The only blog that I read with any regularity (other than my own, of course) is that of Mike Cope, preacher for the Highland Church of Christ in Abilene. On December 3, Mike posted an article by Leroy Garrett discussing the decision by the elders at the Richland Hills Church of Christ (in the Dallas-Fort Worth area) to offer an alternative worship service using an instrumental praise band. Richland Hills is not the first of our churches to offer an instrumental service-- I have a great “live” worship CD recorded years ago at Oak Hills in San Antonio (where Max Lucado is the minister). But Richland Hills is the largest church in our fellowship, and their decision will get people's attention-- either in a good or bad way. I encourage you to read the article and the discussion it generated... and then look at Mike's summary posted the next day.
I don’t know what your personal views of instrumental music are, but I imagine that Denbigh has about as much diversity on the topic as was generated on Mike’s blog. I rather believe that most of our people see instrumental music as a matter of opinion (rather than sin) but that they are perfectly happy with our a cappella tradition. Even on those occasions when we do use instrumentals (like our upcoming “Sunday Night Before Christmas” presentation), we do make a distinction between that and our usual mode of worship. I don’t think anyone wants to make a issue of this at Denbigh--I know I don’t.
But I am convinced that God is much more interested in our hearts and in our attitudes than He is in how we stand on this issue. What divided our fellowship 100 years ago was not a piano-- it was a heart on both sides that cared more for being right than about following Christ. One side introduced a piano; the other side walked out. The spiritual descendants of both sides have their own way of telling the story so that they were the ones standing for the truth. I doubt God was smiling at either side!
You don’t often get a second chance in church history. But our fellowship now gets something of a "do-over" when it comes to the instrumental music question. Can we stand together with brothers and sisters in churches like Richland Hills that take a different slant on our cappella worship tradition? Can churches like Richland Hills offer alternatives with which even some of their own members are not completely comfortable? Can we allow ourselves as a people to be informed by our traditions without being controlled by them? Can we remain one fellowship even if we have two ways of offering our praises to God? That remains to be seen. You know what? I think we can pull it off this time!
4 comments:
I hope so. I can say that I believe we have a lot better chance today than 30 years ago when I was baptized. At that time, or at least at the congregations I attended, being a member of the CoC was the only way to go to Heaven. A question I often ask is, how far are we willing to stretch? Who would we be unwilling to reach out to? Homosexuals, those with Aids, drug dealers, alcoholics, pedophiles, someone that murdered our family member or friend, .... Who is it that has the sin that we are unwilling to forgive or try to reach with the Lord's salvation through our Savior? Its clear that we need to be able to reach out to these types. How much more should it be evident that we should keep a continuos fellowship with those believers even when they believe that have a band or choir is not against scripture and therefore an acceptable part of Worship service. God said to even love your enemies. We accept that and we know that we should try. Yet it almost appears sometimes that we treat our brothers and sisters as enemies, that we shouldn't try to love. Simply because they don't have the exact clone of understanding of God's word as we do. Can you imagine how much more we would be able to do for unity in the world if we could stand together with these "instrumental" churches. I'm an acapapello Christian, by the way.
Hey church; you're reaching those that need a relationship with Christ whether you realize it or not. I haven't been gifted in music so maybe I have a greater appreciation for those who have received the God given talent of music, both song and instrument. Whether or not it is in the church service doesn't matter to me. Denbigh is the first church I've attended without instruments; We love being part of this body not because of the music, but rather the people who have shown love the way I believe God meant it to be. If we place God in the literal music box, I suspect we may miss out on the opportunity to reach a neighbor, co-worker, or even close friend who needs the love that this church gives in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. A 100 years in God's eyes is nothin, He's calling this church to reach out and touch this community for HIM.
My wise father had always told us that we were only told to sing; but we weren't instructed how to sing; and so who decides? I've never been able to find anything in the Scriptures that tell me that instrumental music is a "sin". However, I'm suspect the controversy is translated in our personal thinking - do I hold onto my traditional ways and see any other way as wrong? Or, on the other hand, do instruments make ME feel better in the worship service(is this for me or for God?)? Either way, we all have to stand before God and give an accounting for our personal beliefs. Now that's where the REAL rubber meets the road!
While I'm certainly glad to hear more discussion on the subject of instruments tending towards matters of personal preference versus a test of fellowship, one of the commenters (or commentees?) to Mike's blog hit my concern on the head when he said, "I am more weary of the church’s preoccupation with what happens during an hour time block on one day of the week". I grow tired of hearing that instrument use is still a divisive issue when there are so many people who know nothing about Christ out there.
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