Worship Service Music

[JonathanHunt]

To answer the original question, yes, I was once at a church where they sang the chorus 'Our God is an awesome God' eight times over. I sang it twice, then stood for two more choruses. Then I will confess I was so overwhelmed and distressed with the banality of it all that I sat down for the final four.

 

[blhowes]

Two things, Bob. First, its not quite right to say that non-EPers say nothing in regard to what is and is not acceptable as worship. For one thing, the class of "non-EP" would include anyone and everyone who is not EP, including the likes of John Lennon and Cat Stevens, if you get my drift. But for another, those who are Reformed but non-EP have a completely different category in which they discuss this, so you generally won't find written essays on the subject of "non-EP". Instead you will find a lot under such titles as "godliness", and "holiness" which would assume the discipline of writing songs along with other disciplines. J.I. Packer and F.A. Schaeffer come to mind.

Either John Lennon and Cat Stevens became reformed when I wasn't looking, or I desperately need to work on my writing skills. My assumption with the term "non-EP" was that it was limited to people here on the PB. I'm surprised you couldn't read my mind.

The second thing is "preferences". Everyone is equally free in his conscience to prefer some things to others, but it does not follow that therefore all preferences are equal. Some may choose the Christian God, and some another god, but that does not mean that all gods are equal. The fact that you may freely choose does not mean that the thing you choose is automatically right.

If you could read my mind, John, what a tale my thoughts could tell...

Again, my assumption was that we were referring to the Christian God, and what pleases/displeases Him.

And it has nothing to do with whether the things to choose from are equal. Disco music is hardly worship music. Old Country is more easily adapted to worship while old Western is more difficult, so modern Country & Western is not equal in terms of preference for worship with old Country. Its ridiculous to think that all genres of music are equal on the basis that people choose to like one more than another.

I'm with you, John. Though ridiculous, that doesn't stop churches from using these genres of music. When they do, to me it seems not appropriate for worship, but to them it seems perfectly appropriate. Which brings me back to my original wondering - does it displease God?

 

[JohnV]

Okay, but you got my point anyway. I figured you were confining the term to people on this Board.

Yes, that doesn't stop churches from using them, that's true. But its a whole different thing to then assert that their worship "displeases" God. That's going way too far. What worship wouldn't displease God if it weren't for the sanctification of the Spirit? The question to ask, really, is if it ever gets to some point where the Spirit refuses to sanctify the singing?

I think that there are many things that we can wonder about in worship, whether or not God is pleased with our worship. I find comfort in WCF I, vi: "The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man's salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture." My own worship isn't acceptable to God at all, except that I am received by the washing of Jesus' blood, and made holy by the Holy Spirit. Nowhere does the Bible or the Confessions say that God rejects my worship because I sing songs other than the Psalms, or because I sing songs of praise to the accompaniment of a guitar.

What instruments are used and what songs are sung are left within the province of each individual church, in the hands of the elders. Our church puts it in the hands of the federation, so that there would be unity in worship throughout the denomination: a common song book; and a common presentation of the music. We sing the 150 Psalms and some 65 Scripturally-referenced hymns. That's what the federation agreed on, so all the churches stick to that. But I don't think they ever say that any church which sings songs other than what's in the Book of Praise is displeasing God. That's going way too far, and really is a whole 'nother kettle of fish.

 

[FrielWatcher]

Reference:

http://www.puritanboard.com/f67/heres-some-worship-music-37412/

 

[MW]

The question to ask, really, is if it ever gets to some point where the Spirit refuses to sanctify the singing?

As reformed people we should be looking at our actions in the light of the two causes of the reformation. The formal cause is sola scriptura and the material cause is justification by faith alone. The formal principle upon which our worship is acceptable to God is this -- does God require it in His word? The material principle is this -- is it offered by faith in Jesus Christ? A positive answer to both these questions provides the conscience with an assurance that it is offering Spirit-filled worship to God.

 

[YXU]

In the past, some on the PB (don't recall if they still participate on PB) who hold to EP have said that if they attend a church that sings anything other than Psalms that they refrain from singing. They don't make a big issue of it or bring attention to themselves, but they just refrain from singing.

For EPers:
1. Do you refrain from singing hymns, etc. at other churches? Why/Why not?
2. Since (in your view) singing of Psalms is the music commanded in scripture, do you think singing anything other than Psalms somehow displeases God?

1. I refrain from it, I am currently a student of BJU, I would read a portion of Psalm in my heart loudly while the congregation is singing loudly.
2. Yes, it displeases God.