NPR Gets My Money Before KLOVE

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NPR Gets My Money Before KLOVE

This week I sent our local classical music station a donation, WCNY Classical FM. I’ve rediscovered classical music in recent days. I’ve always enjoyed it and have a few good CD’s but it’s an area I want to pursue. Giving this station a donation gives me some financial motivation, an investment. Thus far, it’s paying off.

I was blessed with a pretty good education in music when I was in school. Liz Conway taught my humanities class in high school and did an excellent job not only tolerating my snotty answers on quizzes (the questions would revolve around composers and my answers included heavy metal bands), but conveying the beauty, historicity and depth of orchestral music. I learned the music well enough to get a C in my Music Appreciation class in college without reading much of the book. Mrs. Conway was an excellent teacher even though I spent one year of my life tormenting her, including a study hall session that I dedicated exclusively to her torture.

All of that to say, I didn’t take my musical education seriously as a youth, but I did recognize one thing’beauty. I also recognized that the influence of these old, dead composers had a huge influence on my favorite music genre’hard rock. The 80’s screaming guitar solos were inspired by real music; I’m still impressed when I listen to the classic rock station here in town and hear chords and progressions that I’ve heard in orchestral music.

My donation got me thinking. I’ve never donated a dime to a Christian radio station. But I just donated to a station that some evangelicals would probably classify as liberal or at least a waste of money that should be spent elsewhere. As I thought about my donation, I thought, That isn’t right. I should make a donation to Christian radio. Truthfully, I may make a donation somewhere down the road since we also have a very excellent Christian radio station, WMHR, here in Syracuse. The station plays music that has real content, including a Sunday afternoon show on Christian orchestral music . More importantly, they haven’t given up on preaching (R.C. Sproul, John MacArthur, Alastair Begg, for example). They’re also quite supportive of local churches. If I ever support a Christian radio station, it will be WMHR.

However, WMHR is not the model for success in Christian radio. The model for success is a station like Positive, Encouraging KLOVE. Granted, KLOVE looks a lot like a commercial enterprise, although it is technically 501c3. However, smaller non-profit stations are following their successful lead and playing a vast majority of popular evangelical stuff rather than any preachingteaching content. And that means fluffy, sappy, formulaic stuff. If an unbelieving pagan was to judge Christianity and the gospel by the play lists from stations like KLOVE, said pagan would never learn anything about the parts of the gospel that necessitate it–sin, judgment, and Hell for example.

Said pagan wouldn’t learn much about real music either. Popular worship music is notorious for its redundant chord changes and writing gimmicks. Blimey Cow did the best satire on popular worship music you’ve ever seen right here.

How To Write A Worship Song in Five Minutes or Less

The reason why I feel confident donating to support a public broadcasting station over and against most Christian radio stations is due to the fact that excellent orchestral music is an evidence of common grace’the token of the goodness of God that He shows to all men regardless of their relationship to Him. He allows the rain to fall on the just and the unjust. He allows Hell-deserving sinners to enjoy the beauty of sunrises, sunsets, lunar eclipses, the starry sky, mountains and orchestral music.

While I won’t be expecting to hear the gospel proclaimed on our local classical station, I’ve long since given up hearing it on stations like Dallas, TX’s KLTY (Safe for the Whole Family) or (Positive and Encouraging) KLOVE . At least in orchestral music I am reminded of the greatness and majesty of God in a way that is not cheesy, thus working at cross purposes with what the lyrics claim to represent. Someone could listen to this music and conclude that God exists and He’s majestic rather than God exists and He is an emotional pushover.

I’m no musician. I do like to think I have some taste anyway. I am encouraged by some of the work of Sovereign Grace Music and the Getty’s. Sitting through a classical worship service at Redeemer Church in Manhattan (Tim Keller’s church) is an experience not to be forgotten (although the day I was there the preaching was forgettable). May their tribe increase.

Reformed theology will reform music. It did in the Reformation. Francis Schaeffer has written well about the effect of the Reformation on music of the time. It created men like J.S. Bach and Handel. He writes, Music was not incidental to the Reformation’s return to Biblical teaching; it was a natural outcome, a unity with what the Bible taught (How Should We Then Live, page 94).

My hope is that the evangelical church will return to what is beautiful in music and that church leadership will create the musical taste in our churches rather than allowing parachurch Christian radio stations dictate taste. How we worship God matters. The issue is not just emotional involvement (i.e. how does the music make me feel), it is esthetic (i.e. does this music reflect the character and grandeur of God in BOTH lyrics and musical composition). Honestly, a sweeping reformation in modern church music is probably a long way off. Until then, I’ll confidently support an institution that is working to save and promote what is beautiful.

Jon Speed
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