Music & Scripture Memory
How music is weaponized by evil and how to use its good intended purpose
Treign Up · September 17, 2023 · 9 min read
Originally sent to the Treign Up Tactics newsletter on September 17, 2023. References to “this newsletter” or “this podcast” mean that original edition.
When I tell my friends or family that I am in the Army as a Psychological Warfare Officer, I get a lot of blank stares. It can be hard for me to describe succinctly what we do. At its core, though, it is about behavior change. We find ways to get people to believe and perceive things differently in order for them to make decisions that align with our interests. I am so happy that I decided 6 years ago to move into this Army MOS. I’ve learned so much about what shapes who we are and what we do. These learnings have, in my opinion, provided direct insight into spiritual warfare. What’s been most interesting is the tactics that are used to influence behavior.
The above video, in my opinion, is one of the best examples of some of these tactics at work.
What I want to highlight is that, within this organization’s influence plan, they had artists create music to change their beliefs about a topic. It was a huge part of their attempt to get "not voting to be cool”.
In this article, my Dad will share a Bible’s perspective on the power of music and how to ensure that your sons do not get ensnared by the lies of this world through this tool.
Enter Dad…
Neutrality
Back in the days when I first started my ministry, I was engaged with a group of like-minded folks who were Christians in theatre. One of the sticking points for us was the word “Christian theatre” or “Christian artist”. It was as if the word Christian could appropriately describe the idea of art. The point is that art is neutral. However, it IS powerful and it can be used in ways to express worldviews, experiences, and ideas. In the hands of a Christian, it can be used to point people to Christ.
After all, if the creation reflects the creator, then a Christian should produce creations that reflect Christ.
The point of that is that art is neutral but it IS powerful. It’s like AI or the internet. In and of itself, it’s just a tool. But in the hands of the person who wields it, it can be used for good or evil.
For the purposes of this article, we will focus on music and its impact it can have on our boys (children).
The Power
Here are few quotes I pulled off the web when I searched “Why is music powerful?” I’m not even going to reference them because they are widely accepted notions that can be found almost anywhere:
Listening to music triggers the release of three powerful chemicals: dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin. These hormones give us a rush of pleasure, support reward and motivation and help us to feel connected to others. Some people find music therapy beneficial.
Listening to (or making) music increases blood flow to brain regions that generate and control emotions. The limbic system, which is involved in processing emotions and controlling memory, “lights” up when our ears perceive music.
Music activates just about all of the brain. The parts of the brain involved in emotion are not only activated during emotional music, they are also synchronized. Music also activates a variety of memory regions. And, interestingly, music activates the motor system.
Here is one I pulled up on the divine power of music:
"Sound or vibration is the most powerful force in the universe. Music is a divine art, to be used not only for pleasure but as a path to God-realization. Vibrations resulting from devotional singing lead to attunement with the Cosmic Vibration or the Word
In an age of information, it’s not hard to find supporting evidence to make the point that there is something intrinsically powerful in music.
Sowing & Reaping
When your kids say that it doesn’t really matter what kind of music they listen to, they are grossly underestimating its power. You are what you consume and music is food for the soul. Mark 4:24 says,
“Be careful what you hear. For with the measure you use, it will be measured out to you.”
The latter part of that verse is the law of sowing and reaping and from a spiritual sense it is as sure as gravity is to the physical realm. (Galatians 6, 7: “Do not be deceived. God will not be mocked. A man sows what he reaps.”)
The context in Mark 4 is hearing the Word of God. But the principle is the same for anything we listen to. As the eye is the lamp of the body, the ear provides a gate by which we ‘take in’ food that will feed our soul. Do you see? The principles about diet and what we take in through our mouth is the same for anything we take INTO our bodies via eyes and ears. Garbage in; Garbage out. What if you eat potato chips all the time? Garbage in: Garbage out. What if you watch pornography? Garbage in; Garbage out. What about music that isn’t used for its intended purpose? (Make no mistake: God made music as a vehicle for us to express our worship.) Garbage in; Garbage out. At a minimum, make sure your kids understand this dynamic. You may be able to control content when they are young, but you will not be able to do that as they gain their independence. And that will (and should) happen as you parent them through adolescence. At a minimum, you should teach your children:
Music is good. Its intended purpose was to express glory and worship to God.
Music is powerful and is a spiritual language. It will ‘speak to’ or ‘stick to’ the soul in ways that are spiritual/subconscious and therefore harder to understand.
Think of the way you listen to music as the way you eat food. Always aim for balance and don’t allow things into your body that aren’t good for you/your soul.
And you want your children to appreciate music and it’s GOOD purposes. Besides it’s spiritual dynamic, it helps:
Teach rhythm
Encourage coordination
Reduce stress
Build self-esteem
Helps with concentration
Teaches expression and language skills
And learning to play music is a gift you can give your children that will go with them forever. We love to tell the story of how our oldest son never really practiced his piano lessons. But, he did learn enough to be able to sit down at the piano and play. When he was in college, he was at a rugby party with his team and there was a piano in the room. He immediately sat down to play some of his favorite songs and became an instant celebrity. No one ever regrets learning to play an instrument.
Here is my youngest son playing for my oldest’s wedding:
In regards to how music affects boys and girls differently, I would point you towards several studies that say it does.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00276
https://mmd.iammonline.com/index.php/musmed/article/download/471/308/0
Kiddley Divey Too
I teach a class on music and memory; specifically, scripture memory. In that class, I start singing a few songs and then I stop in mid-verse. Inevitably, the class, picks up where I left off and finishes the song. It doesn’t matter where I teach it or the people who are in class. When I do it, I’ll look over the group and start with contemporary music; something more iconic that most people would know.
I sing: Put your hands up there playing my song and the butterflies run away.
They sing: Nodding my head like yah. Moving my hips like yah.
(I stopped listening to popular music after 1990, so I’m not well versed on what’s out there.)
But, even when I go back in time and sing songs that I grew up with:
I sing: See that girl. Watch that scene.
They sing: Move it Dancin’ Queen. (1976)
I sing: And she’s climbing a….
They sing: Stairway to heaven. (1971)
I sing: She loves me…
They sing: Yeah, yeah, yeah. (And repeat!) (1964)
I could go on and on. But my favorite is a little ditty from 1944 that has lyrics that don’t even make sense. It was recorded by the Pied Pipers.
I sing: Mairzy doats and dozy doats and little lamzy divey..
They sing: a kiddley divey too, wouldn’t you.
Really? Then I hit them with the zinger.
“I wish you knew you’re Bible that well.” You can recite made up words from a song that was sung in 1944 by a group you never heard of but you don’t know John 3:16.”
And therein lies the rub.
We know for sure that music is powerful and that in helps with memory. How many stories have you ever heard that go like this:
(My story) My grandmother died when she was 82. The last three years of her life were rocked by dementia. She didn’t know anyone and restlessly played with a baby doll that she was sure was her child. She was totally incoherent most days until you would sing an old church hymn. “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. Oh what a foretaste of glory divine.”
It wasn’t long before she would chime in with…
“This is my story. This is my song. Praising my Savior all the day long.”
So when your kids say that it doesn’t really matter what they are listening to, they are deceived and they don’t understand the power that is music.
In an article entitled, “Why Music Causes Memories to Flood Back” by Marlene Cimons, dated February 26, 2023 in The Washington Post, she states:
This ability of music to conjure up vivid memories is well known to brain researchers. It can trigger intense recollections from years past – for many, more strongly than other senses such as taste and smell, and provoke strong emotions from those earlier experiences.
It is my personal view that music is a spiritual language. There is a lyrical quality in most of the Bible. Psalms was a whole book of prose turned into song. Music and movement are the two keys to worship as almost every word translated praise and worship in the old AND new testaments are associated with sound and movement. Which leads me to my next point:
Music. Movement. Scripture Memory.
Rep Raps
Back in the early 1990s, I was considering scripture memory as part of my curriculum for spiritual formation in kids. I was writing my own VBS programs and I wanted to incorporate scripture memory. Steve Green, had published an album called “Hide Em In Your Heart” in 1992. It was Bible memory songs. My children were very young and so we bought it. It was melodic and fairly simple and it was a good way to learn scripture. But the lyrics only contained some of the Bible verse, usually in the chorus and I was more interested in strictly scripture. So I turned the idea of a ‘song’ into a ditty. This ‘ditty’ would be driven by rhythmic beat and not melody. So it was a rap and since ‘rapping’ was a relatively new and popular genre (“You Can’t Touch This” was released by M.C. Hammer in 1990), it was useful in that it was relevant to kids. It would contain ONLY the verses, sung over and over again to a fun and vibrant rhythmic beat. I would add musical variants in succeeding repetitions to keep it from becoming monotonous. These variants would include, harmonies, antiphonal responses, echoes, rounds, etc. Finally, we would add motions which would reinforce the words in the text. These ‘ditties’ became known as ‘Rep Raps’ and would subsequently accompany all of my curriculums where Scripture memory was necessary. I found them hugely successful. One of the recurring remarks I would get after a VBS is that people couldn’t get the scripture songs out of there heads. It was driving them crazy. EXCACTLY.
Since then, I have developed over 200 verses in Rep Raps. I teach this model or idea in seminars and classes. (Which I am also available to teach at any of your events or seminars!) Those sessions include ways to create digital loops or make rhythmic patterns without digital music. Consider that ‘We Will Rock You” is one of the most iconic songs in the history of music and it is driven by two stomps, a clap, and a beat rest. I did a whole VBS on sports themes and the Rep Raps were all created as cheers, just like the varsity squad at the football games…except scripture…and rhythmic beats.
If you would like to learn more about these resources, click here: www.saltandlightmin.org and search “Rep Raps”.
Until next time -
Train. Disciple. Encourage.