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<blockquote data-quote="NotaBene" data-source="post: 1587399" data-attributes="member: 23332">No, I'm not liberal.&nbsp; I am a bit odd and have crazy ideas.&nbsp; I've been teaching and playing music professionally for over 20 years, and I really don't like music in church at all.&nbsp; So I may fit in some odd boxes, but &quot;liberal&quot; ain't one of them, unless by that you mean &quot;not overly concerned with tradition for its own sake&quot;.It is tricky to be &quot;in&quot; the world but not &quot;of&quot; the world, and there is some pull in both directions, and bad extremes.&nbsp; In general I think we can adopt the culture of anywhere we are (as Paul did) in many ways without sinning.&nbsp; I do not believe in a universal &quot;Christian&quot; culture for the same reason I mentioned before.Yes, but that's a matter of modesty, which is a whole different discussion.&nbsp; I'd agree with them on this point.In one sense this is sad, because it's the loss of a distinct culture.&nbsp; This is happening in many places in the world.&nbsp; But that's not a good rebuttal to my theory.&nbsp; I don't listen to music because I feel sorry for a dying culture.&nbsp; I either like it or I don't.&nbsp; And believe me, I like some eclectic stuff, over many centuries.&nbsp; And I question if you (or anyone in the church) should have the authority to dictate what &quot;appropriate&quot; music or art is, because of its subjective nature.&nbsp; To be concerned is great, to mandate is perhaps overstepping a boundary in a matter of conscience.I don't see that as an advantage at all.&nbsp; Just because you appreciate the uniformity and tradition of it doesn't mean it does anything for me.You also brought up the Amish.&nbsp; Great, they look uniform.&nbsp; So do a lot of denominations.&nbsp; So do nuns and people in jail.&nbsp; To my mind, you aren't addressing the actual issue at all - the subjective interpretation of art, music, poetry, movies.&nbsp; Surely in the Orthodox church there must be some leeway for brothers to appreciate/consume art other than what you listed?&nbsp; This line of reasoning is truly puzzling to me.I'm really glad that things like a beautiful church cause you to glorify God.&nbsp; That's amazing.&nbsp; Sometimes I wish I could get excited by things other brothers seem to love - cheesy modern &quot;worship&quot; music, large expensive buildings, liturgy, pre-written prayers, architecture.&nbsp; But if I don't, it doesn't necessarily mean something is wrong with me.I think it's ok to be very careful about what we consume.&nbsp; For instance, my job as a father is to be the gatekeeper of the home.&nbsp; I control what media comes into my house, and I am rather strict.&nbsp; Until my daughter is old enough to develop discernment, I decide what she watches and listens to.&nbsp; But this won't be my job forever.&nbsp; I feel that at some point it's her job to discern what is beautiful, what draws her heart closer to God, and to consume that.&nbsp; And it probably won't be the same as what I like - but isn't that ok?</blockquote>

[QUOTE="NotaBene, post: 1587399, member: 23332"] No, I'm not liberal. I am a bit odd and have crazy ideas. I've been teaching and playing music professionally for over 20 years, and I really don't like music in church at all. So I may fit in some odd boxes, but "liberal" ain't one of them, unless by that you mean "not overly concerned with tradition for its own sake". It is tricky to be "in" the world but not "of" the world, and there is some pull in both directions, and bad extremes. In general I think we can adopt the culture of anywhere we are (as Paul did) in many ways without sinning. I do not believe in a universal "Christian" culture for the same reason I mentioned before. Yes, but that's a matter of modesty, which is a whole different discussion. I'd agree with them on this point. In one sense this is sad, because it's the loss of a distinct culture. This is happening in many places in the world. But that's not a good rebuttal to my theory. I don't listen to music because I feel sorry for a dying culture. I either like it or I don't. And believe me, I like some eclectic stuff, over many centuries. And I question if you (or anyone in the church) should have the authority to dictate what "appropriate" music or art is, because of its subjective nature. To be concerned is great, to mandate is perhaps overstepping a boundary in a matter of conscience. I don't see that as an advantage at all. Just because you appreciate the uniformity and tradition of it doesn't mean it does anything for me. You also brought up the Amish. Great, they look uniform. So do a lot of denominations. So do nuns and people in jail. To my mind, you aren't addressing the actual issue at all - the subjective interpretation of art, music, poetry, movies. Surely in the Orthodox church there must be some leeway for brothers to appreciate/consume art other than what you listed? This line of reasoning is truly puzzling to me. I'm really glad that things like a beautiful church cause you to glorify God. That's amazing. Sometimes I wish I could get excited by things other brothers seem to love - cheesy modern "worship" music, large expensive buildings, liturgy, pre-written prayers, architecture. But if I don't, it doesn't necessarily mean something is wrong with me. I think it's ok to be very careful about what we consume. For instance, my job as a father is to be the gatekeeper of the home. I control what media comes into my house, and I am rather strict. Until my daughter is old enough to develop discernment, I decide what she watches and listens to. But this won't be my job forever. I feel that at some point it's her job to discern what is beautiful, what draws her heart closer to God, and to consume that. And it probably won't be the same as what I like - but isn't that ok? [/QUOTE]

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