Gereja SDA Peringkat Lima

Garis Panduan Penggunaan Musik Dalam Gereja

Guidelines Toward

Voted, That the following guidelines/or a Seventh-day Adventist Philosophy of Music be adopted:

The Seventh-day Adventist Church has come into existence in fulfillment of prophecy to be God's instrument in a worldwide proclamation of the Good News of salvation through faith in the atoning sacrifice of God's Son and of obedience to His commands in preparation for our Lord's return. The lives of those who accept this responsibility must be as distinctive as their message. This calls for total commitment by each church member to the ideals and objectives of the Church. Such commitment will affect every department of church life and will certainly influence the music used by the Church in fulfillment of its God-given commission.

Music is one of God's great gifts to man and is one of the most important elements in a spiritual program. It is an avenue of communication with God, and "is one of the most effective means of impressing the heart with spiritual truth" (Education, p. 168). Dealing as it does with matters of eternal consequence, it is essential that music's tremendous power be kept clearly in mind. It has the power to uplift or degrade; it can be used in the service of good or evil. "It has power to subdue rude and uncultivated natures; power to quicken thought and to awaken sympathy, to promote harmony of action, and to banish the gloom and foreboding that destroy courage and weaken effort" (ibid., pp. 167-168).

Those, therefore, who select music for the distinctive purposes of this Church must exercise a high degree of discrimination in its choice and in its use. In their endeavors to meet these ideals, more than human wisdom is needed. Turning then to revelation for guidance, the following general principles are revealed:

The music should

1. Bring glory to God and assist us in acceptably worshiping Him (1 Cor 10:31).

2. Ennoble, uplift, and purify the Christian's thoughts (Phil 4:8; Patri¬archs and Prophets, p. 594).

3. Effectively influence the Christian in the development of Christ's character in his life and in that of others (MS 57, 1906).

4. Have a text (words, lyric, message which is in harmony with the scriptural teachings of the Church (Review and Herald. June 6, 1912).

5. Reveal a compatibility between the message conveyed by the words and the music, avoiding a mixture of the sacred and the profane.

6. Shun theatricality and prideful display (Evangelism, p. 137; Review and Herald, November 30, 1900).

7. Give precedence to the message of the text, which should not be over powered by accompanying musical elements (Gospel Workers, pp. 357-358).

8. Maintain a judicious balance of the emotional, intellectual, and spiritual elements (Review and Herald, Novem¬ber 14, 1899).

9. Never compromise high prin¬ciples of dignity and excellence in efforts to reach people just where they arc (Testimonies for the Church, 9:143;Evangelism, p. 137).

10. Be appropriate for the occasion, the setting, and the audience for which it is intended (Evangelism, pp. 507-508).

There is much that is spiritually uplifting and religiously valid in the music of the various cultural and ethnic groups; however, the musical tastes and practices of all should conform to the universal value of Christ-like character, and all should strive for oneness in the spirit and purpose of the gospel, which calls for unity rather than uniformity. Care must be exercised that worldly values in music which fail to express the high ideals of the Christian faith be avoided.