Being the resident musicologist in the Josiah-blog community, I throw in my 2 cents. When I first saw the question, my initial reaction was to roll my eyes and think "puhl-ease, not this pointless conversation again". But before reacting too hastily, I thought I would at least read your link. My next initial reaction (is it initial anymore?) was pleasure at seeing the name Harold Best load onto the screen. His book _Music through the Eyes of Faith_ (part of the 'through the eyes of faith' series from Wheaton College) was recommended to me by a Cov prof, and remains one of the most balanced statements of Christian aesthetic I have read to date. His ability to sort out the various strands of an issue (historical context, text to music, programmatic music, absolute music, music for liturgy, sacred music, secular music, etc.), which too often get conflated for horrendous theoretical results, is immensely refreshing. And I'm pleased to see that you have found him to be so, as well.

I will have to remember to check out his book, because the article was the most intelligent discussion of these issues that I have ever come across. I was happy to see that someone with more expertise than myself finds Best to be worth listening to -- kind of lets me know I'm at least in the right neighborhood of thinking.

I can definitely see how discussions on a lower level than this would get old rather quickly.

To be poor without bitterness is easy; to be rich without arrogance is hard.