Fascinating ideas here. Specifically concerning music, my husband and I have exposed our children to so much melody-focused music (as opposed to beat-focused music) that they have the most discerning listening habits of anyone I know. Every now and then I try and turn something on like the Beatles or George Strait (or even Elvis!) and they all say, “please turn that off! We hate it!” It’s amazing how effective our music listening has been on forming their tastes.
As for where the “line” is or what the standard should be when it comes to Christians and music…that is difficult. If we are to seek what is virtuous, lovely and praiseworthy…what does that actually look like??
Oh my goodness that’s such a great question. I think it would probably also have to be expanded to include your theory on what art is and how you should approach any kind of medium?
You should think about writing something about this though because the way that you’re describing it is so unique and fascinating !
Icymi, I posted this on a related note but it’s also responding to your article: The McGilchrist insight that has had the largest payout for me, over and over with compounded interest, is that the two hemispheres of the brain can only work together when the right takes the lead. This has so many applications, and something I see written into the structure of reality, the creational ectype to the divine archetype. As Bavinck put it, all created realities aspire to be a triad, as footprints of the triune God. But there are also realities that are fundamentally dyadic, like the brain. The dyadic right and left brain only reflects the Trinity when the right takes the lead, in the dance of right, left, right (see my linked essay below).
Moving this to the subject of morals, generational shifts, and the dialectic of structure vs flexibility, chaos vs rigidity, I believe the solution lies in the relational dance between those poles, a dance that can only be performed by leading with the right brain. As soon as we feel the pull to choose one over the other, either boundaries or fluidity, we are living in the world of the left brain. This might be McGilchrist’s contribution to the 15-20 year generational ping-pong pattern. That isn’t a ping-pong between the right brain and the left brain, but the left brain’s hall of mirrors (McGilchrist’s image) in which each generation remains stuck. (That’s just a theory; the generational morals pattern might exist in cultures that show more hemispheric integration).
I would also say, when the trellis is outside yourself, it's easier to keep it up in your life.
As a Catholic, I could say, for example, "Oh, of course I'll wait until marriage, that's the Church's teaching." And my husband and I did. If I had to make up my own defenses and come up with my own rules, they'd be much more likely to fall to temptation.
Excellent read. The church has struggled to keep a foothold for one reason or another. That could be another post of its own. Finding the balance is a challenge but not impossible. Jesus managed to balance it all. Thank you for a great post!
I definitely feel like the Church has an uphill battle in holding a moral line... a battle that only has gotten more challenging with the rise of popular media. There's a social contagion part to changing morals these days that seems so wildly hard to fight against. Crazed girls over Elvis at individual concerts has turned into online riotious tribes pushing their liberalized thoughts.
Ugh. Yeah. Totally agree. It really is tough to feel like you have a place within the current cultural trends, but it’s worth fighting for. Thanks for sharing that!
This is a really interesting conversation that our team has been exploring recently. A metaphor we think puts it well: two fish are swimming in water, and one says to the other, “Nice water today, eh?” The other fish replies, “What’s water?” It’s a silly example, but it highlights how deeply we’re intertwined with culture—it’s easy to either overcorrect or not separate ourselves enough from it. Interestingly, this discussion inspired us to create a graphic novel about Larry Norman titled "Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music." I think it resonates well with your points here! Feel free to check it out: https://open.substack.com/pub/saltandlightcomics/p/why-should-the-devil-have-all-the-ada?r=3xu7wx&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
I love your articles. You make such strong arguments, and I love the work you do to get there. I’m not sure I yet agree with at least one of your conclusions on this one. I agree, but I don’t agree all the way. It’s one I need to ponder the dissonance for a bit to see what my actual thoughts are and why.
Thanks for saying that :) and this article in particular was a good example of my thinking out loud process - I’m personally not even sure I’m 100% convinced by all my points. But I assembled the research and tried my best to follow it to their logical conclusions and this was the end product! I’m curious to see how I’ll feel about all of it a year from now. So I totally understand if you’re not 100% on board. Hopefully it helped you think or provide some language for the larger issues :)
Interesting thoughts here and many I need to ponder.
Many good quotes such as this one:
“A life without boundaries or resistance is like a plant without a trellis; with no walls keeping it in line, it gets unruly and misshapen. As the novelist James Baldwin wrote, "There is nothing more unbearable, once one has it, than freedom."
The Word of God as noted is certainly our standard in all things-some verses spell out clearly what is right and wrong in God’s eyes, some require deeper digging.
,
Jesus gave us the new commandment:
You shall love the Lord your God with ALL your mind, soul, heart and strength (every part of who we are)
and love your neighbor as yourself.
Keeping the first makes it much easier to do the second.
Thoroughly enjoyed your article, Griffin! Great insights, well-researched, and easy to read. I admire the way you blend research from the social sciences with theology, making it applicable to our current culture. You're articles are always insightful and thought-provoking!
In lieu of your recent note (and my role as a freelance editor), I thought I should let you know that there is a minor grammatical error in your opening paragraph. When talking about your grandmother, you wrote "HER and her friends went to Palm Springs" when the correct grammar is "SHE and her friends went to Palm Springs."
Pardon the unsolicited advice! It's a very common grammatical mistake. I point it out only because you're such an excellent writer and we Substackers gotta look out for one another. :)
oh wow thanks for pointing that out! I remember sounding it out a few times out loud and went with what felt more natural in the moment. Thanks for the heads up though I do appreciate it a lot!!
I really appreciate your well-researched article. It's so true that we will see the fruit of our collective moral choices. In fact, we are certainly reaping what we've sowed. Surely our moral decline has played a significant role in why today we have such a mental health crisis and the highest suicide rate in American history. https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/a-year-of-record-high-suicide-rates
You have a way of putting words to things I’ve only vaguely connected in my own mind. Great work! I’ll have to come back and re-read this.
Your brief comment about Harry Potter made me think of a series of the podcast Honestly, run by The Free Press. It’s called The Witch Trials of JK Rowling and addresses the shifting perspectives on her work and her person from the 90s until now. It was fascinating!
Fascinating ideas here. Specifically concerning music, my husband and I have exposed our children to so much melody-focused music (as opposed to beat-focused music) that they have the most discerning listening habits of anyone I know. Every now and then I try and turn something on like the Beatles or George Strait (or even Elvis!) and they all say, “please turn that off! We hate it!” It’s amazing how effective our music listening has been on forming their tastes.
As for where the “line” is or what the standard should be when it comes to Christians and music…that is difficult. If we are to seek what is virtuous, lovely and praiseworthy…what does that actually look like??
Oh my goodness that’s such a great question. I think it would probably also have to be expanded to include your theory on what art is and how you should approach any kind of medium?
You should think about writing something about this though because the way that you’re describing it is so unique and fascinating !
Icymi, I posted this on a related note but it’s also responding to your article: The McGilchrist insight that has had the largest payout for me, over and over with compounded interest, is that the two hemispheres of the brain can only work together when the right takes the lead. This has so many applications, and something I see written into the structure of reality, the creational ectype to the divine archetype. As Bavinck put it, all created realities aspire to be a triad, as footprints of the triune God. But there are also realities that are fundamentally dyadic, like the brain. The dyadic right and left brain only reflects the Trinity when the right takes the lead, in the dance of right, left, right (see my linked essay below).
Moving this to the subject of morals, generational shifts, and the dialectic of structure vs flexibility, chaos vs rigidity, I believe the solution lies in the relational dance between those poles, a dance that can only be performed by leading with the right brain. As soon as we feel the pull to choose one over the other, either boundaries or fluidity, we are living in the world of the left brain. This might be McGilchrist’s contribution to the 15-20 year generational ping-pong pattern. That isn’t a ping-pong between the right brain and the left brain, but the left brain’s hall of mirrors (McGilchrist’s image) in which each generation remains stuck. (That’s just a theory; the generational morals pattern might exist in cultures that show more hemispheric integration).
https://onceaweek.substack.com/p/a-theology-of-the-brain
Bro reading this just brought me so much joy
I’m here for this conversation! ✨
You always give so much food for thought in your essays! I find myself thinking about the questions you raise long after I’ve read the post.
Oh wow that’s a super high praise coming from you!! Thanks so much :)
I would also say, when the trellis is outside yourself, it's easier to keep it up in your life.
As a Catholic, I could say, for example, "Oh, of course I'll wait until marriage, that's the Church's teaching." And my husband and I did. If I had to make up my own defenses and come up with my own rules, they'd be much more likely to fall to temptation.
Makes sense! I really appreciate the thoughtful feedback :)
My Great Grandmother didn’t think about him at all.
Excellent read. The church has struggled to keep a foothold for one reason or another. That could be another post of its own. Finding the balance is a challenge but not impossible. Jesus managed to balance it all. Thank you for a great post!
Just seeing this today. It was in my feed.
I definitely feel like the Church has an uphill battle in holding a moral line... a battle that only has gotten more challenging with the rise of popular media. There's a social contagion part to changing morals these days that seems so wildly hard to fight against. Crazed girls over Elvis at individual concerts has turned into online riotious tribes pushing their liberalized thoughts.
Ugh. Yeah. Totally agree. It really is tough to feel like you have a place within the current cultural trends, but it’s worth fighting for. Thanks for sharing that!
Love Elvis! Great article
This is a really interesting conversation that our team has been exploring recently. A metaphor we think puts it well: two fish are swimming in water, and one says to the other, “Nice water today, eh?” The other fish replies, “What’s water?” It’s a silly example, but it highlights how deeply we’re intertwined with culture—it’s easy to either overcorrect or not separate ourselves enough from it. Interestingly, this discussion inspired us to create a graphic novel about Larry Norman titled "Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music." I think it resonates well with your points here! Feel free to check it out: https://open.substack.com/pub/saltandlightcomics/p/why-should-the-devil-have-all-the-ada?r=3xu7wx&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
thanks!! I’ll check it out!
I love your articles. You make such strong arguments, and I love the work you do to get there. I’m not sure I yet agree with at least one of your conclusions on this one. I agree, but I don’t agree all the way. It’s one I need to ponder the dissonance for a bit to see what my actual thoughts are and why.
Thanks for saying that :) and this article in particular was a good example of my thinking out loud process - I’m personally not even sure I’m 100% convinced by all my points. But I assembled the research and tried my best to follow it to their logical conclusions and this was the end product! I’m curious to see how I’ll feel about all of it a year from now. So I totally understand if you’re not 100% on board. Hopefully it helped you think or provide some language for the larger issues :)
https://youtu.be/iVyNnKsmdok?si=c3y3os7-1-xM5ys3
Interesting thoughts here and many I need to ponder.
Many good quotes such as this one:
“A life without boundaries or resistance is like a plant without a trellis; with no walls keeping it in line, it gets unruly and misshapen. As the novelist James Baldwin wrote, "There is nothing more unbearable, once one has it, than freedom."
The Word of God as noted is certainly our standard in all things-some verses spell out clearly what is right and wrong in God’s eyes, some require deeper digging.
,
Jesus gave us the new commandment:
You shall love the Lord your God with ALL your mind, soul, heart and strength (every part of who we are)
and love your neighbor as yourself.
Keeping the first makes it much easier to do the second.
Thoroughly enjoyed your article, Griffin! Great insights, well-researched, and easy to read. I admire the way you blend research from the social sciences with theology, making it applicable to our current culture. You're articles are always insightful and thought-provoking!
In lieu of your recent note (and my role as a freelance editor), I thought I should let you know that there is a minor grammatical error in your opening paragraph. When talking about your grandmother, you wrote "HER and her friends went to Palm Springs" when the correct grammar is "SHE and her friends went to Palm Springs."
Pardon the unsolicited advice! It's a very common grammatical mistake. I point it out only because you're such an excellent writer and we Substackers gotta look out for one another. :)
oh wow thanks for pointing that out! I remember sounding it out a few times out loud and went with what felt more natural in the moment. Thanks for the heads up though I do appreciate it a lot!!
You’re welcome! I make those same kinds of little mistakes all the time, and I’m always thankful when my profs or editors point them out to me.
Again, this was a fantastic article! Very relevant to our crazy culture. I look forward to reading more of your work!
Thanks so much!! I appreciate it :)
I really appreciate your well-researched article. It's so true that we will see the fruit of our collective moral choices. In fact, we are certainly reaping what we've sowed. Surely our moral decline has played a significant role in why today we have such a mental health crisis and the highest suicide rate in American history. https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/a-year-of-record-high-suicide-rates
Wow that’s a great point and a very adroit connection. Thanks so much for taking the time to read it :)
You have a way of putting words to things I’ve only vaguely connected in my own mind. Great work! I’ll have to come back and re-read this.
Your brief comment about Harry Potter made me think of a series of the podcast Honestly, run by The Free Press. It’s called The Witch Trials of JK Rowling and addresses the shifting perspectives on her work and her person from the 90s until now. It was fascinating!
So happy you liked it :)
And I loved that podcast!! It was so so fascinating