The Shape of Sola Musica: Why Everything is Finney's Fault

Finney taught music is preferential. We can’t undo the past, but we can proclaim and shout a God-rendered hymnody. We sing; therefore, we are what God wants us to be.

In the 19th century, the evangelist Charles Finney, known for creating the invitational system, changed how music was done in Church. Music was no longer congregational and doxological, but an invitation to a tailored public profession. This model was adopted in the United States and remains prominent today.

For Finney, music was utilitarian. “How can I draw people to God through their emotions and tears?” replaced “How can we adore the Triune God?” This contrast created a powerful musical dissonance in Protestant culture.

One recent theologian was perplexed by how modern Americans read their Bibles. Instead of asking, “What does the text mean?” we ask, “What does it mean to me?” We have become self-interpreters. We have become infatuated with the way something affects us. And if it doesn’t fit my style, then I will find something else. We have segregated the evangelical church into preferences. Now, there are things that are matters of preference in the Church—the accidentals (the color of chairs, curtains, potlucks, etc.). But worship must be regulated according to the totality of God’s Word.