Which traditions?

The anguish of Papa is felt by everyone as he denies his daughter and subsequently rejects her existence in the world. "She is dead to us," he says as he goes about the business of moving to another location. We are incensed, however, and cannot share his attitude, a callous approach to his own daughter and one that obviously favors tradition over development, a misguided sense of historical falseness that seems to shout that religion causes more harm than good. How can he do that? The "tradition" line in the sand was crossed, and for Tevye and his daughter there was no turning back.

Let us take a closer look at this situation from "Fiddler on the Roof" and examine it in terms of today's church music. What traditions do we keep and what do we let go? Are there traditions that maintain the essence of quality or spirituality? Are there traditions which are Biblically based and should not change? Are there some which are simply born out of some antiquated practicality that no longer exists? These questions are difficult and no one answer will solve them, yet they are necessary as we participate in a thorough examination of what makes church the institution of worship.

Let's discuss art for a few minutes before delving carefully into church music. It is easy for people to acknowledge the beauty of art that represents an object of which they are familiar. A painting of a tree that looks like an actual tree visibly seen by the human eye can be respected not only for the skill but also for the realism, for the natural look, for the beauty that it represents. The tree, the picture of a tree is comfortable, familiar, accessible, and obvious in a way that visible objects are understood not necessarily for their innate properties but more for their outward appearance. We accept what we see if it is something close to what we have already seen.

Yet when we see something unfamiliar that cannot be easily categorized, perhaps not explained, or understood, our initial reaction is rejection. This is the case of abstract art. We might even have an emotional response to the light, or the colors, or design, or the energy, but if the object cannot be readily identified, we dismiss it as not having merit. Abstract art breaks the tradition by presenting something new. Abstract art takes away the security blanket, leaving us seeking for something to protect our senses.

Church music has a rich heritage of hymnody that can be traced back to the beginnings of the church. At times leading the way, at other times reacting to cultural expectations, the church has worked to maintain its lofty, austere, and generally polished approach to musical presentations. Perhaps the view of God as the omniscient and distant but benevolent King of Kings has contributed to the kind of music desired in church. Whatever the cause, the reality is that the tradition of music in church has been classically driven and somewhat utopian.

But along came the pragmatists, a new brand of leaders who recognized that the old ways were no longer effective in reaching people. While they preferred the traditions, the rich and classically oriented history that determined the excellence, they became suspicious that the church was serving the tradition rather than the people. One of the turning points in "Fiddler on the Roof" occurs when Tevye reminds Tzeitel that he made an agreement that she would marry the butcher. Tzeitel says in a broken voice, "Is your agreement more important than I am?"

So I ask, "Is the tradition more important than the people?" Obviously not. Yet, we must be reminded that at some early point, the traditions were started by people. So as not to throw out the baby with the bath water (excuse the cliche please), I recommend an examination of why the tradition exists, how could it be improved, and which ones need to be discarded. I do not recommend the abolishing of all traditions currently in practice. Not only would it be unwise and most likely result in polarization, contention, and uncontrolled disputations, it is just not necessary. But it is certainly worth deciding which traditions are based on preference and which traditions are based on truth. More on this later.