With specific reference to the baby boomers, secular and Christian, Michael S. Hamilton observes:
Once this oversized generation [baby boomers] decided that music would be the primary carrier of its symbols and values, music quickly became, in the words of George Steiner, “the new literacy of Western culture.” When one chooses a musical style today, one is making a statement about whom one identifies with, what one’s values are, and ultimately, who one is. As a result, music has become a divisive and fractionalizing force, Balkanizing Western culture into an ever-expanding array of subcultures—each with its own national anthem.
…For better or for worse, the kind of music a church offers increasingly defines the kind of person who will attend, because for this generation music is at the very center of self-understanding. Music for baby boomers is the mediator of emotions, the carrier of dreams, and the marker of social location.
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