Instrumental music

[akarmitage]

I have a friend who belongs to the Church of Christ. He says that his church doesn’t use instrumental music because in the New Testament, it only says you should sing to worship God. It doesn’t say anything about instruments.

In the Old Testament, it does mention instruments. But Jesus came to bring the new covenant … so how can we use instrumental music at mass to worship God if he only told us to sing?

When I said it doesn’t say NOT to sing, he responded that the Bible couldn’t possibly tell us all the things we’re not supposed to do … so it just tells us what we SHOULD do, which is to worship God with our voices.

I don’t know how to respond to that.

 

[DaveBj]

Here is the verse in question, Eph. 5:19:

…speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord…

I have bolded a part of this verse that the Church of Christ considers significant, but I believe they have overlooked something–it says to sing and make melody in your heart. A literal interpretation of this phrase would mean that it is not lawful to use your voice–you should sing only in your heart. This would totally eliminate music from worship, wouldn’t it?

I love the sound of a good a capella choir, but I also believe that instruments are fully usable. They were used in the Old Testament times, and there’s nowhere where Jesus or His Apostles said, “Nope, you can’t use those things any more.”

DaveBj

 

[panoikei]

coctocatholic.com/forum/

Have fun. Church of Christ Christians converted to Catholicism and a couple of Orthodoxy. some are former Prechers. Some were wanta be preachers. Most truly engraned in Alexander Champbell’s church restoration movement.

Ask away. But most preachers actually don’t have a real issue in instrumental music. I never really did because the passage is used to argue that point. But most of the church of Christ is like that. We are silent where the scriptures are silent. Ask your friend about women…that would really shock you. If a man is present a women is to be silent…even if she is more qualified. That idea spreads beyond worship…it also extends to bible class or even prayer meetings. But it just depends on the congregation. They have song leaders…more progressive COC’s have 2 men and 2 women for each 4 part harmony.

 

[panoikei]

If you really want to learn more, go to the website I’ve given. Read Bruce Sullivan’s book “The Fullness of Christ: a protestant minister discovers the fullness of the faith in the Catholic Church” Only never call a member of the church of Christ a Protestant or a denomination if you want to sound like you know what your talking about or just don’t want to offend them.

I’ve spoken with both Bruce Sullivan and Fr. Benjamin Luther within the past year. They are great men. They both live in Kentucky. I loved talking with Fr. Benjamin because he reminds me of my dear FIL, an elder before he passed on. He was 89. My wife is the baby of 8 in a church of Christ family and I kept waiting for her to allow me to become a preacher… Now she supports me towards the diaconate. Go figure. But thankfully we all converted at the same time. Separating from the Church of Christ can be a very painful experience.

edited to add grigaitis.net/

 

[Formosus]

Well this is partially why Insturmentation in the Church was very limited up until the late baroque/classical periods. The early Church only used their voices (chant) for liturgy, then the Organ was designed specifically with liturgical music in mind and it was permitted to be used because it attempted to imitate the human voice and in those days it really was ment more to backup and assist the chanters. The baroque period brought great prominance to the organ, and then eventually the classical period started bring in full orchestras for liturgy : ( . Pius X eventually condemned this practice and stated that the Organ is the only insturment that should be used at Mass, with a special permission to allow some respectable insturments for rare occasions. VII loosened the restrictions quite a lot. In many Eastern christian traditions, insturments are no allowed either. The Byzantines today continue to just chant. The Maronites did have a history of using cymbals in the liturgy and the Ethiopians use drums/cymbals as well to my knowledge. Personally I beleive we should go back to a less insturmented Liturgy that consists primarily of monophonic and polyphonic chant with organ only being used for certain hymns in which the congregation participate in (such as opening , closing, communion hymn) while easy chants used for the Gloria and other parts the congregation generally sing.

As for your friend, I would ask him why their congregation does not worship like Christ did at the last supper , sitting around a table eating a meal.

 

[panoikei]

NO FOOD IN THE BUILDING…

Have you not read Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. Did you know that Pual was the first Bible Chari Director? We learned that in a class for college credit…ACU. On the test. Timothy was just a young misionary who needed guidance from Bible Chair Director. You Paul did not meet the qualification for being an elder…that is a bishop or overseer…because he did not have a wife and believing children…He was not allowed to be deacon because he also was not married. Therefore he was only allow to be a praycher…

Can I have an amen.