Subjective Or Objective?

Sometimes music can be subjective. That makes us nervous… we want everything in life to be black and white. We want clear choices. We want distinction and clarity. We want everything to be either right or wrong.

With music, sometimes it’s hard to draw those lines, though. What is “right” and “wrong” in a medium that can be subjective?

Well, in a church setting, there are going to be rules. Guidelines. Standards. Rules are objective rather than subjective. Rules have a definite line. Sometimes, the line is drawn subjectively. (Now it’s just getting confusing!) But, there’s a line… which makes it an objective choice.

Pastor has drawn the line in much of our music ministry. What can sometimes be subjective—or, subject to interpretation—is now objective—yes or no. What will we sing for our congregational music? Subjectively, a case might be made for good song-writers who have no ulterior motives, writing truth-saturated songs for the edification of the saints. Objectively, though, we’ve just drawn the line and said that we will sing hymns from our hymnal. They are time-tested. They are truth-saturated. The writers were not trying to “bridge the gap” between contemporary and traditional music with a softened-but-edgy rhythm. Pastor has plenty of objective reasons to use hymns.

Subjectively we say, what’s the “feel” of this song I want to sing for a special? Pastor has delegated some authority to me to “draw lines” in our specials, turning the subjective “feeling” into an objective “yes or no.”

Tension comes when people are told “no,” because one opinion might be different than another if it is a subjective decision. However, regardless of how a person “feels” about rules, he or she has to admit that they are necessary.

The question remains, then, with subjective matters, who has the right to decide? In the case of Calvary Baptist Church, it is Pastor Rench. That’s relieving. The buck stops with him. He’ll answer to God for the music of Calvary Baptist Church.

That kind of turns the subjective things into objective decisions, doesn’t it?  –Bro. Ryan

PS: Thank God for Pastor in this Thanksgiving season. He has a lot of subjectivity to answer for!

Please see the schedule below and turn in all bolded music.
Please see the schedule below and turn in all bolded music.

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