HEIRLOOMS AND TRADITION: Tangible Links in the Line of Succession

“Tradition is not the worship of ashes; it is the lighting of new fire.” –Gustav Mahler

Who among us would deliberately drop a ruby down a street drain? We may reasonably assume that anyone born into western civilization knows the value of such a stone, and the damage such a loss would bring. However, our western civilization is in the process of losing its cultural gems at an alarming rate, as they fall into the hands of a generation that cannot value them.

Heirlooms are precious things handed down from one generation to another. Family heirlooms, like rings or vases, are objects that remain within a circle of people closely related by blood. The heirlooms of society, such as museums, the performing arts, or cultural tradition, are the possession of the public at large, of anyone who wishes to enjoy them. Western society, especially within the sphere of the Christian church, runs the risk of losing its cultural treasures by not teaching posterity to properly value them. Sound doctrine, beautiful liturgical traditions, and quality music should be seen as precious heirlooms of the visible church which are not to be trifled with.

Sound Biblical doctrine is the heirloom of highest value, because man’s eternal destiny is at stake in its transmission. Christians must remain ever vigilant in preparing the next generation of ministers to be the bearers of normative doctrine. Upcoming generations need to be taught the value of doctrinal content and its divine preservation. They need to learn about the saints who “fought the good fight, kept the faith,” and shed their blood as a seal to its truth; for with understanding comes the emotive appreciation.

Contemporary, cutting-edge churches tend to treat ecclesiastical liturgy as if it were merely a dead formal structure, like the exoskeleton of some curious insect. Cool, hip attendees behave as if the liturgy were a dreary duty to mumble through before being free to go home and absorb televised sports, if only because our society promotes what is lowbrow and informal. But formal liturgy requires no apology in any culture. We must remember what omnipotent God it is we propose to worship, and treat Him accordingly. Liturgy acts as a powerful unifying factor in the visible church and brings the tenor of corporate worship to a level compatible with a right view of God, who is a great king above all gods.

The ancient liturgy, taken from the Bible, begins with a reminder that we are importunate sinners entering the presence of a Holy God, in dire need of the forgiveness and reconciliation which Christ has won. Few who call themselves Christians give heed to this matter in these days. Moreover, the traditions of liturgy, ancient as they are, become a tangible connection with saints over all the earth, out of every nation and every era who have ever worshipped their common Lord in this manner. How could we trade this treasure for the breezy, informal, unplanned, insecure atmosphere of a modern evangelical church?

Previous generations had high expectations for music within the church. Most people understood and appreciated the skill of the organist and the art of choral music, and expected to hear music of some class and distinction in church. There was a clearly defined perimeter of what was appropriate to that setting. Before the advent of mass media, the school and home provided the setting in which children learned hymns and folk songs in a participatory, not spectatorial, manner.

For many years now, leaders and educators have blindly adopted the doctrines of multiculturalism. They accepted musical works of varying qualities as if all were equally appropriate to the classroom, concert hall or choir loft. I propose that music is not created equal, as cultures are not created equal. Among ethnic cultures there are to be found elements of high and low culture in nearly every country. High culture maintains elements that are more elevating to humans than low culture, and quality music requires vastly more skill to perform and appreciate than music created by amateurs.

For several generations now, public schools have cut back and cut out music programs, leaving children to imbibe popular culture with no filter of discernment. Generations of children grew up with no real idea of what constituted quality in music or art; they were told that “art” is whatever one feels like putting on paper, and “music” is what one hears on the local pop station. They were never taught objective standards in aesthetics; indeed, they believe aesthetics are purely subjective. Because the majority of their exposure to humanly organized sound centers on ill-crafted, emotionally-imbalanced “music” doomed to planned obsolescence, they prefer that to the classics of our western tradition, which stimulate the intellect as well as the emotions. When a society loses the ability to appreciate the performance of music at the highest levels, the motivation to perform it wanes, and thus the art dies.

The creators of American popular culture have systematically dismantled the aesthetics of beauty and durability (hallmarks of western civilization) by means of the media. Surely this is no accident. What the modern church attendee hears during the week on his iPod he now expects to hear in church; after all, this is what he knows as “music.” Within the church culture, we have broken down the perimeters of quality and appropriateness. We import music alien to the church culture, but laden with worldly entertainment associations. Who can focus his thoughts on holy matters while expecting to see the von Trapp family dancing onstage?

The premise of “church music” is actually antithetical to the goals of entertainment. While entertaining is hardly a sin, neither is it appropriate to the church setting. The best organ and choral literature brims with intellectual content, and for good reason. High culture produces “serious” music suitable for a formal setting. Serious music is distinguished from popular music by its superior intellectual content. Surely this is the music that belongs in church; it focuses the thoughts on serious matters, and ministers to the mind as well as the heart. Artists know that to produce great art, neither the technical mastery nor the flame of passion can be wanting. Conspicuous by its absence is the intellectual content of modern evangelical Christianity, characterized mainly by a highly emotive expression. While this may be attractive to some, I predict the pendulum will begin to swing in the opposite direction very shortly.

My plea to liturgical churches is that you would not be tempted to give up your ancient traditions, but rather seek to inspire a love for them in the generations that follow you. I beg you, do not trade your birthright for a mess of pottage; do not dispense with your precious heirlooms so quickly just because the world says they are outdated. Modern man may suffer from a tragic amnesia, but the heirlooms and sacraments of the church will never cease to be relevant as long as men are born in sin.