front of the sanctuary, it is not a cute recital for the
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parents to record on their phones.
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Yes. The authors are adamant about
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this. They're singing for an audience
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of 1, they're exalting the Lord, and they are contributing to the
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edification of the Saints just like the adults.
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If we treat children's choirs as a cute halftime show to make the
21:21
grandparents smile, we are actively training them in
21:24
idolatry. We are teaching them that
21:26
worship is about seeking the applause of men.
21:29
We have to communicate to them that their voices carry real
21:31
spiritual weight in the liturgy, that.
21:33
Mindset shifts the entire culture of a church.
21:36
It connects directly to Ephesians 6.4 where fathers are
21:40
instructed to bring up their children in the discipline and
21:42
instruction of the Lord. The church's music program does
21:45
not replace the parents, it supports the parents role.
21:48
The authors point out the immense value of family worship
21:51
at home to reinforce this historically.
21:54
Family worship was a staple of the Reformed tradition.
21:58
Families would gather after dinner, read a chapter of
22:00
Scripture, pray and sing a Psalm or hymn together.
22:04
When families sing together in their living rooms today,
22:06
they're doing two things simultaneously.
22:09
First, they are building vital spiritual traditions that
22:11
imprint timeless truths on the children's hearts.
22:14
Second, they are facilitating informal oral training.
22:17
They are practicing the very skills, pitch, matching rhythm,
22:21
maybe even harmony that they will use when they gather with
22:23
the full congregation on Sunday now.
22:25
Taking this highly intentional discipleship model and applying
22:28
it globally introduces a whole new set of variables.
22:31
Our source material tackles this in a section on cross cultural
22:34
praise and a fascinating concept called ethnodoxology.
22:37
Ethnodoxology, that is a massive term, let's define it.
22:41
Ethno relating to culture or people groups and doxology
22:44
relating to the study or practice of praise.
22:46
Spot on. Ethnodoxology is the theological
22:49
and anthropological study of how different people groups worship
22:52
God using their own unique cultural expressions.
22:56
It refers to the inclusion of non western indigenous music in
22:59
the worship of a particular congregation or people group.
23:02
When western missionaries go to establish churches in different
23:05
cultures, they historically carry the legacy of Western
23:08
hymnody. With them they bring Isaac Watts
23:10
and Charles Wesley, but they must work through the reality
23:13
that other cultures have entirely unique tuning systems.
23:16
Western music is based on a 12 tone equal temperament scale,
23:20
but Middle Eastern or Asian cultures might use microtones,
23:24
dividing the octave into much smaller increments.
23:27
They have distinct rhythmic patterns, polyrhythms that
23:29
Westerners find incredibly difficult to count, and they
23:32
have indigenous instruments that sound nothing like a piano or an
23:35
acoustic guitar. Let me.
23:36
Use a highly specific analogy to explain why this requires
23:39
massive discernment from church leaders, specifically regarding
23:43
the danger of musical syncretism.
23:45
Syncretism is the blending of different religions or cultures.
23:49
Imagine a missionary working in a remote region.
23:52
There is a specific rhythm played on a specific type of
23:55
local drum. In a Western context, if we
23:58
heard that rhythm, it might just sound like an upbeat, joyful
24:00
tempo. We might think, great, let's use
24:02
that rhythm for a song about the resurrection.
24:05
But in that specific indigenous culture, that exact drum beat
24:09
might be historically tied to a harvest daily ritual.
24:13
The musical ties to false religion can be inextricable in
24:16
the minds of the local people. If a missionary obliviously
24:20
adopts that drum beat because it sounds local, they might
24:23
accidentally be communicating to the villagers that Jesus is just
24:25
another local spirit. Or they might trigger massive
24:28
conviction issues for the new believers who associate that
24:30
sound with their Pagan past. Leaders must meticulously
24:34
evaluate how the music of the culture influences the church's
24:37
experience of the gospel at the. Same time, the goal is not to
24:40
eradicate the local culture and force a new group of believers
24:44
to simply mimic Western European musical traditions.
24:47
The authors provide a beautiful case example from Cambodia to
24:50
show how this tension can be resolved correctly.
24:52
Describe the setting of that story for US.
24:55
Picture. The landscape of rural Cambodia.
24:58
You have humid climates, stilted houses, and a culture that uses
25:02
tonal languages where the pitch of your voice actually changes
25:06
the definition of the word. Writing a melody for a tonal
25:09
language is incredibly difficult because the melody can
25:12
accidentally change the meaning of the lyrics.
25:15
A missionary couple was working in a tribal community.
25:17
In this environment, the husband was engaged in the grueling work
25:20
of translating the Bible into the local, unwritten language.
25:23
When he translated a verse that was particularly dense with
25:26
theological truth, his wife, who had extensive musical training,
25:29
stepped in. She wrote a memorable tune for
25:32
it, but she didn't use a Western hymn tune.
25:34
She utilized a musical style, a scale and a rhythm that
25:38
resonated with the local Cambodian culture she brought.
25:41
Together, biblical truth and musical excellence in a
25:43
culturally appropriate package. And then the text notes.
25:47
She taught this new song to the children of the community.
25:50
Before long, the truth of the Bible was being sung aloud in
25:52
the village streets by the children.
25:55
The theology took root through the vehicle of culturally
25:57
appropriate melody. Because she respected the local
26:00
musical language, the Gospel was able to spread faster and lodge
26:04
deeper in the marks of the people I love.
26:06
That story because it challenges us to think about our own
26:09
cultural preferences in music. If you are sitting in a Pew in
26:13
North America or Europe, you might have very strong opinions
26:17
about what constitutes reverent or appropriate worship music
26:20
based entirely on your cultural upbringing.
26:23
You might think an organ is inherently holy and a drum set
26:25
is inherently secular. The text asks us to exhibit
26:28
genuine humility and patience when worshiping alongside
26:31
believers with different backgrounds.
26:33
The singular goal is worshipping Christ, and that requires us to
26:36
lay down our personal preferences for the sake of
26:38
unity and mutual edification. To illustrate.
26:41
All of these principles coming together, the theology of
26:44
Colossians 3, the high standards for leadership, the pedagogy for
26:47
children and the navigation of ethnodoxology.
26:50
The textbook includes with a highly detailed case study
26:53
written by Kelly Cunningham. It focuses on a man named Bosco
26:57
Andama and his work in the village of Kuba Mitwe in the
27:00
Lueiro district of Uganda. This real world example
27:04
demonstrates exactly how music education functions as
27:07
discipleship. Let's treat this like the
27:09
narrative it is, because Bosco Andama's back story is
27:12
incredible. The Luiro district in Uganda has
27:15
a complex history. In the early 1980s, it was the
27:18
site of the Ugandan Bush War, often referred to as the Luiro
27:22
Triangle. It was a place of massive
27:24
conflict and trauma. Rebuilding communities there
27:27
requires immense dedication. Andama grew up in a Ugandan
27:30
village with a massive passion for making music.
27:32
He desperately wanted to learn how to play the guitar.
27:35
He actually approached a famous local guitarist and begged for
27:37
lessons, but the man flatly refused to teach him.
27:40
He hoarded his knowledge that. Rejection could have crushed
27:43
him, but it sparked A fierce resolve in Andama.
27:46
He decided right then that if he ever managed to learn the
27:49
instrument, he would never hoard that knowledge.
27:51
He would spend his life teaching others.
27:53
And he did learn through sheer determination.
27:56
He mastered the guitar. But he didn't stop there.
27:59
He recognized the need for theological grounding.
28:03
He eventually traveled across the world to the United States
28:05
and enrolled at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in
28:08
Louisville, KY. Imagine the cultural contrast
28:11
moving from a Ugandan village to a massive seminary campus in
28:14
Kentucky. He earned a Master of Arts in
28:17
worship leadership. With that rigorous theological
28:19
and musical training in hand, he returned to Africa in 2017 to
28:23
fulfill his promise. He.
28:24
Partnered with Sufficiency of Scripture Ministries, or SOS
28:28
Ministries, which operates A pastoral training center and a
28:31
primary school based at the Community Bible Church in Kubo
28:34
Mithwe. Through this partnership and
28:37
DAMA established a music training program with three very
28:40
specific, highly strategic goals.
28:43
His first goal was building a singing community.
28:45
He looked at the local church and recognized that to make
28:48
worship a natural outpouring of the church's daily life, the
28:51
people needed actual musical literacy.
28:54
They couldn't just wing it. So he created youth choirs and
28:57
multiple worship bands. He set up daily classes for
29:00
theory and instrument instruction.
29:02
His stated philosophy for this first goal was vital.
29:05
The community should not be hiring outside musicians in many
29:08
developing nations, or even in wealthy western suburbs,
29:11
churches will simply hire a professional drummer or
29:14
keyboardist to make the Sunday service sound good, and Dahmer
29:17
rejected that. He insisted on recycling talent
29:20
internally. He was equipping the Saints to
29:21
edify their own local body, relying on the concept we
29:24
discussed earlier of finding leaders from within the
29:26
congregation. His second.
29:27
Goal was training leaders and Dhamma knew he was just one man
29:31
and his physical capacity was limited.
29:34
If the ministry relied entirely on his energy, it would
29:37
collapse. If he ever left or got sick, he
29:40
had to duplicate his efforts. So he developed a short term
29:43
worship leaders course. He took the most promising
29:46
musicians from his bands and trained them in the rigorous
29:49
nuances of song leading. We are talking about the
29:52
granular mechanics here. He taught them diction, how to
29:56
enunciate consonants clearly so the congregation can actually
29:59
understand the lyrics being sung.
30:01
He taught them proper vocal breath support from the
30:03
diaphragm so they could sing for an hour without losing their
30:05
voice. He taught them how to manage
30:08
their physical energy on the platform and instructed them on
30:11
how to effectively communicate with the congregation while
30:13
leading. By training these leaders, he
30:15
ensured the theological and musical DNA of the ministry
30:18
would outlast his own direct involvement and dama.
30:21
'S third goal is perhaps the most fascinating from an
30:23
ethnodoxy, logical perspective. Fusing worship styles, he noted
30:29
A cultural tension in Uganda that exists in many parts of the
30:32
developing world. The youth in his community were
30:35
primarily drawn to modern Western instruments.
30:38
They wanted to play synthesizers, electric guitars,
30:40
and bass guitars. They viewed these instruments as
30:43
modern and successful, but Endama insisted on teaching them
30:46
how to play traditional indigenous instruments as well.
30:49
Describe. Some of those traditional
30:50
instruments what that actually sound like Uganda.
30:52
Has a massive heritage of unique instruments.
30:55
You have the Adungu, which is a beautifully crafted arched bow
30:58
harp. You have various types of thumb
31:00
pianos, like the Ambira, which produce a distinct metallic
31:04
melodic percussion sound, and you have traditional high drums.
31:09
And Dhamma observed that these traditional instruments were
31:11
often being left behind by the younger generation, relegated to
31:14
remote villages that could not afford to purchase modern
31:17
imported gear. By forcing the youth in his
31:20
program to learn both the electric guitar and the adungu,
31:24
and teaching them to play both styles with excellence, he was
31:27
accomplishing a massive theological victory.
31:29
Let's. Dig into that theological
31:30
conclusion because it is brilliant.
31:32
By keeping traditional instruments alive and
31:34
integrating them into the gathered worship alongside the
31:36
keyboards and dama prevents worship from being restricted by
31:40
wealth or by passing global trends.
31:42
A church out in the Bush does not need to be wealthy enough to
31:45
import a Fender Stratocaster and APA system to offer excellent,
31:48
beautiful praise to God. They can use the instruments
31:51
crafted from their own local timber and resources.
31:54
It democratizes worship and removes the financial barrier to
31:57
excellence it. Also instills a proper theology
32:00
of culture. It teaches the Ugandan students
32:02
to appreciate their specific cultural heritage as something
32:06
gifted by God. Paul states in Acts 17.26 that
32:10
God determines the allotted periods and the boundaries of
32:12
human habitation. God designed the specific
32:15
cultural context these students were born into.
32:17
When we look forward to the eternal state described in
32:20
Revelation 5 and Revelation 7, we do not see a homogeneous,
32:23
uniform mass of people all singing in Western musical
32:26
styles. We see a multitude from every
32:28
nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages standing
32:30
before the throne. The implication is that they are
32:33
bringing the redeemed aspects of their distinct cultures into the
32:35
worship of the Lamb. Bhaskar and Dhamma's work and
32:38
Kubermacwe is a microscopic real world preview of that cosmic
32:42
reality. So.
32:43
To bring all these threads together from our deep dive
32:45
today, the source material makes an undeniable case that music in
32:49
the church is not an afterthought.
32:51
It is a divine mandate given by God at the dawn of creation,
32:55
echoing through the angels, the Israelites, and Christ himself.
32:59
It is a pastoral tool used for teaching doctrine and
33:02
admonishing the believer standing next to you in the Pew.
33:06
It is a meticulous, sequential discipleship method for
33:08
nurturing the theology and the character of our children and is
33:11
a cross cultural unifier that anticipates the eternal worship
33:14
of the new heavens and the new earth.
33:16
Whether you are in a massive cathedral in Europe, a living
33:19
room in North America or village in Uganda, the mandate remains
33:22
the same. We cannot afford to be casual
33:24
about how we sing. I will leave you.
33:26
The listener with this final thought to consider as you go
33:29
about your week, We have talked a lot about the mechanics of how
33:33
melody carries lyrics past your intellectual defenses and plants
33:37
them in your heart. So think about the songs that
33:39
inevitably get stuck in your head on a random Tuesday
33:41
afternoon when you are driving to work or doing the dishes or
33:45
cutting the grass. What lyrics are echoing in your
33:48
mind? Are the melodies you consume all
33:51
week feeding your anxieties, stocking your frustrations, and
33:54
filling your mind with the world's trivialities?
33:56
Or are you taking the time to memorize the psalms, hymns, and
34:00
spiritual songs of your local church?
34:02
Are you allowing those melodies to function as a personal,
34:05
internal liturgy that continuously counsels your soul
34:08
of the truth of Christ when you need it most?
34:10
That is a brilliant question to end on and a direct challenge to
34:13
how we consume media every single day.
34:16
Thank you so much for taking the time to join us for this
34:18
conversation. We appreciate you tuning in to
34:20
Reformed Thinking.