NOT LONG ago I sat in a well-upholstered pew in a lovely new chapel enjoying the preliminary phases of a church service. Great care had been taken to ensure a worshipful atmosphere beautiful stained-glass windows allowed a mellow glow of sunlight to enter, artistically shaped chandeliers provided the proper level of lighting, a deep-piled rug muffled the footsteps of the late comers, and regal draperies accented the baptistry and speakers' platform at the front.
Suddenly my reflections were abruptly broken by a loud cacophony of notes as the organist attacked a classical fugue. The sound waves seemed to rebound with increasing intensity from the sanctuary walls. I noticed that many of the worshipers around me were uneasily squirming in their seats. In fact, the general mood of the congregation seemed to have changed. Hushed whispers became audible noises. The attitude of meditation seemed destroyed by the distracting noise. I enjoy classical music and appreciate the talent dis played by trained musicians. However, my brain's sensitive hearing and enjoyment were repulsed by this thrice-too loud rendition of Bach.
As the last strains of music died away, the pastor rose to present the message of the hour. Multiple speakers scattered in the chandeliers and walls provided clear stereophonic accuracy for his voice. When his pitch reached an amplified evangelistic fervor I felt like a spike being driven into the pew by an over sized sledge hammer.
Leaving that church that morning I wondered whether I was really leaving with an uplifted spirit or whether the whole affair had been physically and mentally distressing to me. Was the organist only making "a joyful noise unto God" (Ps. 66:1)? Maybe I misunderstood the worshipful respect implied by Habakkuk: "The Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him" (Hab. 2:20).
I wondered, too, whether noise has become such an integral part of modern society that I would simply have to adapt to ear pollution, even in moments of meditation and worship.
What is the ideal in the area of atmosphere for worship and communion with God? Can we really draw nigh to our Maker while the decibels approach the limits of tolerance? Does the intensity of our music and preaching parallel the heights of spiritual joy we desire? Perhaps it is just the opposite. From what I understand about the arch-deceiver, it would be just his style to so confuse our environment that we have difficulty discerning our Lord and Saviour.
In a large city I recently noticed what I consider to be the epitome of confusion: a teen-ager, sauntering down a bustling thoroughfare with automobile and truck horns blaring, tires squealing, the shrill whine of a distant siren, workmen using jackhammers to remove a section of sidewalk seemingly oblivious to all this confusion, holding to his ear a transistor radio belching rock music. Apparently he was trying to expose himself to a constant barrage of aural garbage so that not one moment would be left to think deep thoughts concerning motives or purpose in life. Have we given birth to a generation of persons who are afraid of quietness?
What Is Noise?
Some say that noise is only sound you consider unpleasant. That may make a good conversation topic, but, unfortunately, your ears cannot distinguish between pleasant and unpleasant sounds. The distinction between noise and music, for instance, is subjective and aesthetic. The ear "hears" only the impulses created by sound waves beating against the eardrum.
Noise isn't harmless, either. Not only can it impair your hearing but it can raise your blood pressure, speed up your heart rate, hinder your mental effort, interfere with your sleep and relaxation, delay your recovery during illness, and cause stress and nervousness. With the tension thus created it can lead to irritability, insomnia, cardiovascular dis ease, and accident proneness. And if the intensity reaches very high levels, it can even kill you!
What about you? Are you tense, nervous, ill at ease, jumpy, anxious, irritable? Can't concentrate? Can't relax? Can't sleep? You may be suffering from decibel fatigue the result of hearing the sounds of "progress." Following on the heels of water and air contamination by industrial society, this unwanted product of the twentieth century has been dubbed noise pollution.
Noise pollution is not really new. Although different today, it has always plagued city dwellers. In the first century before the birth of Christ, citizens of Rome complained so vehemently about the noisy "hot rods" of antiquity that Caesar banned all chariot traffic at night. In sixteenth-century England, good Queen Elizabeth had to get tough with her subjects concerning nighttime clamor raised by the widespread practice of husbands beating their wives. An edict was promptly passed that prohibited men from beating their women after ten o'clock!
In modern life we have come to consider noise necessary to the progress that provides for our comfort and high standard of living. It has slowly invaded our home environment. And, in the home, noise breeds noise. The combined noises of the air conditioner, furnace, refrigerator, vacuum cleaner, garbage disposal, dishwasher, automatic washer and dryer, cause people to talk louder and turn up the volume on the radio or television. This in turn results in louder conversation and sets in motion a vicious cycle of noise compounding noise.
Some scientists predict that as a result of this strained shouting we may develop the "leather lungs" of military drill sergeants, with voices akin to a bucket of ball bearings rolling down a corrugated tin roof. Even in the world outside the home there is a very real need for quiet conversation, and perhaps we will soon see quiet centers established to meet this requirement. Every person, at times, needs quiet for work and thinking. Perhaps some pastors could encourage church attendance by advertising "quiet and meditative services."
Next time someone tells you, "I can hear you all right, but I can't under stand what you said," you'd better take him or her seriously. Hearing loss due to noise is usually greatest in higher frequencies. This fact is critical to human speech, because vowel sounds are confined to the middle-frequency range, whereas sounds of consonants have higher frequencies. A person with high-frequency hearing loss may hear vowels but not consonants. The latter enable us, to a large extent, to distinguish one word from another. Would you under stand the phrase "The Lord is in his holy temple" if all the consonants were missing?
As people seeking close communion with God, we need periodically to find a quiet atmosphere that will allow us to hear His voice speaking to the soul. "Above the distractions of the earth He sits enthroned; all things are open to His divine survey; and from His great and calm eternity He orders that which His providence sees best." —The Minis try of Healing, p. 417. Without our own "quiet center" we may miss a deeper realization of God's will for us individually.
A Mountaintop Experience
A few weeks after my discomforting church experience, I was sitting beside a crystal stream flowing across a small meadow on the slopes leading to Mount Whitney. No other human was in sight. The only sounds issued from the water bubbling and skipping over the rocky stream bed. Above was a deep-blue canopy. Magnificent rocky fortresses jutted heavenward around me. Small, hardy plants with large colorful blossoms exploded over the meadow.
God was so near. No artificial trap pings obscured His handiwork. No discordant sounds distracted my reverie. I felt in the presence of One far more powerful than any earthly force. It seemed He spoke to me from the impressions I received from the scene surrounding me. My own thoughts were laid bare before my Maker.
I left that mountaintop experience with a clearer perception of life's values and a deeper resolve to serve the One who spoke to me there. It was not through eloquent speech or well-per formed music that my thoughts were lifted heavenward, only the feeling of awe one experiences when he is alone with God.
Above all, those who are responsible for leading others in worship must first experience the quiet hour of communion with God in their own hearts. When the care, bustle, and noise pollution of our modern world are hushed and we wait quietly before Him, the silence of the soul enables us to hear the still small voice bidding us, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:10).
