From: cbbrowne@csi.uottawa.ca (Christopher Browne)
Subject: Re: What do you do when one of your own
Keywords: makes Metallica look good?
Organization: Dept. of Computer Science, University of Ottawa
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 92 00:20:06 GMT

In article <1992Nov17.180354.13034@miki.pictel.com> harling@miki.pictel.com (Dan Harling) writes:

>>>Anybody know any real good songs about legalism?

This would be terribly apropos to this newsgroup!  Unfortunately, I
can't think of many myself.  Possibly Steve Taylor's "I Want to be a
Clone."  "Cloneliness is next to Godliness, Right!"

>>This doesn't sound like legalism to me.  It sounds like clear
>>principles that are needed if we are to be effective bearers of
>>the gospel of Jesus Christ.
>
>...so the question is not about whether or not rock music is good, but
>whether or not it is good *for our testimony*.  I would argue that that
>depends on the people to whom we are witnessing.  To those who listen
>to rock music, my witness may be more effective if I can understand the
>music and talk about it, and explain my beliefs in that light.  A
>*lack* of familiarity with music could conceivably detract from one's
>witness, particularly if it results in a complete lack of understanding
>of the people to whom it is so very important.

I've got a parent that has relatively little appreciation for music.
My brothers and I have been testing the waters for a couple of years
by doing experiments with the car stereo; leaving tapes in
not-so-randomly, and have gradually concluded that there's hardly
anything particularly preferred to having the stereo turned off.
Volume has been controlled for; rhythm has also had experimentation
done.  X-Sinner received the most notable rebuke :-).

We did an experiment in which we manufactured a tape of "mellow
Petra."  One parent hums/sings along :-), and the other tries to
ignore it :-(.  (The tape has somehow gotten lost, and Mom wants it
back! :-)  A new one may become a Christmas gift...)

It's an important point to note that 
>A
>*lack* of familiarity with music could conceivably detract from one's
>witness, particularly if it results in a complete lack of understanding
>of the people to whom it is so very important.

Due to cultural differences that (in part) express themselves in
musical preferences (or lack thereof :-)), some people may have a very
difficult time communicating with other people.

In this case it's not a direct LANGUAGE barrier, but rather a cultural
barrier.  I doubt that my father would have much luck in trying to
witness to, say, someone that's heavily into rap music, and listens to
it nearly perpetually.  They'd both probably be uncomfortable with
each other, and would have a very hard time communicating.  Could it
work?  God can work miracles.  But it would certainly be despite the
musical preferences :-).

Fortunately, there are all sorts of people out there, both in terms of
"witnessers", and "witnessees."  There's people my father can
influence by the things he IS more comfortable with, and there are
other people that are comfortable with rap music (not me, tho!).

There's people out there that hate rock music (for whatever reason),
and someone to whom it's virtually their "life blood" is going to have
a hard time dealing with them.  How should people try to witness to
people that enjoy that Country and Western Garbage^H^H^H^H^H^H^H?
(Shades of David Meece, Mama' Muffler, Mozart and the Beetles?)

-- 
Christopher Browne                |     PGP 2.0 key available
cbbrowne@csi.uottawa.ca           |===================================
University of Ottawa              |  The Personal Computer:  Colt 45
Master of System Science Program  |  of the Information Frontier
Newsgroups: rec.music.christian