Visiting churches in California

This week we're visiting family in California. On Thursday we attended a neighborhood Bible Study group at our brother-in-law's daughter's home (I think that makes her a shirt tail relative). This very vital group is part of a branch of the Vineyard. Before listening to a CD by a speaker (unknown to me but know to them), and after a dinner provided by the hosts, there was about 1/2 hour of praise songs. I knew most of the songs because they are used at either our Celebration service or X-Alt at Upper Arlington Lutheran Church in Columbus, OH. Then on Sunday we attended Sound Chapel, a Foursquare Gosple church in Santa Ana. We sang many of the songs we've heard at our services, too, and they had a lovely worship team, with the pastor on guitar and a woman lead singer whose voice could be professional. The congregation only has 45 members, but I expect them to grow. It was one of the friendliest and most welcoming congregations I've ever met.

This is just to say, that although this style of music [too loud] is not my favorite, it certainly brings Christians of all groups together.

Noise--the asbestos and allergies of the future

Interesting note in one of my husband's architectural journals, "Schools of the 21st Century," Supplement to Architectural Record, Jan. 2009.

"But one thing that is universally true [in designing buildings for children] is that the senses of a child are nearly always more acute than those of an adult. Poor air quality, bad lighting, extraneous noise, and rooms that are too hot or cold are enormously distracting, especially if one is struggling to learn." Welcome, p. 11

I don't see any Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) on the list of top 20 songs used as "torture," but I've left services, or even the building, so if I were confined to a stroller, or baby holder, it would be uncomfortable.

Music as a means of torture became commonplace in 1989, during the effort by US troops to force Panama president, Manuel Norriega to surrender. The brutal practice was also a regular part of interrogation tactics authorized by then commander in Iraq, Lt Gen Ricardo Sanchez in a September 14, 2003 memorandum.

Since then, music torture has become the norm in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay in particular, where it is blasted at high volume over PA systems to create fear, disorient detainees, prolong capture shock, induce sleep deprivation – and to drown out screams. Link

Some Christians worry CCM lowers standards (actually lots of public domain, traditional old timey hymns have terrible theology); I worry about it raising decibels. Architects can't do much after the building is occupied. The music speakers at our X-Alt services blast the fragile and developing and elderly ears alike. I think parents who bring babies and young children into those services, carefully watching for peanut allergies, carrying hand sanitizer, and checking for ear infections, will some day realize they created hearing impairment and auditory processing disorders--especially if universal health care is expected to supply hearing aids to 30-40 year olds. The boomers barely notice, they are already hearing impaired from rock concerts and want the music cranked; the gen-x-ers have never known anything else and think we're just old fuddy-duddy fun spoilers. Those of us in our 60s, 70s, and 80s, are more sensitive to it than the younger people. Someone needs to show those pastors and parents (and musicians) an ear chart.

And I guess it will be me!