April 10, 1999 (Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - The following is from Confronting Contemporary Christian Music by Dr. H. Talmadge Spence:

"A sad story emerged out of church history when a Christian parent sought the best for his children's education merely by the means of the world's definition. We have lauded the ministry of Charles Wesley [songwriter and brother to the preacher, John Wesley], but the way he approached the teaching of his two sons, Charles and Samuel, led to a sad conclusion in the investment of life in the Wesley's next generation.

"Both of these sons were brilliant and gifted in music, evident by the ages of four and five. Their earliest compositions came at those ages, and as time progressed, music authorities viewed their futures as great as Handel's and Bach's. In order to raise money for their music schooling, Charles and the family went on tours to present his gifted children. John Wesley warned his brother of the potential dangers and especially of the pressure being placed upon Charles by prominent individuals to send his sons to Europe's finest music teachers. But these warnings went unheeded. During those days when a child prodigy was furthered in his education, he lived with the teacher for many months at a time, as Charles' sons did at a young age. Living with such teachers instilled not only their knowledge of music but also their daily manner of living and their religious philosophy. By the time these sons were in their late teens, being so long away from their family, they had come to reject the God of their father. They also had come to believe they were so perfect in their instrumental playing that they did not need to practice as they used to. They did reach a certain stage of brilliance but could have gone further if they had intensified their practicing. What was the outcome of their lives? Charles ended up writing not only classical music but also a number of masses for the Roman Catholic Church. Samuel ended up living with a harlot and an illegitimate child; and although he wrote a number of classical pieces and symphonies, his life and contributions were spiritually dead" (H.T. Spence, Confronting Contemporary Christian Music, p. 145; Foundations Press, P.O. Box 1166, Dunn, NC 28335. 910-892-8761).