WHY NOT mechanical music IN WORSHIP

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Instrumental Music.1 by. Steven J. Wallace
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WHY NOTmechanical music IN WORSHIP?

• A cappella versus Instrumental

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Historical Dates

• 1860
• 1st instrument added to Lords church
• 670
• 1st time instrument ever added successfully to a
  churchs worship

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Our Opposition is NOT

• because we are cranky
• because we cannot afford them
• because we want to be different
• because prominent historical figures resisted. . .

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Voices of the Past

• Alexander Campbell, But I presume, to all
  spiritually-minded Christians such aids would be
  as a cow bell in a concert.
• Adam Clarke (Methodist) I am an old man, and I
  here declare that I never knew them to be
  productive of any good in the worship of God, and
  have reason to believe that they are productive
  of much evil. Music as a science I esteem and
  admire, but instrumental music in the house of
  God I abominate and abhor. This is the abuse of
  music, and I here register my protest against all
  such corruption of the worship of the author of
  Christianity.

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Voices of the Past

• J. H. Garrison (Christian Church) There is no
  command in the New Testament, Greek or English,
  commanding the use of the instrument. Such a
  command would be entirely out of harmony with the
  New Testament.
• Lyman Coleman, The tendency of this was to
  secularize the music of the church, and to
  encourage singing by a choir. Such musical
  accompaniments were gradually introduced but
  they can hardly be assigned to a period earlier
  than the fifth and sixth centuries. Organs were
  unknown in church until the eighth or ninth
  centuries. Previous to this, they had their place
  in the theater, rather than in the church. they
  were never regarded with favor in the Eastern
  church, and were vehemently opposed in many
  places in the West" (Lyman Coleman, a
  Presbyterian, Primitive Church, p. 376-377)

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Voices of the Past

• John Calvin, Musical instruments in celebrating
  the praises of God would be no more suitable than
  the burning of incense, the lighting up of lamps,
  and the restoration of the other shadows of the
  law (Psalms, Vol. 1, p. 539).

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Voices of the Past

• Charles Spurgeon (Baptist), We might as well
  pray by machinery as sing by it and Israel was
  at school, and used childish things to help her
  learn but in these days when Jesus gives us
  spiritual food, one can make melody without
  strings and pipes... we do not need them. That
  would hinder rather than help our praise. Sing
  unto Him. This is the sweetest and best music. No
  instrument like the human voice (Commentary on
  Psalm 42)

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Voices of the Past

• Erasmus, 16th Century, We have brought into our
  churches certain operatic and theatrical music
  such a confused, disorderly chattering of some
  words as I hardly think was ever in any of the
  Grecian or Roman theatres. The church rings with
  the noise of trumpets, pipes, and dulcimers and
  human voices strive to bear their part with them.
  Men run to church as to a theatre, to have their
  ears tickled. And for this end organ makers are
  hired with great salaries, and a company of boys,
  who waste all their time learning these whining
  tones (Erasmus, Commentary on I Cor. 1419)

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Voices of the Past

• John Wesley (Methodist), I have no objection to
  the organ in our chapels, provided it is neither
  heard nor seen.
• Martin Luther, Reformation Leader, The organ in
  the worship service is a sign of Baal
  (Realencyklopadie Fur Protestantische Theologie
  und Kirche, Bd, 14, s.433 cited in Instrumental
  Music and New Testament Worship, James D. Bales,
  p. 130.)
• Thomas Aquinas, (Catholic Theologian 13th
  century), Our church does not use musical
  instruments, as harps and psalteries, to praise
  God withal, that she may not seem to Judaize
  (Bingham's Antiquities, Vol. 2, p.483, London)

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Voices of the Past

• Catholic Encyclopedia, Although Josephus tells
  of the wonderful effects produced in the Temple
  by the use of instruments, the first Christians
  were of too spiritual a fibre to substitute
  lifeless instruments for or to use them to
  accompany the human voice. Clement of Alexandria
  severely condemns the use of instruments even at
  Christian banquets (Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol.
  10, p. 652)

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Voices of the Past

• Eusebius, c.a. 330 AD Of old at the time those
  of the circumcision were worshipping with symbols
  and types it was not inappropriate to send up
  hymns to God with the psalterion and cithara and
  to do this on Sabbath days... We render our hymn
  with a living psalterion and a living cithara
  with spiritual songs. The unison voices of
  Christians would be more acceptable to God than
  any musical instrument. Accordingly in all the
  churches of God, united in soul and attitude,
  with one mind and in agreement of faith and piety
  we send up a unison melody in the words of the
  Psalms (commentary on Psalms 912-3)

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A Cappella

• ETYMOLOGY Italian a, in the manner of
  cappella, chapel, choir
• historical word handed down by the Catholic
  Church for music that was appropriate in chapel
  (viz. church)
• differentiated music that was proper for the
  church service versus entertainment
• suitable music in the church was then viewed as
  being solely vocal
• Greek Orthodox/Roman Catholic split

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What does this information PROVE?

• the practice of using instruments in praise is
  recent
• virtually all the founders of every major
  denomination was staunchly opposed to instruments
  in worship
• why should we not be opposed?

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• . . .Sir Richard Terry (Director of Music for
  nearly 25 years at Westminister Cathedral) who
  gives a little historical remembrance in the
  following quote from his native Scotland when
  this was written in the late 1920's The history
  of Scottish music is full of paradoxes. Most of
  us are old enough to have caught echoes of the
  furious opposition to instrumental music in the
  Kirk ("kirk" is Scot. for "church"). This was
  supposed to be a protest against 'Popish
  practices' and it is only in modern times that
  Scottish church music has ceased to be
  exclusively vocal (quoted by Percy A. Scholes,
  The Puritans and Music in England and New
  England, Oxford at the Clarendon Press 1934
  reprinted 1969, page 220) (Marc Smith, The
  Simple Gospel A Capella sic. a cappella,
  http//www.watchmanmag.com/0209/020910.htm)

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Why Do We OPPOSE IT?

• ITS NOT ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN
• is there a pattern for music in worship?
• if there is a pattern, it must be followed (Heb.
  85)
• if there is no pattern, there is no sin
  because the law brings about wrath for where
  there is no law there is no transgression (Rom.
  415)

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(No Transcript)
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Ephesians 519
TEST

• speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and
  spiritual songs, singing and making melody in
  your heart to the Lord
• when we sing in worship we are to make melody
• on our harp?
• in our heart?

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Ephesians 519
TEST

• speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and
  spiritual songs, singing and making melody in
  your heart to the Lord
• the mechanical instrument has a heart in which
  God desires the melody to spring from?
• TRUE
• FALSE

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What do we learn from these verses

• singing is acceptable
• the New Testament is silent about playing
  instruments in worship
• WARNING Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of
  Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it,
  put incense on it, and offered profane fire
  before the LORD, which He had not commanded them.
  So fire went out from the LORD and devoured them,
  and they died before the LORD (Lev. 101, 2)

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Psalm 1913

• Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous
  sins Let them not have dominion over me. Then I
  shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of
  great transgression

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Colossians 317
TEST

• And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in
  the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God
  the Father through Him.

• All that we do in worship
• is to be done by the authority of Christ?
• is to be done to entertain everyone?
• is to be done according to our choice?

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Why Do We OPPOSE IT?

• ITS NOT ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN
• ITS AN ADDITION
• To the law and to the testimony! If they do not
  speak according to this word, it is because there
  is no light in them (Is. 820)
• Revelation 2218, 19
• Proverbs 306

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Why Do We OPPOSE IT?

• ITS NOT ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN
• ITS AN ADDITION
• IT CANNOT BE DONE BY FAITH
• Romans 1017
• there is no word of God in the N.T. to worship
  God with Instruments

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Why Do We OPPOSE IT?

• ITS NOT ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN
• ITS AN ADDITION
• IT CANNOT BE DONE BY FAITH
• IT RENDERS WORSHIP VAIN

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Matthew 158, 9

• These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
  And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is
  far from Me. And in vain they worship Me,
  Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.

• teaching the commands of God produces true worship

• teaching the commands of men produces vain worship

• I.M. can only be authorized by mans word
  therefore I.M. is vain worship

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Next Lesson Analyze Arguments for Mechanical
Music in Worship