Are Psalm-singers divisive?

[Peairtach]

by extension, I assume that they believe it is sinful to compose hymns, even good quality biblically sound hymns. I don't know what their view is of non-Psalmodic Scripture songs and paraphrases.

This is not true. We love the Godly hymns as we do other music. We do not believe it is sinful to compose music or art based upon a biblical understanding. When it comes to prescribed worship in looking at the Regulative Principle we think the Psalms rightly name Jesus as the Christ and name him. We also think that the whole of God's doctrine is proclaimed from an inspired position. We love the uninspired Hymns and sing them. Just not during a worship service. God wrote our song book. It is inspired and we know it.

As a side note. I receive a daily devotional that can be inspirational but not God breathed. I like it. But it is not inspired as God Breathed. It is only inspired as it is. Meditation upon the truly inspired. Just my humble opinion.

Yes. I shouldn't generalise. I'm sure there are different positions taken by different individuals in different Presbyterian denominations.

Some individuals in some denominations may take the position that it is always sinful to sing or compose a hymn.

There certainly must be sin involved in singing or composing a hymn that is pap, drivel or heretical nonsense, although that couldn't be said of all hymns.

 

[Kevin]

I (for one) think that Ben was (mostly) correct.

And on one point he is dead on. I recently attended several military services & listened closely to the prayers. They were all good. No one could find fault with anything that was said. However it was what was unsaid that was the issue. Not one chaplain mentioned Jesus once. Every one of them was a protestant minister, but no mention of Jesus. The reason that this is the case (I believe) is so that Jewish & Islamic hearers will not be offended.

Now I know that God knows who we are speaking or singing to, but I don't like the idea that those that listen in might be confused.

 

[N. Eshelman]

I (for one) think that Ben was (mostly) correct.

And on one point he is dead on. I recently attended several military services & listened closely to the prayers. They were all good. No one could find fault with anything that was said. However it was what was unsaid that was the issue. Not one chaplain mentioned Jesus once. Every one of them was a protestant minister, but no mention of Jesus. The reason that this is the case (I believe) is so that Jewish & Islamic hearers will not be offended.

Now I know that God knows who we are speaking or singing to, but I don't like the idea that those that listen in might be confused.

To me, this sounds like more of a problem with the military chaplains than with psalm singing.

 

[Rev. Todd Ruddell]

This argument is lost on me. (In the interests of disclosure, I am an practitioner (by conviction) of exclusive Psalmody.) First, to say that we ought to be singing the name of Jesus so as to insure that unbelievers are certain of whom we're singing is to confuse the direction our worship is supposed to go--our worship is an offering to God, and is to be pleasing to Him. We sing the Psalms because we believe He has required this of us. Secondly, singing the name of "Jesus" does not cure what my brothers above have found objectionable--Cultists and others who hold substandard views of Christ often use the name "Jesus" in their man-made hymns, but only confirming them in their ignorance. Mormons and other cultists often sing what might be considered standard hymns in some Trinitarian churches. They simply fill up the meaning of the name "Jesus" with their own content.

 

[Kaalvenist]

I believe false doctrine and false worship to be divisive. Because I hold to exclusive psalmody, I believe the rejection of that position to be intrinsically divisive.

I do not think one can accuse someone of being "divisive" because they refuse to attend a church (or to engage in the worship of said church) which maintains doctrine or worship contrary to the Word of God. Divisiveness should not be defined by refusal to worship in whatever way our brethren have decided to worship God, but by refusal to worship God according to Scripture.

 

[Boosterseat_91]

Following the RPW logically leads someone to be EP. So if you wanted to say anything was divisive it would be the RPW, however, the only thing it is dividing is God ordained worship for the gathering of the saints from will worship. Uninspired songs are fine the rest of the week, as you apply the normative principle.

This topic is ultimately dependent on if EP is the correct biblical position or not. If it is, then it is not divisive to refuse to participate in the false unity brought about by singing uninspired hymns, or what the Bible refers to as "will worship." I think we can all agree that singing only psalms is the safest thing anyways, we know you can't be sinning if you do that.

 

[JBaldwin]

Rich, thank you for your wonderful post! You express much of what I was thinking and as usual said it more elequantly than I.

Ben, while I am not a chaplain (for obvious reasons), I fully understand your frustrations over not singing the name of Christ in worship. This is a big issue in the more liberal denominations (I spent time as a director of music in one of them, so I have firsthand experience), and one of the objectives is to make things as vague as possible so as to include everyone. While I know it would not be the intent of an EPer to exclude Christ (on the contrary), to sing Psalms only does make it more difficult to present the Gospel in music. It is one of the reasons why I find the non-EP position to more in line with the Scriptures as we are to preach Christ and Him crucified. Since singing is presented in scripture as a means of teaching and admonisthing, I find no problem teaching the NT passages through song.

 

[BlackCalvinist]

My experience: there are people who are ungracious on both sides of the debate. All men are sinners.

May God grant those of us who hold to our respective positions the ability to be gracious to those who disagree with us on what they believe to be solid grounds.

Soli Deo Gloria.