Interview:

The spiritual significance of music is its ability to connect us via creative, re-creative, and communicative impulses to God who is the original Creator of the universe. 16th century thinkers in the West called this the “Imago Dei”, the Biblical “image of God” that is referred to in Genesis 1:27 – “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them”. The very first thing we know about God is that He is creative, Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”; thus our own activities with and experiences of creativity reveal and reinforce ways in which we bear the stamp of God’s image. Among the arts, music does this in a unique way primarily because of its detachment from verbal and visual epistemologies. Musical sound does convey meaning, but in ways different from word and picture. Music’s unique detachment bypasses many of the filters associated with word and picture, and speaks more directly to our souls individually and in community. On the other hand, music is also embodied firmly in time and space; objects must vibrate and bodies and brains must respond for there to be music. Music must unfold over time to have meaning, and music must be offered and shared between human beings. For Christians, this embodiment is reflective of the Incarnation of God among us in the person of Jesus Christ. Thus we say that music is “Incarnational”, a reminder that God graciously reveals Himself to us in time, space, and body.

“The spiritual significance of music is its ability to connect us via creative, re-creative, and communicative impulses to God.”
– Dr. Mark Hijleh, author of “The Music Of Jesus: From Composition To Koinonia”