| If I've heard this kind of thing once, I've heard it a | | | | you and spoke a psalm, a hymn,or a spiritual |
| thousand times. Thetalented musicians are often | | | | song? As for me, in almost 50 years, never. That |
| the main draw for many church attendees. | | | | "make music inyour heart" portion is the key |
| "Worship with us, dude...our band is awesome!" | | | | prohibition aspect of that verse. For those |
| I once heard a man who taught music at a | | | | whomight refer to any Old Testament verses |
| Christian college speaking onwhat he called a | | | | pertaining to music to justify the playingof |
| "counterfeit anointing." He explained that the | | | | instruments, apparently, the God who is the same |
| louddecibel levels used by many churches during | | | | yesterday, today andforever has changed His |
| worship is enough to raisegoose bumps and cause | | | | mind regarding music under His NEW Covenant. |
| many to "feel" differently. What's referred to,he | | | | Myexperience has been that such OT verses will |
| explained, as "the anointing" is merely physiological | | | | be disallowed in most churchesof Christ where the |
| changes occurringwithin the body when exposed | | | | subject of mechanical instruments is concerned. |
| to really loud music. If you've ever satnext to a | | | | Then I learned that the word "pslam" literally |
| car where the bass from the stereo system was | | | | means "to pluck." Pluck what...a chicken? |
| loud enoughto rattle YOUR teeth, it's guaranteed | | | | Eyebrows? I think not. We pluck harps, lyres, |
| that the driver was having somekind of a "feel | | | | guitars, banjoesand mandolins. |
| good" experience right there behind the wheel. | | | | I recall once knocking on the door of a man who |
| Many are do the same thing in their pews. | | | | led worship at a Church of |
| MUSIC OR NOT, DOES IT REALLY MATTER TO | | | | Christ. He and his family had a bluegrass band and |
| GOD? | | | | were practicing with thedoor open as I walked up |
| In most instances, the American Church has | | | | to knock. |
| reduced what we call "worship"to a Sunday | | | | There was an awful lot of plucking going on in |
| morning sing-along. For some Christians, such as | | | | that house as I approached. |
| the church of | | | | These days, fully believing that WE are The |
| Christ, woe unto anyone who worships God with | | | | Church in everything we do orsay, everywhere |
| music. Yet for others, ifthere's no musician in the | | | | we go being the holiest "Holy land" in which we |
| group, no one dares to attempt singing a capella | | | | couldever imagine standing, I see the lunacy of |
| (without instrumental accompaniment) and, | | | | teaching that music in a churchbuilding can be any |
| therefore, no worship will takeplace at all. | | | | more right or wrong than music played in the |
| I was baptized in the Duncanville, Texas church of | | | | buildingcalled a "house." The only dwelling place God |
| Christ, a group in which Iremained for about 8 | | | | is concerned with, frankly,is the one called US! |
| years. I recall experiencing some very moving | | | | The truth is, everything we do is an act of |
| momentsof worship there. I'm not sure if God | | | | worship. Even the act of Workitself is actually |
| enjoyed it, but I did! I learned a greatdeal about | | | | Worship. The Hebrew word "avodah" is the root |
| worship during my 8-year stint. The church of | | | | forthe word from which we get the words |
| Christ, for thosewho don't know, is a group that, | | | | "work" and "worship." Work, in itsmany various |
| with few exceptions, does not believe | | | | forms, is mentioned over 800 times in Scripture. |
| it'sacceptable to play music in church services. | | | | That's morethan all the words used to express |
| These days, I can worship Godwith a kazoo, or a | | | | worship, praise, music and singingcombined! As a |
| kickin' praise band. I can make a joyful noise to | | | | Workplace Chaplain, I often find myself reminding |
| any kindof music or none at all. | | | | peopleof the fact that they are worshiping God |
| I was never quite in agreement with the church's | | | | while they work. |
| stance that music was notpermissible in the | | | | THE PURPOSE OF WORSHIP |
| service. After all, I reasoned, we are The Church | | | | Let's focus on that wonderful music we all know |
| - each | | | | and love to hear at churchservices or on our |
| Christian individually and as a family, 24/7, | | | | favorite CD or Christian radio station. What is the |
| everywhere we go. If that's true,why did it | | | | purposeof all this worship music? Is it intended to |
| matter what we did in one manmade human | | | | usher us into God's presence? Isit working? Is it |
| structure on | | | | worship at all? Is it all about Christian musicians |
| Wednesday's and Sunday's as opposed to what | | | | earningmoney with their gifts? Just asking. That's |
| we did in any other manmadestructure all the rest | | | | between them and God, after all. |
| of the time? | | | | In a church service, is a Worship Leader in charge |
| For those who think the church of Christ is | | | | of ushering us into God'spresence as some |
| "strange" or "odd" for believing inthis way, here | | | | attest? I can't buy that because God lives within |
| are what some others throughout history have | | | | ME anddoesn't even show up until I get there. |
| had to say aboutthe playing of musical | | | | When I was the Assistant Pastor of a church in |
| instruments in their church services: | | | | Arlington, Texas, a couplewas asked to lead |
| McClintock and Strong's Cyclopedia reads: "The | | | | worship and train our "worship team." I wasn't |
| Greek word psallois applied among the Greeks of | | | | there, butlater heard that the first thing they did |
| modern times exclusively to sacredmusic, which in | | | | was to tell the group, "Put down |
| the Eastern Church has never been any other | | | | yourinstruments...we're going to worship God." I |
| thanvocal, instrumental music being unknown in | | | | heard that several within thegroup began crying, |
| that Church, as it was inthe primitive Church." | | | | finding themselves clueless, frightened and |
| Sir John Hawkins, in the History of Music, makes | | | | frozenwithout their instruments. |
| Pope Vitalian, in | | | | We were created to worship God. I dare say that |
| A.D. 660, the first who introduced organs into | | | | it's our reason forbeing, more an attitude of the |
| churches. But studentsof ecclesiastical archaeology | | | | heart than something we do with ourvocal cords |
| are generally agreed that instrumentalmusic was | | | | or even with our instruments. After all, if it's all |
| not used in churches till a much later date. | | | | aboutsinging - just another way of worshiping God |
| Thomas Aquinas, A.D. 1250, wrote: "Our Church | | | | - one who is mute orretarded or has laryngitis |
| does not usemusical instruments, as harps and | | | | cannot do so. God, as always, is moreconcerned |
| psalteries, to praise God withal,that she may not | | | | about the condition of one's heart than the words |
| seem to Judaize." | | | | beingmouthed, no matter how beautifully. |
| John Calvin wrote, "Musical instruments in | | | | Following is a fascinating article from a website |
| celebrating the praises of Godwould be no more | | | | Ezine called "Next |
| suitable than the burning of incense, the lighting | | | | Wave-Church and Culture. The article is entitled |
| oflamps, and the restoration of the other | | | | "Worship as Evangelism"by Sally Morgenthaler. |
| shadows of the law. The Papists,therefore, have | | | | Sally had previously written a book entitled |
| foolishly borrowed this, as well as many other | | | | "Worship Evangelism" buthas actually recanted her |
| thingsfrom the Jew. Men who are fond of | | | | own book's message, concluding that |
| outward pomp may delight in thatnoise: but the | | | | worship-driven churches are doing nothing to |
| simplicity which God recommends to us by the | | | | reach the lost. Read it and pass italong. Quite |
| apostlesis far more pleasing to Him." | | | | thought-provoking stuff! |
| John Wesley said, "I have no opposition to the | | | | One of those who responded to her article wrote: |
| organ in our chapelprovided it is neither seen nor | | | | "Thank you for this. |
| heard." | | | | As the pastor of a year old church plant, I have |
| Charles Spurgeon, when asked why, in the | | | | watched our groupstruggle through the hard work |
| twenty years he preachedin London, never used | | | | of realizing that worship evangelism ...doesn't work, |
| the organ in worship, cited 1 Cor. 14:15 andsaid "I | | | | but only manages to bring the dechurched back |
| will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the | | | | tochurch (not a bad thing, but not the same). The |
| understandingalso, I will sing with the spirit, and I | | | | fact is, there isa level of "affirmation of message" |
| will sing with the understanding also. | | | | that has to exist for a personto be able to |
| I would as soon pray to God with machinery as | | | | worship. The idea that any type of worship that |
| to sing to God withmachinery." | | | | affirms |
| Adam Clark wrote, "I am an old man, and an old | | | | "Jesus is LORD" would attract those who aren't |
| minister; and I heredeclare that I never knew | | | | sure He is (or arequite sure He isn't) is a bit |
| them to be productive of any good in the | | | | absurd. If, then, worship is more for thealready |
| worshipof God; and have had reason to believe | | | | convinced than the unconvinced, we must create |
| that they were productive of muchevil. Music, as | | | | a better wayto engage the unconvinced...this |
| a science, I esteem and admire; but instruments | | | | conversation has, in many ways,defined our |
| of musicin the house of God I abominate and | | | | church plant ... Whether it is the decision to have |
| abhor." | | | | housechurches on Sundays and worship on |
| Personally, I contend that WE are the "house of | | | | Wednesdays or giving up on theidea of "getting |
| God" and that nowherein Scripture has God | | | | people to go to church" and instead "being the |
| condemned the use of mechanical instruments | | | | churchand going to people", this is a conversation |
| ofmusic in Christian worship, but nowhere has He | | | | everychurch needs to be having." |
| commanded their use. | | | | John 4: 23, 24 declares, "A time will come, |
| It is man, in his desire to please God, who has | | | | however, indeed it isalready here, when the true |
| introduced so many rulesand regulations to | | | | (genuine) worshipers will worship the |
| Christian life and practices, not God Almighty. | | | | Father in spirit and in truth (reality); for the Father |
| ACCEPTABLE ACTS OF WORSHIP | | | | is seeking justsuch people as these as His |
| Why do so many from my old church of Christ | | | | worshipers. God is a Spirit (a spiritual |
| camp forbid music within thechurch? Many use | | | | Being) and those who worship Him must worship |
| Ephesians 5:19 as an edict forbidding the playing of | | | | Him in spirit and intruth (reality)." |
| musicalinstruments during church services: "Speak | | | | There's so much more to worship than we've |
| to one another with psalms, hymnsand spiritual | | | | made of it. It's worthy ofsome self-examination. |
| songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the | | | | Are YOU a TRUE worshiper? It's an attitude of |
| Lord." Question: | | | | the heart and nothing else. |
| When was the last time anybody walked up to | | | | Please forward to at least 5 friends! |