I was stunned to the verge of tears, as I read the richly illustrated piece in Civilization magazine, The Gospel According to J.S. Bach. “Two hundred fifty years ago, he was known as a civil servant, a coffee drinker, and a second-rate composer,” the teaser read. “Today, his music is Christianity incarnate.” Christianity incarnate…You don’t see that every day.
I ventured into the text by Uwe Siemon-Netto, chronicling his return to Liepzig, Germany for the first time since the Red Army occupied his boyhood home in World War II.
Three paragraphs later my curiosity turned to astonishment:
Now, 250 years after his death, at the birth of a new century, an enormous Bach resurgence is underway – particularly in Japan. There, in one of the most unreligious countries in the world, thousands of people are converting to Christianity after listening to Bach’s cantatas. On a recent visit to Tokyo, I was astounded at the enthusiasm there for music that seems to me to have such a specific, and alien, genesis.
My Japanese interpreter came to me one morning and said, ‘Let’s hear some Bach to start the day.’ She pulled out a CD of the cantata Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seeleenlust, whose lyrics say that God’s name is Love. ‘This has taught me what these two words mean to Christians,’ she said. ‘And I like it very much.’
Around the turn of the century, the Lutheran archbishop of Uppsala, in Sweden, called Bach’s cantatas the ‘fifth gospel’; today, such religious terms are just as likely to be applied to Bach by the founder of the Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki, who has said, ‘Bach is teaching us the Christian concept of hope,’ and Yoshikazu Tokuzen, of Japan’s National Christian Council, who has called Bach ‘a vehicle of the Holy Spirit.’i
The first reason this hit with such force is that I am half Japanese—born and raised in Japan. I know firsthand the resistance in that culture to the message of Christian faith. After more than a century of Christian missionary activity in Japan the result is statistically tiny. So, from my point of view, it was a joy to read about a breakthrough…and by such a remarkable means!
The second reason I was astonished by the Bach story sprang from my involvement in an eight-year project to uncover the Scriptural Roots of Commerce. My concept of the meaning of work was transformed in the process and, against that backdrop, the impact of Bach’s work in Japan stood as a vivid example of what the scriptures teach about the meaning and value of work.
I think the meaning of work is a nearly universal concern in developed economies. People like us—living beyond subsistence to say the least—have a compelling desire to do meaningful work. And most of us seek out ways to create that meaning in our own images.
For some, the meaning of work lies in sustaining enjoyable lifestyles. For others, the satisfaction of discovering and utilizing personal gifts and abilities imparts meaning. And of course there is always the elevated meaning of work that serves others.
Workers in the Christian tradition sometimes assign another class of meaning to work, thinking in terms of the testimony of work or the platform of work. The testimony concept maintains that a worker can (and should) work in such a way as to demonstrate the presence of Christ in the work place. The currency of that testimony is personal character, values, and conduct. The platform model is subtly different. Advocates of the platform notion believe the chief value of work is providing an arena of relational connections for personal evangelism.
Truth be told, every one of these concepts has at least a little validity. And each of them falls short of the bedrock meaning of work because each one understands work as a secondary value where the results (whether frankly selfish or mainly generous) matter more than work itself.
There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a comfortable lifestyle, but work is not about that. Discovering and using gifts can certainly be satisfying and still miss altogether the meaning behind those gifts. Working on behalf of others is noble, but is that work’s noblest purpose (I think not)? And the two christianized views—work-as-testimony and work-as-platform—tend to disconnect the worker from the meaning of the work. A person can be a testimony AT work, but not be meaningfully engaged IN work. A person can view the work arena as a platform to convey meaning but not really view the work itself as meaningful. Work becomes what one does to purchase the platform. Compare any of these to J.S. Bach’s work ethic and I think you’ll find it looks like a very low view of work indeed.
The first thing Bach teaches us is the value of working soli deo gloria, for the glory of God alone. Francis Shaeffer noted that Bach inscribed his scores with the initials of phrases like ‘With the help of Jesus and To God alone be the glory’. “…Bach consciously related both the form and the words of his music to biblical truth. Out of the biblical context came a rich combination of music and words…”ii
Bach’s work was probably satisfying to him and it certainly expressed his giftedness. But it was not performed primarily for personal satisfaction. Bach composed music for the glory of God. It was not meant to be a testimony where the work was secondary to his “ministry.” Nor did he work to gain a platform for his “ministry.” It was not work done to secure a place in history or to gain notoriety or to earn the right to be heard. Bach’s first commitment was honoring God in the act of creation. In this sense his work was worship.
A second lesson is derived from Bach’s endeavor to communicate and demonstrate biblical truth through the content and quality of his work. His compositions are powerful because they combine a rich biblical subtext with the full force of a musical imagination passionately committed to honoring God.
The third lesson lies in the directness and integrity of Bach’s work. There was no intellectual exercise to “christianize” the music. His work was the deepest expression of his passionate love for God. Charles Colson said, “When Bach was composing the majestic St. Matthew Passion, which depicts the suffering and death of Christ, he was so deeply moved that tears rolled down his face. The work is punctuated with devotional arias in which the composer pours out his intense sorrow and gratitude over Christ’s suffering.”iii That said, the Brandenburg Concertos and the Goldberg Variations are best-of-class, mainstream compositions executed with the same fire; different subjects but these too were offered soli deo gloria.
In the Civilization article, Siemon-Netto declared “Johann Sebastian Bach was a theologian; his compositions have been called ‘theology set to music.’”
Theology set to music. THEOLOGY set to music. Theology set to MUSIC.
What about theology set to real estate development?
Or theology set to software programming?
What about theology set to retail merchandising, farming, teaching, cooking, banking, marriage, parenting or friendship?
Can you imagine our impact on the world if we lived and worked that way?
Siemon-Netto concludes with Japanese Musicologist Keisuke Maruyama’s visit to Bach’s workplace at Thomaskirche where Maruyama told Dean Johannes Richter, “I want to be a Christian myself.”
Why would Maruyama say such a thing?
It’s the worker speaking through the work. Remember the earlier quotes from Siemon-Netto: “This has taught me what these two words [God, Love] mean, and I like it very much,” and “Bach is teaching us the Christian concept of hope.” These declarations are reactions to exceptional work performed soli deo gloria.
- Do you do your work each day soli deo gloria?
- Do you richly infuse your work with the best of your imagination and abilities along with a rich context of biblical truth to create something that is good, true, and beautiful?
- Does your work express your passionate love for Christ?
- As theology set to your particular work do people listen to your “music” and grasp the nature of God, His love, and the hope God gives?
If you can answer yes, with God’s help, you’re getting your arms around what I think Bach understood about the meaning of work. And wouldn’t it be amazing if somehow your work and mine brought the kind of hope Bach’s work brings to people? Now there’s a reason to get out of bed in the morning.
- Uwe Siemon-Netto, “The Gospel According to J.S. Bach.” Civilization: The Magazine of the Library of Congress (Feb/Mar 2000) pp. 45-49
- Francis A. Shaeffer, How Should We Then Live? Fleming H. Revell, 1976, page 92
- Charles Colson, Nancy Pearcey, and Harold Fickett, How Now Shall We Live? Tyndale House, 1999, page 442
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This is amazing! I love how much research you did!
Thanks
We hope that this will inspire many to make their own "music" soli deo gloria in the way that Bach did.
…The meaning of work
I left my old job, because of this growing conviction within me that I did not want to punch a card, morning, lunch, afternoon and evening for the rest of my life without pondering further.
I now do consulting for Small enterprises and community development.I tend to think deeply about what i do because often, its about people who have problems, …( what does scripture say about them as individuals? about their problems? ..about what I can do about their problems? ..about what I should do about that particular situation?…and whether, even as a consultant, I alone can be/or be able to offer the ultimate solution to their problems?
Those uneasy Questions force me to commit my work to God,because those concerns are ultimately His
They also force me to offer what I do to Him, to use it to speak, inform and recreate the undelying realities, ….so that at the end of the day, people will not just see a gifted and able consultant, an exalted method or process, or a final solution, …as much as these three have their place!
But that at the end of the day, they will discover for themselves through what we do together, God speaking to them, and recreating the difficulties, problems and creating a relity greter than their immediate concerns and problems.
its however not always easy to keep all that in view at all times, …that forces my to pary again, …All to your Glory!
Oh my!
I am so amazed I stumbled upon this article and how it happened was even more amazing to me.
I never knew the phrase Soli Deo Gloria until today. I am a programmer and I am currently working on an application that another individual started to code well on each new page they typed a commented line <!— Soli Deo Gloria —>. I decided to look up the phrase online and then before I knew it I stumbled upon this article. Before this article however I was just about to delete the commented code and forget about it but now this article really has me thinking of the way I work and live my life differently.
Also just this week I was just praying which I admit I only do on occasion and then this, wow. I was looking for some sort of sign in life. Wow, thank you!
Just checking out the archives and read your piece. This was excellent and insightful.
You quote from How Now Shall We Live: “When Bach was composing the majestic St. Matthew Passion, which depicts the suffering and death of Christ, he was so deeply moved that tears rolled down his face. The work is punctuated with devotional arias in which the composer pours out his intense sorrow and gratitude over Christ’s suffering.”
Please note that the book has two authors listed on the cover–one is Nancy Pearcey. She studied violin, has a background in music, and is the one who actually contributed that chapter to the book. Check out her later book Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity.
mpherp:
Thank you for noting this oversight and for providing us with additional insight. It’s very helpful. We’ll create a link to her book.
We greatly appreciate your contacting us with this correction and addition.
best regards,
Dan
Thanks for sharing this, Dan. I am a fan of both Japan and Bach, not to mention Jesus and work! So I really appreciate the way you have drawn these things together. I’m sending this along to a friend, Pete, who has started a ministry to help people learn how to worship God in the work of technology, not just the outcome of technology. I think he’ll find a kindred revelation here. Meredith is a Bach fan, so I’m sending to her too. Thanks again.
Thanks, Debbie. Glad you enjoyed it. And thanks for passing it along. And I hope it’s an encouragement to Pete and Meredith.
Yes, thanks Dan, and Debbie.
It’s true, Bach’s story is a wonderful illustration of what we have been discovering over the last eight years: principles, paradigms, practices of a worldview that recognizes God’s desire to be glorified in our work, not just at work.
We’ve been calling it Spirit-Led Technology.
Sadly, it’s often a pretty tough sell, because it goes against everything we are taught in school, and even at church. We’re taught that if you are good at what you do, you analyze a problem, solve it, and move on. You don’t need to pray, you need reference manuals.
We’re preparing a transition to a new stage of the work, to begin communicating clearly and practically what this means.
I’m always glad to find good illustrations. Interestingly, I’d sensed that music would be a good analogy…and you’ve provided much fodder for that perspective.
Thank you so much! I’ll be linking to this post
Great article, Dan. Stimulates a lot of thoughts.
A question, however. What is the difference between work as testimony or platform and the 2nd and 3rd lessons from Bach? How is demonstrating and communicating biblical truth different than demonstrating the presence of Christ in the workplace? How is a "theology of music" different than a platform for ministry?
Does the answer lie in somewhere the value placed on work itself?
Thanks, Ken
You ask an excellent question, Ken. And, the difference may seem subtle. Your conclusion that the answer lies in the value placed on the work itself is the key.
There are those that make "ministry" in the workplace the priority. And while I don’t minimize one bit the importance of spiritually serving those we contact in the workplace, the mindset at times can become that the work we do is almost like a "cover identity" that "gives us an excuse" to get close to people so that we can "minister" to them. This is one view of the platform mindset. And as you can see by this crude explanation, the value of your work is certainly minimized. And people with this mindset often are thinking about when they can leave the world of work to enter vocational ministry so that they can really be fully committed to doing "God’s work." That creates a value judgment on all those who don’t go into "full time ministry" as if they aren’t as committed or called. This reinforces a bifurcated life in which a person lives in two un-integrated worlds: the "higher" world of spiritual activity and the "lower" world of daily life. We then seek fulfillment and meaning in one world, and wearily endure the other rather than seeing the meaning of it.
A second way of thinking about "platform" is that because of your status or success, it gives you an opportunity from which to speak. Think about athletes that use their celebrity to speak out. Nothing wrong with that. The biblical example of Esther comes to mind as she comes on the scene for "a time such as this."
Where I see the missing opportunity is, as you say, in understanding the value of work itself and that the very work we do can brilliantly, beautifully, and persuasively communicate spiritual truth to the world. What if all who follow Christ had such a profound sense as Bach did about the nature of their work? What testimony would be released to the world as all these works of beauty radiated the character of God, expressing hope and love?
Did not God that Himself? What does the Psalmist say about the testimony of the mountains, the oceans, the rain?
Because we are made in the image of the Creator, the original Worker, when we create and work, we are like Him.
Thanks, again, for your thoughtful question. I hope this helps.
Thank you for your good response, Dan. It helps clarify and unify the perspective on work.
There seems to be a great tension between the three commands of:
1. The Creation Mandate – to multiply, increase, fill the earth, work it and take care of it.
2. The Great Commandment – to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, strength; and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
3. The Great Commission – to go and make disciples of all nations.
It seems we humans focus on one above the others. The monastic tradition focuses on the second, most secular professionals on the first, and a lot of the evangelical tradition on the third. But how to keep these together, holistically, is to me the question. Any ideas?
Ken
Good question and thoughts. The Creation Mandate is a mandate to us as ones who are made in the image of God. But it’s important to note that this was to be done in the context of serving others and bringing glory to God. The Fall changed that as mankind began to use the creation rather than tend to it, and make others serve us, rather than serve them, and ignore God rather than honor him.
The Great Commandment has taken our calling to the level of the grace of God as reflected in Christ. It’s more than love others as they would love you; more than love your enemies; it’s a call to love as Christ loved. This puts the focus on the importance of people. It recovers what was lost in the Fall regarding our call to love and serve others.
The Great Commission, in my mind, is the call to launch out into the world with this love. Now, this may seem like a technicality, but when Matthew 28:19-20 are used by the evangelical tradition, it seems that it is read as if the verse says "Go and make disciples IN all the nations." The application of reading it that way is that we go and make a disciple here, a disciple there. However, the verse actually says, "make disciples OF all nations." It’s a call to disciple the nation, to bring everything, not just as many individuals as we can, but all things in society and culture, not by force, mind you, but by the gracious influence of our lives. Now with that one preposition, OF, in mind, you can see the integration that you are seeking.
What do you think?
Old article, but still edifying. What a joy, satisfaction and sense of fulfilment to discover that our life toils and labour could be acts and means of worship, and not just a platform for testimony which appears to be a very good course. The latter intuitively carries an expectation of a listening/attentive/or even appreciative audience, and the absence of this turns the work into a frustrating excercise, while the former has a goal that can not be frustrated – ‘Soli Deo Gloria’. The checklist questions make it practical:
1. Do you do your work each day soli deo gloria?
2. Do you richly infuse your work with the best of your imagination and abilities along with a rich context of biblical truth to create something that is good, true, and beautiful?
3. Does your work express your passionate love for Christ?
4. As theology set to your particular work – do people listen to your “music” and grasp the nature of God, His love, and the hope God gives?
Work as Worship!
Great insight.
Thanks Dan
Thanks, Timothy. And, yes, it is an older article. But some articles are meant to speak to a moment, and others are written to serve an ongoing dialogue.
I really like your summation. Very helpful.
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