The Influence of Music on the Development of the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee)

Vaughan

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781532633355
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Rituals & Practice

This book examines the influence of music on the development of the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee). This narrative is historically driven, but relies upon an interdisciplinary approach to draw on the insights of ecclesiology, theology, liturgiology, church development, and especially music. This study utilizes a chronological and systematic approach to the relationship between music and the Church of God in the United States during the first 125 years of the denomination's history, from 1886 to 2011. For over a century, music has been an often-neglected dialogue partner at the table of academic discussion and this research argues for recognition and a proper place in Pentecostal history. Along with primary and secondary sources, the important element of "living archives" is investigated in this work; these are interviews with people who participated in historical music events in the Church of God. The book also relies upon musical examples to explore the influence of music upon the shaping of the denomination's history and theology.

Chapter 1

Musicology—A Study of Music History

The Influence of Music on Church of God History

Introduction

The previous material discussed the objectives of this research, namely to determine how music influenced the development of the Church of God, Cleveland, Tennessee. This chapter will now move that thesis forward, discussing the historical roots of the denomination, coupled with the musical underpinning of spirited singing and exuberant worship. Both of these interact with one another and are constantly moving in a forward direction to help the Church of God develop as a denomination. The Church of God fits within one of the branches of Pentecostalism and is considered to be classical in classification. Coulter identifies the formative period as the first thirty-seven years (1886–1923) due to the development of the most important denominational features of the early leaders (i.e., Spurling, Tomlinson) on ecclesiology. By 1923, differences in opinion along ecclesiological lines caused a division among the leadership and the churches, and a second denomination was formed, the Church of God of Prophecy.1 It is beyond the scope of this study to consider the schism in detail; therefore, I will focus my efforts on the Church of God.

One major element that propelled the historical roots of the first thirty-seven years was the music of the denomination. Guthrie believes early Pentecostals used outward emotionalism to express their inward feelings; therefore, their music was often demonstrative, fast, loud, spontaneous, and involved congregational participation.2 Tommy Reid agrees with Joseph Guthrie and adds it is unfortunate some pentecostal churches assume their spirituality depends on the tempo and volume of the music.3 In addition, Mills identifies certain African elements (e.g., rhythm and ritual) that influenced the music of early Pentecostals.4 This chapter will provide a summary of events that led to the emergence of the Appalachian sect-like group into mainstream Protestant Christianity now known as the Church of God, and how music influenced that development.5 Delton Alford states through the involvement of the Holy Spirit on music and other broad themes of the church (i.e., worship, evangelism, education, etc.), music was influential in the formative years and continues to be so today.6 The musical underpinning for this chapter is spirited singing and exuberant worship. Now that I have identified the denomination under examination, the discussion will investigate the historical roots of its people.

Appalachian People

The first inhabitants of the Unicoi region in Tennessee were the Cherokee Indians, followed by farmers and craftsmen, who had fled religious persecution in Europe.7 These mixed-race peoples (e.g., Irish, Germans, Africans, Native Americans)8 were rugged individuals; the men toted guns, the women dipped snuff, and entertainment included hoedown dances and drinking parties.9 Mickey Crews agrees the immigrants from Appalachia10 comprised the roots of the Church of God, and initially were from the lower socioeconomic echelon of society.11 ...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Abbreviations
• Introduction—The Gift of Music
• Chapter 1: Musicology—A Study of Music History
• Chapter 2: Etude—Mastering Difficulties
• Chapter 3: Composition—A Created Work
• Chapter 4: Ostinato—A Persistent Theme
• Chapter 5: Transition—A Key Change
• Chapter 6: Legato—Smooth and Connected
• Chapter 7: Sonata Form—Exposition, Development, and Recapitulation
• Chapter 8: Appassionato—Impassioned
• Bibliography