First, I grew up in a cappella church of Christ congregations. I fought tooth and nail with others over this issue when I was younger and into my early 20s. I worshiped and ministered in a capella congregations until my early 40s.
Since starting a home church six years ago we have had a mix of a cappella and instrumental. I am not an apologist for instruments in that I am not trying to convince anyone to change their view on this. I do want to address the way this topic has been an unnecessary cause for division and we need to bring some healing between our congregations in this area.
Why Instruments Shouldn’t Be a Dividing Line
In 1907 there was a formal split between churches of Christ and the Christian church over instrumental music. I want to make a few points on Instrumental music and why it shouldn’t be a dividing line.
1 – Instrumental music is an excellent example of how a search for authorization created unnecessary division. Over the last 100 years the watchdogs decided to search the scriptures to make sure all we do (for that one hour on Sunday) is authorized by the Bible. The idea is that if the Bible doesn’t authorize it, we don’t do…except that doesn’t hold up. There are many things the Bible doesn’t authorize that we do. We call the ones we like “expedients” – that we are doing something not in the Bible because it helps us do something that is in the Bible. For example – we are to meet…and if you get too many people maybe you need a building. So the Bible doesn’t authorize the building but the building is allowed because it helps you meet (which the Bible does authorize).
Here is the problem – this is a reading of the scriptures in ways the were not intended to be read or understood. If I write a love letter to my wife and someone else takes it and reads it like a legal document or a science book, you will miss the point!
This is what we have done with Paul – missed the point because we went to what he wrote looking for things he wasn’t providing. And when you look hard enough for something, even if it isn’t there, you eventually “find” it…and this is what we did with the Instrumental music debate.
This gave us a biblical basis to divide over issues never even brought up in the Bible.
2 – The sin wasn’t in using an instrument. The sin was in dividing over an issue the Bible doesn’t address. Jesus was very clear about division. Paul was very clear about division. What makes it okay to divide over something the Bible is silent on? What makes it okay to violate Jesus call for unity over arguments from silence?
3 – A few decades ago E.P. Sanders wrote a book called, “Paul and Palestinian Judaism” and in this book, Sanders made the case that how we were reading and understanding second temple (in Jesus’ day) Judaism was wrong. We were reading Judaism through Luther and the Reformation rather than for what they actually said and believed about their own religion.
Why does this matter and how is this related to IM – much in so many ways!
First, a term was coined that is helpful to this conversation – covenantal nomism. Part of this idea is that the view that in Judaism, one had to keep all the commandments to be in wasn’t what the Torah taught or what Jewish people believed. There were only 4 laws tied to being in the covenant and those laws explicitly state that if you don’t follow these laws you are OUT – so not any violation puts you OUT – just those that say they do. And those are: Sabbath, Holy Days, Kosher and Circumcision. If you don’t do these, you are cut off from the people, stoned, out of the camp, etc.
We need to draw lines where the Bible makes a line and not all violations are “line violations” of in and out. At this point I don’t believe IM is a “violation” because there isn’t anything there to violate but if you do, this point stands.
To make IM an in/out issue when the Bible doesn’t make it one nor does the Bible condemn it creates division (which is something the Bible does speak about and condemns).
There are specific things that would make you not a Christian but IM is not one of them. How do I know that? Because to arrive at that conclusion can only come through a poor reading of scripture.
Now, you are more than welcome to believe we shouldn’t use instruments as the early church didn’t use them…but to go the next step to condemn others to hell and to divide over it becomes your sin. And even that sin doesn’t put you out because Bible never elevates anything like that to that level of severity.
5 Responses
I understand the thinking re instruments. And buildings. And… And…
The problem is more about how we deal with what congregation A does different than where I am. If we truly believe in the autonomy of local congregation AND in the absence of authority given to elders over congregations other than where they serve…
It is none of my business what the congregation on the other side of town prefers to do, or elsewhere in the State, or in the country… Should I disagree with whatever, I should not go there….
I mean, we ALL know that where I attend, all things are done in the Biblical way… [tongue-in-cheek]
PREACH! Right on target!
True. We pick and choose what is expedient (aka what we want to do).
Eph. 5:18 – 19 says, “be FILLED with the SPIRIT, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the SPIRIT. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord.”
We read past the emphasis on the active Spirit in our lives in that passage.
We read over some of the very last words of Jesus in Jn. 17:20ff. Literally among his last words. I would assume that makes them kind of important.
Words Jesus specifically says are for us, not just the apostles. There he says clearly he places a HUGE priority on the unity of believers.
But you can’t be my brother if you have a piano. Jesus draws the line of unity at that guitar. The line between heaven and hell can be a guitar or piano.
I love our ministers who often bring us rich insights into the Word of God. But if they would just listen to the regular people in the pew it might help them with their overthinking and incongruent theology.
Thank you and Amen.
The division you refer to involved much more than instrumental music. Some Disciples in the Chicago area had established a Marxist commune and some were participating in the violent riots happening there at the time. The American Christian Missionary Society was developing into a denominational framework. Disciples preachers were using the title “Reverend.”
Our memory is short, and the division was certainly remembered as being about instrumental music in my early years. Sadly many of the same issues (except instrumental music) recurred in the major CoC division of the 1950’s and 60’s.
I have no idea whether a division would have occurred had instrumental music been the only issue. Just before his death ca. 1941, J.D. Tant was still calling the Disciples “our digressive brethren.” No CoC person in my youth called them brethren in the 1960’s/70’s.