Stetzer's Red Herrings on the Church Music Issue
He rightly points out that there have always been conflicts over church music and that these have often focused on biblically unimportant and even rather silly issues. For example, there has been the resistance by some against the use of musical instruments (even though the Bible’s own divinely inspired hymnbook, the Psalms, is filled with encouragement, even commandments, to praise God with instruments). And at various times there has been resistance to singing in harmony and choir singing and congregational singing and singing songs not found in the Psalms.
None of these are biblical issues, of course; they are matters of tradition and personal taste. Yet Stetzer concludes that such facts of history should “encourage us to be more humble about our own preferences and more open to other styles of music used to worship God and point people to Christ” (“Church Music Conflicts: Have We Really Always Done It ‘That Way’?” www.edstetzer.com, May 28, 20013).
In an October 26, 2009, blog, Stetzer listed “seven tests based on biblical principles that can help determine the suitability of music,” but from my perspective this appears to be a smokescreen for the most part, because in practice I don’t know of any “Christian music” that he plainly and fundamentally rejects. He says that blues, jazz, rock, rap, jazz, country, reggae, you name it, can be acceptable. The only example he gives of rejecting something over biblical principles is that when he was a pastor he once asked his worship team not to sing “Amazing Grace” to the tune of the old blues whorehouse song “The House of the Rising Sun” because of the intimate identity of the tune of that song to its godless lyrics.
On that exact same basis I can and do reject thousands of CCM songs that have borrowed their music from sensual rock songs.
Continue reading this article……
Trinity Baptist Church, Jacksonville
THE CONTEMPORARY DIRECTION OF TRINITY BAPTIST
The following was published in Friday Church News Notes, October 7, 2005:
We have been aware for some time of the contemporary direction that Trinity Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Florida, has taken under the pastorate of Tom Messer.
Former pastor Bob Gray led the church out of the Southern Baptist Convention in the 1960s. I recall his testimony about that during one of his sermons at Tennessee Temple when I was a student there in the mid-1970s. In those days, Trinity was a fundamentalist church and had high standards for sacred music and separation from error, but that is no longer the case.
A friend sent the following information:
“I wanted to share some sad information with you. As I visited the Trinity Baptist website, I found them doing what Dan Lucarini refers to as ‘blended’ song services. Bryant Shipton is referred to as the ‘worship pastor.’ The two songs that I heard were ‘Lord Reign in Me’ by Brenton Brown of the Vineyard U.K. and ‘Call on Jesus’ by Nicole C. Mullen. Over the last two Sundays they have used ‘Rise Up and Praise Him’ by Paul Balouche, ‘I Am friend of God’ by the non-Trinitarian Philips, Craig and Dean, and ‘Shout to the Lord’ by the charismatic Darlene Zschech. When you see them using these radically ecumenical groups and musicians, it is obvious that they are headed away from their former position” (first printed in October 7, 2005).
It is important to understand that a move toward contemporary worship music is not a mere change in music. It is accompanied by a change in a church’s overall philosophy. In the case of Trinity Baptist, Pastor Messner is a prominent member of the “progressive” wing of the Southwide Baptist Fellowship, with its New Evangelical philosophy, a move toward a more positive focus, a move away from separatism, a tolerance of error and worldliness not formerly tolerated.
In 1996, a mere nine years earlier, Southwide Baptist Fellowship, meeting at Trinity Baptist in Jacksonville, published a statement warning against Promise Keepers and its “unholy music.” How quickly things have changed! Today Trinity uses that very music, but if it was unholy in 1996 it is unholy today.
Trinity Baptist epitomizes what is happening in large numbers of independent Baptist churches.
Continue reading this article……
Integrity Music's Foreign Spirit
Integrity has helped launch the ministries of some of the most influential contemporary worship musicians, such as Darlene Zschech, Lincoln Brewster, Don Moen, Israel Houghton, and Paul Baloche.
Integrity recorded an album at the Brownsville Assembly of God (home of the strange “Pensacola Outpouring”). Don Moen, the “creative director” for Integrity, described the power of the Laughing Revival music in these words: “Because something is imparted when you listen to this tape. I don’t want it to sound spooky or mysterious, but there’s something powerful about embracing the music of the revival. The fire of the revival can stir in you even as you listen to the songs that took place at the Brownsville revival” (“Don Moen Discusses Music at Brownsville Assembly,” Pentecostal Evangel, Assemblies of God, November 10, 1996).
The “revival” to which he refers was not a biblical revival; it was a “revival” in which people become drunk and staggered about and shook uncontrollably and fell down and were unable to perform the most basic functions of life. The pastor at Brownsville, John Kilpatrick, testified that it took him a half hour just to put on his socks when he was drunk with the Brownsville spirit. He laid on the church platform for as long as four hours, unable to get up. His wife has been unable to cook their food or clean the house. Some people had to be carried out of the church. One mother lay on the platform until 1am in the morning “basking in the spirit” until an usher collected her neglected kids, took them home, and put her to bed. Whatever this “revival” is, it is not something that conforms to Scripture. The Spirit of God doesn’t render pastors incapable of tending their flocks or mothers, their children.
Yet Moen testifies that this “spirit” can be imparted through Integrity music.
We believe this is true and it is one of the reasons why contemporary praise music is so effective at transforming the character of staunchly Bible-believing churches.
Integrity’s Hosanna! Music worship albums include songs by ROBERT GAY, who records music from alleged prophecies given by charismatic latter rain “prophets.” Gay has written hundreds of choruses, and many of them have been professionally recorded. His songs include “Mighty Man of War,” “No Other Name,” “On Bended Knee,” “More Than Enough.” Gay was a worship leader at Integrity, and Integrity has produced many of his “prophetic” songs. Gay claims that the Holy Spirit gives him visions for his songs, yet we know that these visions are not of God as they are not Scriptural.
Gay is connected with “apostle” Bill Hamon’s (b. 1934) Christian International network of supposed prophetic ministries, which promotes the deception that God is continuing to give revelation through prophets and apostles today. Hamon holds the latter rain miracle-revival heresy that God will raise up new apostles who will operate in miracle-working power even exceeding that of the first-century apostles who will unite the churches and establish the kingdom of God. Hamon claims that the Laughing Revival (Toronto, Pensacola, Lakeland, Holy Trinity Brompton, etc.) and Promise Keepers are part of this restoration process (Hamon, Apostles, Prophets and the Coming Moves of God: God’s End-Time Plans for His Church and Planet Earth, 1997; The Day of the Saints, p. 129). Hamon says, “I refuse to be boxed in. But I may say certain things that you may try to box me in, but I am not trying to propagate any particular eschatology” (“Battle of the Brides,” New Life Church, Nov. 13, 1997). He doesn’t want to be tested by God’s Word.
Continue reading this article……
The Rock Group U2
But U2 is much more than a popular rock band. U2 has a great influence in the emerging church and the contemporary worship movement. U2’s lead singer Bono is praised almost universally among contemporary and emerging Christians. Phil Johnson observes that “Bono seems to be the chief theologian of the Emerging Church Movement” (Absolutely Not! Exposing the Post-modern Errors of the Emerging Church, p. 9).
“Bono played a far more significant role on the formative years on those who became emergent than anyone else, from a human standpoint. Bono, in the 1980s, was, if not worshipped, then absolutely adored by millions of Christian youth who were hanging on his every word. They saw his cool kind of Christianity. He helped lead people into what eventually became the emerging church. Bono has led people into a version of Christianity that is so slippery, so undefinable, so liberal, yet he is considered the main icon of the emerging church” (Joseph Schimmel, The Submerging Church, DVD, 2012).
Eugene Peterson, author of The Message, says U2 has a prophetic voice to the world and says Bono is a prophet like John the Baptist (foreword to Get Up Off Your Knees: Preaching the U2 Catalog).
Continue reading this article……
Battle Over Singing in Baptist Churches 17th Century
“It was about the time that Isaac Watts came to London that some of the assemblies of the saints were shaken by the innovation of singing. The Baptists appear to have been most indisposed to the doubtful practice; and in the church of the well-known Benjamin Keach, of Southwark, the pastoral ancestor of Charles Spurgeon, when the pastor, after long argument and effort, established singing, a minority withdrew and ‘took refuge in a songless sanctuary,’ in which the melody within the heart might be in no danger of disturbance from the perturbations of song. The Society of Friends was not alone in regarding with distaste all the exercises of song in the house of the Lord. Those who are interested in the curious literature of that time may easily discover pamphlets and lectures which show ‘great searchings of heart’ upon the question ‘whether Christ, as Mediator of the New Covenant, hath commanded His churches under the Gospel in all their assemblies to sing the Psalms of David, as translated into metre and musical rhyme, with tunable and conjoined voices of all the people together, as a Church ordinance, or any other song or hymn that are so composed to be sung in rhyme by a prelimited and set form of words?’ The dispute was mainly confined to the Baptist churches. But in 1708 one of the Eastcheap lectures, in a discourse by Thomas Reynolds, replied to the ‘objections of singing.’ A few years before the controversy had run strong and high. Isaac Marlow very angrily maintained the ordinary songless usage, in the year 1696, in his ‘Truth Soberly Defined’ and in the ‘Controversies of Singing Brought to an End.’ Benjamin Keach seems to have been the first to lead on in this suspicious diversion by the publication of his ‘Breach Repaired in God’s Worship; or, Singing of Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, proved to be an Holy Ordinance of Jesus Christ.’ This appeared in 1691. ... It was into this state of things that Isaac Watts was introduced. ‘I almost think,’ says Alexander Knox, ‘that he was providentially appointed to furnish the revived movement of associated piety, which Divine Wisdom foresaw would take place in England in the 18th century, with an unexampled stock of materials for that department, which alone needed to be provided for, of their joint worship.”
Continue reading this article……
Kevin Prosch and Prophetic Music
The following is excerpted from THE DIRECTORY OF CONTEMPORARY WORSHIP MUSICIANS, which is available as a free eBook from the Way of Life web site -- www.wayoflife.org
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The fact that “another spirit” controls the contemporary praise music movement is nowhere more evident than in the ministry of Kevin Prosch, whose praise songs include “Harp in My Heart,” “Show Your Power,” and “Love Is All You Need.” Some of Prosch’s music is published by Integrity.
Prosch is said to have “influenced more worship artists than any other leader in this decade,” including Martin Smith of Delirious, Matt Redman, and Darrell Evans.”
He lives in Amarillo, Texas, owns a recording studio, is associate senior pastor at More Church, and pursues hobbies that include “fishing, lots of camping, and a good glass of Lagavulin” (Scotch whiskey).
Prosch breaks down the walls between the holy and unholy in a shocking way. His former band the Black Peppercorns is described as “a group that played in pubs and bars and sang songs that blurred the lines between sacred and secular and saw folks in those bars have genuine encounters with the Spirit” (“Kevin Prosch, the Black Peppercorns, and Emergent Charismatics,” jonathanstegall.com).
To blur the line between the sacred and secular is to follow “another spirit” (2 Cor. 11:4). Israel’s priests were reproved when they “put no difference between the holy and profane” and showed no “difference between the unclean and the clean” (Ezek. 22:26). There are many clear lines that are to be drawn in the Christian life, but the CCM crowd wants to erase lines. We are to choose the spirit over the flesh (Gal. 5:16-17). We are to “abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good” (Rom. 12:9). We are to love God and not love the world (1 John 2:15-17).
Casting Crowns
The following is excerpted from The Directory of Contemporary Worship Musicians, which is available as a free eBook from Way of Life -- www.wayoflife.org.
Casting Crowns is led by Mark Hall, a youth pastor at Eagles Landing First Baptist Church in suburban Atlanta. the band leads the contemporary worship services with their pop rock music.
The award-winning group has broad influence through songs such as “Come to the Well,” “Who Am I,” “Courageous,” “Glorious Day,” “If We Are the Body,” “Praise You with the Dance.”
Casting Crowns’ radical ecumenism and spiritual carelessness is evident in that they participated in the National Worship Leader Conference in 2011, joining hands with men such as Jack Hayford who says God spoke to him and told him not to judge the Roman Catholic Church.
Independent Baptists Who are Driving Toward Disaster
The following is a response by Hughie Seaborn (rseaborn@ozemail.com.au) in Australia to the recent report “IFB Pastor Advises No Separation from Independent Baptists; Says That Mild Syncopation Is OK” (FBIS, Jan. 11, 2012).
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Just a remark about Pastor Wendal’s poor thinking and lack of biblical discernment in his comment:
‘…having lived in different parts of the country I have discovered that some people’s English has a different sound to it.’
It’s quite amazing, isn’t it, that he would use people’s speech style to illustrate something about music? I’ve never been a pastor but I’ve now lived in this end-time society practically since the inception of rock music and I feel qualified to say that a person’s speech never persuades anyone, churched or unchurched, to start a-boogying. I have yet to see even one single person start dancing a jig in response to speech. However, I have noticed even little children, barely able to walk, immediately start tapping the feet and swaying to and fro in response to rhythmic music – even the type they play in most churches now.
I’ve also been a Christian long enough to come to the conclusion that while ever these blokes continue justifying themselves and defending their mates, instead of responding biblically to scripturally based reproof, they will progressively display more and more worldly activity and say increasingly foolish things, as Pastor Wendal has.
Replacing Hymns with Contemporary Praise Music
Past generations of believers sang with joy the great hymns of the faith. These were of inestimable benefit in living a godly and happy life with the Lord. The hymns have now been replaced with a music that is generally repetitive, doctrinally weak, and often sung in the same style as secular popular music. The following gives an insight as to why there is a huge and harmful difference between the Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley, Fanny Crosby, Philip Bliss, Ira Sankey kind of music, and that which is known today as CCM.
A growing number of fundamentalist singers, churches, and schools are adapting music from the field of Contemporary Praise Music even though they remain opposed to it in principle. Typically they use the words of the songs while changing the rhythm somewhat and omitting the bass guitar, drums, and heavy backbeat.
Three of the top charismatic-ecumenical music companies are Integrity, Maranatha, and Hillsong. About 75 of the top 100 contemporary worship songs are included in the latest Southern Baptist hymnal.
Contemporary Praise Music is dangerous because it is ecumenical in philosophy and practice. It is one of the most powerful glues of the end-time ecumenical movement. John Styll, the publisher of Worship Leader magazine, made the following telling observation: Continue reading this article……
MercyMe
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MercyMe is a rocking contemporary band that is ecumenical and charismatic. The band was formed in 1994 and “gained mainstream recognition with the crossover single, ‘I Can Only Imagine.’” In 2009, Billboard magazine named the band the Christian songs artist of the 2000s and the song “Word of God Speak” was named Christian song of the decade.
MercyMe’s songs are used by fundamental Baptist churches that have the philosophy of “adapting” contemporary music.
The band’s music has gotten progressively harder. The album This Life is described as “dance floor ready ... a breezy style that’s part Beatles, part Electric Light Orchestra ... slamming pop ... a unique El Paso vibe with a long and winding guitar part and standout bass.” The album All That Is Within Me is described as “an exuberant, defiant, stand-up-and-shake-your-fist-at-the-devil rock & roll worship album ... a thundering, classic rock backdrop.” In describing the album Coming Up to Breathe, thefish.com says, “MercyMe will rock you ... they have gotten more upbeat and aggressive.” The song “One Trick Pony” is described a “this bluesy-country-rock swampy thing ... a dirty sound compared to all of our clean pop stuff that we’ve done in the past” (www.thefish.com/musiclivepage.apple.com/ interviews).
They want to share their faith “without being forceful or pushy.”
Musical Associations and CCM Adaptation
When it comes to music, the philosophy coming into ascendance among IB churches is this: as long as the words are right we should relax and be edified and not be critical.
Recent West Coast graduate: “The music was a lot more of a concern to me when I first started to hear it and think of the fact that it was CCM artists that perform it. But seriously, are the words evil? Can a Christian not be edified by these songs? Is it not more important for a person to be edified than it is to be approved by men?”
Recent Hyles Anderson graduate: “I am not against new songs that are theo-centric and doctrinally correct. Who the writer is is not my concern. Any music that promotes God for who He is or what He has done without emphasizing the flesh, I am for.”
This philosophy allows the churches to “adapt” CCM by selecting songs that have Scriptural lyrics and toning down the rhythm. It is an attempt to take the “rock” out of Christian rock and to turn charismatic praise music into fundamentalist praise music.
Following are some of the reasons why this philosophy is unscriptural and dangerous:
1. THIS PHILOSOPHY DISREGARDS THE BIBLE’S CLEAR COMMANDS TO SEPARATE FROM HERESY AND END-TIMES APOSTASY.
Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
1 Corinthians 15:33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
Suggested Sacred Music Recordings
-- Based on new information we have received, we are publishing another update to this report.
The philosophy of music is changing rapidly among fundamental Baptist and other fundamentalist churches. It is becoming popular to “adapt” contemporary praise songs by selecting ones with Scriptural lyrics and toning down the rhythm. This is being done by Steve Pettit, Majesty Music, Soundforth, Bob Jones University, Pensacola Christian College, Northland, and West Coast Baptist College, for example. They excuse this practice in various ways, such as likening the use of contemporary praise to the use of a Lutheran or Methodist hymn, but this is a different thing altogether. While I have never heard of a fundamental Baptist church becoming Lutheran or Methodist by singing old hymns, many are moving rapidly in the direction of the contemporary philosophy by using contemporary music. The contemporary philosophy is 180 degrees contrary to a Bible-believing separatist position, and the music has transformative power. Nothing is building the end-time one-world church more effectively than contemporary praise music. For more on this see “The Transformational Power of Contemporary Praise Music” at the Way of Life web site.
Please note that we cannot guarantee that all of the music produced by the following organizations and ministries is sound. We publish this list because it is difficult to locate good Christian music and we desire to point the way to some of the music that we have found helpful. It is not possible for us to listen to every thing that has been produced by the following sources.
Also, there is the matter of “taste” which comes to play in Christian music. While there are definite biblical principles that must be applied to music, there is also a simple matter of taste. For example, my wife does not like quartets, but I like quartets as long as the music is spiritual and the message is scriptural and they don’t showboat. Some like operatic style and some don’t. This is the type of thing I am talking about when I talk about “taste.”
Ultimately it is the responsibility of each listener to prove the music by the Word of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
For tools in how to analyze Christian music we recommend the video series “Music for Good or Evil,” which is very up to date and is available from the Way of Life web site’s online catalog -- wayoflife.org
We encourage our readers to contact us if some of the music by any of the following sources is found to be worldly or contemporary.
Internet links change frequently. If any of the following links are inoperative, it is up to the reader to do his own Internet search to find the latest links and contact information.
BIBLE TRUTH MUSIC. Two excellent CDs by Bible Truth Music are “Hallelujah Singing” and “He Is Alive.” Bible Truth Music PO Box 1881 Newport News, VA 23601. 757-365-9956 or 877-276-6683 (toll free), http://bibletruthmusic.com/
CHRISTIAN PURITIES FELLOWSHIP. Various conservative music titles from Foundations Bible College. P.O. Box 1166, Dunn, NC 28333. 800-849-8761 (orders), www.foundations.edu (web site).
CHRIST-LIKE MUSIC. A good source for sacred music downloads that operates internationally and allows the use of non-US credit cards for payment, which other sources such as SacredAudio does not. http://www.christlikemusic.com/
CLARK, MIRIAN JARRELS. “While He Is Near.” Lovely piano/vocal arrangements. P.O. Box 292, Penn Laird, VA 22846.
Continue reading this article……
The Transformational Power of Contemporary Worship Music
The following written report is available in audio visual format as one of the titles in the video series MUSIC FOR GOOD OR EVIL. This was published in July 2011 as a replacement for previous presentations we have produced on this subject. The series is packed with graphics, video and audio clips. It has seven segments. I. Biblical Principles of Good Christian Music. We cover the following eight principles: Good Christian Music is for Christians and for the Lord. It is holy. It emphasizes melody. It is Christ-centered. It flows from a submissive attitude. It is separate from the world. It creates vigilance and sobriety. It is doctrinally pure and theologically precise. II. Why We Reject Contemporary Christian Music. In this section we give eight reasons for rejecting CCM: It is worldly, addictive, ecumenical, charismatic, shallow and man-centered, opposed to preaching, experience-oriented, and weakens the strong biblicist stance of a church. III. The Sound of Contemporary Christian Music. The goal of this section is to give the believer some simple tools that he can use to discern the difference between sensual and sacred music. We deal with the following four musical styles that are not fitting for good Christian music: 1. Syncopated dance styles, including the back beat, the off beat, the break beat, and the anticipated beat. 2. Sensual vocal styles (the whispery/breathy style and scooping/sliding). 3. Relativistic styles (deceptive chord cadence). 4. Overly soft styles that do not fit the message. IV. Transformational Power of CCM. This presentation answers the question why CCM is able to transform a “traditional” Bible-believing church to a New Evangelical one. It’s transformational power resides in its enticing philosophy of “liberty” and in its sensual, addictive music. V. Southern Gospel. Here we deal with the history of Southern Gospel, going back to the turn of the 20th century, to show how that Southern Gospel became an entertainment business. We also deal with the current status of Southern Gospel, the powerful influence of Bill Gaither, and the close association between Southern Gospel today and Contemporary Christian Music. VI. Marks of Good Song Leading. In this presentation we cover eight principles of good song leading: Leadership, preparation, edification, spirituality, truth and spiritual discernment, enthusiasm and a positive attitude, wisdom, and liberty and diversity. VII. Questions Answered on Contemporary Christian Music. Here we deal with 15 of the most common questions on this subject: 1. Do you mean that Christians should only use old music? 2. Is rhythm wrong? 3. Isn’t this issue just a matter of different taste? 4. Isn’t the sincerity of the musicians the important thing? 5. Isn’t some CCM acceptable? 6. Why does traditional church music seem dull? 7. Didn’t Luther use tavern music? 8. Didn’t the Wesleys use tavern music? 9. What is the difference between using CCW and using old interdenominational hymns? 10. Doesn’t the Bible encourage us to use cymbals and loud sounding instruments? 11. Why are you opposed to drums? 12. What is wrong with “soft rock”? 13. Didn’t God create all music? 14. Since God looks on the heart, why are you concerned about appearance? 15. Since kids today aren’t listening to traditional Christian music, shouldn’t we use rock to reach them? 4 DVDs or video downloads available from the Way of Life web site -- www.wayoflife.org
Aren't Multitudes of Young People Being Saved Through CCM?
Promoters of Christian rock music claim that the bottom line is that God is blessing it and that many young people are saved through it. Hard rocking Mylon LeFevre claimed that tens of thousands signed decisions cards at his concerts:
“There are 52,000 people who have signed a little card that says, ‘Tonight, for the first time, I understand who Jesus is and how He does things, and I want Him to be my Lord’” (LeFevre, cited by John Styll, “Mylon LeFevre: The Solid Rocker,” CCM Magazine, March 1986).
This is an amazing statistic by any standard, especially in light of the fact that LeFevre admitted that he did not get right with God until 1980 and the aforementioned statement was made in 1986.
Many other CCM performers claim that people are being saved through their ministries. The 12th Rock of Ages Festival in Napa County, California, in October 2010, reported 250 saved.
The book Soul 2 Soul contains salvation testimonies from CCM groups such as 4 HIM and dc Talk. They say that people have even been rescued from committing suicide through their music.
I am thankful for every soul that is saved regardless of whether or not we agree in all matters with those involved in the conversion. I do believe that some CCM groups are genuinely concerned for the salvation of young people through their music and concerts, and I do believe that some young people are being saved in the context of Contemporary Christian Music.
Contemporary Music Brings Great Changes to Churches
Contemporary Christian Worship music is spreading across all denominational lines, and when it enters a church it brings more than a change in music. It brings a worldly philosophy of Christianity and a gradual lowering of all standards of morality and doctrine.
The late Gordon Sears, who had an evangelistic music ministry for many years and ministered with Rudy Atwood, was saddened before his death by the dramatic change that was occurring in many fundamental Baptist churches. He warned: “When the standard of music is lowered, then the standard of dress is also lowered. When the standard of dress is lowered, then the standard of conduct is also lowered. When the standard of conduct is lowered, then the sense of value in God’s truth is lowered.”
Frank Garlock of Majesty Music warns, “If a church starts using CCM it will eventually lose all other standards” (Garlock, Bob Jones University Chapel, March 12, 2001).
The late Ernest Pickering gave a similar warning: “Perhaps nothing precipitates a slide toward New Evangelicalism more than the introduction of Contemporary Christian Music. This inevitably leads toward a gradual slide in other areas as well until the entire church is infiltrated by ideas and programs alien to the original position of the church.”
We can see the fulfillment of these warnings on every hand. Consider some examples:Continue reading this article……
Country Music, A Safe Alternative?
The following is by Jeff Royal (jeffroyal5@bellsouth.net) --
Music is a very important part of most people’s lives, and a quick scan of the radio dial reveals what people are listening to. Rock /rap/pop music dominate the airwaves, therefore many Christians are turning to a new venue--Country music.
Country music has hit the big time. It “has become the most popular radio format in America, reaching 77.3 million adults--almost 40 percent of the adult population--every week. Since 1989, country record sales have nearly doubled from $921 million to over $1.758 billion” (http://www.roughstock.com/history/garthnew.html).
Is Country music a viable alternative to the secular, worldly mainstream music of our day?
My concern is that a steady dose of Country music will not help you in your daily walk with the Lord, but it will actually hinder and ultimately weaken you.
Consider some song lyrics and information that will help shed light on the spiritual and moral dangers of this music.Continue reading this article……
Rock and Roll and End Times Mysticism
The following is an excerpt from our new book The God of End-Times Mysticism:
I believe that rock & roll is the most effective form of mysticism operating in modern society. It is the sound track for end-times apostasy and Mystery Babylon.
It is not surprising that rock & roll has been adapted for contemporary Christian worship because it has the power that contemporary worshippers are looking for, the power to create strong emotional experiences, the power literally to take control of you and to carry you into spiritual realms.
Rock & rollers have long described their music in glowing spiritual and religious terms, but the spiritual fervor described in the following quotes does not pertain to the Spirit of God; it pertains to the “god of this world” who masquerades as an angel of light (2 Cor. 4:4; 11:14).Continue reading this article……
Four Men of God Warn About "Adapting" CCM
“Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Corinthians 15:33).
“That I might not stultify my testimony I have cut myself clear of those who err from the faith, and even from those who associate with them.’ We do great harm to the cause of Christ by appearing to condone the disobedience of those unequally yoked with unbelievers” (Charles Haddon Spurgeon during the Downgrade Controversy).
Many independent Baptist churches that still have any sort of conviction against CCM are “adapting” it by using the words while toning down the rhythm. They are trying to take the “rock” out of Christian rock. They think they can tame the beast and turn Charismatic praise music into fundamentalist praise music.
This results in the gradual acceptance of and increasing use of CCM, the gradual allowance for sensual rhythms, a continual pushing of the boundaries.
Many discerning men have issued warnings about this slippery slope and its outcome, including the following:
The first example is the late Evangelist Gordon Sears:
“When the standard of music is LOWERED, then the standard of dress is also lowered. When the standard of dress is lowered, then the standard of conduct is also lowered. When the standard of conduct is lowered, then the sense of value in God’s truth is lowered” (Evangelist Gordon Sears, Songfest newsletter, April 2001).
What If Bro. Cloud Is Wrong About the West Coast Thing?
A missionary wrote to say in a very gracious manner that he does not agree that I should have published a warning about West Coast Baptist College’s music without first contacting Pastor Paul Chappell. He said that publishing my warning after he had opportunity to reply would have given me more credibility and that all of the people he has spoken to about this believe the same way. He closed with these words: “You have a blessed, powerful, needed ministry. I have been blessed as have many others over the years by your publishing. Is it possible you were wrong this time?”
REPLY FROM BROTHER CLOUD
After thanking him for taking the time to write, I replied in part as follows:
As for your question, could I be wrong on this. Of course I could be wrong. I am just one weak little man. But I don't think I'm wrong and I'm the one who had to make the decision and I'm the one who has prayed about and thought about it more than anyone, and I'm the one who has to give account for it and who has to live with it. (And my pastor supports what I did.)
Why I Did Not First Talk to Paul Chappell at West Coast
Proverbs 27:5-6 “Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”
Galatians 4:16 “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?”
Psalms 119:165 “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.”
In the Friday Church News Notes for February 18, 2011, I published “Lancaster Baptist Shouting to the Lord.” It is a warning about the deep infiltration of CCM at Lancaster and West Coast Baptist Church.
Some have been concerned that I should have first talked privately to Pastor Paul Chappell.
Let me say that I can understand those who say that I should have talked the matter over with Bro. Chappell first. I am willing to admit that they might be right and that might have been the best way to handle the matter. Maybe. Perhaps it could have been handled either way to the glory of God. I made the best decision I could at the time before the Lord, and the following are the reasons why I proceeded as I did and some answers to various associated challenges:
First, I do not consider this matter “a cheap shot,” as some have labeled it. This issue is not small and it is not a one-time or a two-time thing or a three-time thing. The adaptation of CCM is a longstanding, deeply rooted matter at Lancaster. It is a pattern. Having progressed to the point where a church uses a charismatic-ecumenical praise anthem like “Shout to the Lord” is not a small or cheap issue. Other CCM songs used by West Coast include “Hallelujah to the Lamb” by Don Moen, Majesty: Worship His Majesty” by Jack Hayford (a Pentecostal Kingdom Now anthem), “Great Is the Lord and How Majestic is Your Name” by Michael W. Smith, “Faithful Men” by Twila Paris, “In Christ Alone” by Michael English, at least one song by Steven Curtis Chapman, “A Prayer for a Friend” by Casting Crowns (who are called a “Grammy and Dove Award winning Christian Rock Band”), and “I Will Rise” by Chris Tomlin. This is certainly not an exhaustive list. It is only the tip of the iceberg. The “adaptation” of CCM is deeply rooted at Lancaster and West Coast.Continue reading this article……
Darlene Zschech and Contemporary Praise Music
Darlene Zschech (pronounced check) is a prominent voice in the contemporary praise movement. For 25 years she was “worship pastor” at Hills Christian Life Centre, Sydney, Australia, and has published many popular worship albums under the Hillsong Music label. She is also associated with Integrity Music and the Hosanna label. In 2010, Darlene and her husband became senior pastors of Church Unlimited, another Pentecostal church near Sydney, but she continues to be involved in music projects with Hillsong.
The co-pastors of Hills Christian Life Centre are Brian Houston and his wife, Bobbie. The church features a 12-piece rock band with five back-up singers and a positive prosperity message. In 2002, the church took in $10 million in tithes alone, not to speak of the sale of music and materials. Brian Houston’s book “You Need More Money” teaches the way to prosperity through giving and “kingdom living.” Houston says, “If you believe in Jesus, He will reward you here as well [as in Heaven]” (“The Lord's Profits,” Sydney Morning Herald, January 30, 2003). His wife and co-pastor Bobbie has a tape set titled “Kingdom Women Love Sex,” which doubtless is a top seller. (When I inquired about it at the Hills Christian Life Centre bookstore in October 2004, I learned that the name has been changed to “Kingdom Women Love & Value Their Sexuality.”
When asked by the Sydney Morning Herald reporter why the church is so successful, Brian Houston replied, “We are scratching people where they are itching.” That is right out of 2 Timothy 4:3, which is a warning of apostasy, of people who itch for a new kind of Christianity and of preachers will scratch this illicit itch. “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.”Continue reading this article……
High on Praise Music
Republished July 8, 2010 (first published September 21, 2006) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -
On Feb. 8, 2003, I visited the largest church in Singapore, City Harvest Church, to observe their doctrine and practice, and I am thankful to the three Singaporean friends from independent Baptist churches who accompanied me on my little tour.
On Saturdays, City Harvest has two services, one at 4:30 p.m. and one at 7:30. I attended the 7:30 session. The music was pull-out-the-stops rock & roll and was the loudest I have ever heard in a charismatic church or conference, even though I have attended many of them. The music featured TWO drummers, electric guitars, a keyboard, and a powerful brass section. Several worship leaders, both male and female, swayed and pranced on the front of the stage.
The several-thousand-seat auditorium was almost full and the people were very, very exuberant. As best as I could tell from my vantage point, almost every person joined in enthusiastically during the worship time, singing, clapping, jumping, swaying to the potent music.
Continue reading this article……
Confessions of a Former Worship Leader
I want to recommend an excellent new book by Dan Lucarini titled “Why I Left the Contemporary Christian Music Movement: Confessions of a Former Worship Leader” (Evangelical Press, 2002, P.O. Box 84, Auburn, MA 01501, sales@evangelicalpress.org).
The author was heavily involved in rock and roll before he was saved; and after his conversion in 1973, he was the leader of contemporary praise teams in two churches. In that capacity he assisted in moving the congregations from traditional to contemporary music. He was an enthusiastic supporter of Contemporary Christian Music and defended it with the standard arguments: music is neutral; music is merely a matter of personal preference; the Bible doesn’t say rock music is evil; it’s the heart that matters not the music; Martin Luther and the Wesleys used contemporary music in their day; rock music is necessary for evangelism; God is using CCM to save and disciple teens; etc.Continue reading this article……
Fundamentalists Adapting Contemporary Praise Music
A growing number of fundamentalist singers, churches, and schools are adapting music from the field of Contemporary Praise Music even though they remain opposed to it in principle. Typically they use the words of the songs while changing the rhythm somewhat and omitting the bass guitar, drums, and heavy backbeat.
Three of the top charismatic-ecumenical music companies are Integrity, Maranatha, and Hillsong. About 75 of the top 100 contemporary worship songs are included in the latest Southern Baptist hymnal.
Contemporary Praise Music is dangerous because it is ecumenical in philosophy and practice. It is one of the most powerful glues of the end-time ecumenical movement.
John Styll, the publisher of Worship Leader magazine, made the following telling observation:
“You can have a pretty straight-laced but theologically liberal Presbyterian church using the same songs that are being sung at a wild and crazy charismatic church, but they use different arrangements and adapt the songs to their unique settings” (Styll, quoted by Steve Rabey, “The Profits of Praise,” Christianity Today, July 12, 1999).
Why would a “theologically liberal” Presbyterian church, which perhaps hates the old hymns about the blood and adds hymns about mother god and the social gospel to its songbook, and which allows preachers to deny that Jesus is God and thinks unrepentant homosexuals make fine church members, be attracted to contemporary praise music? Why would a Roman Catholic who prays to Mary and praises God for purgatory (such as the popular charismatic priest Tom Forrest does) be attracted to contemporary praise music?
How Rock and Roll Took Over Western Society
The following is excerpted from the book ROCK MUSIC VS. THE GOD OF THE BIBLE. This is an extensive examination of rock music and its evil influence on society. Chapter titles include “My Experience with Rock Music” (the author’s testimony), “The Roots of Rock” (focusing on the blues, jazz, black spirituals, and Southern Gospel), “The Pioneers of Rock” (the families and lives of pioneer rockers, the influence of 50s rock on society, etc.), “The Character of Rock Music,” “Rock and the Occult,” “Rock and Spirituality,” “Rock and Violence,” “Rock and Love,” “Rock and Voodoo,” “Rock and Drugs,” “The Rock & Roll Deathstyle” (a list of more than 500 rockers who have died young due to the rock & roll lifestyle), “Rock and Rebellion,” “Rock Music and Insanity,” “Rock Musicians as Mediums,” “Rock Music and Pagan Religion,” “Death Metal Rock Music,” and “How to Raise a Rock and Roll Rebel.” 473 pages, 7X8, perfect bound. $19.95.
1. THE INCREASE IN TEENAGERS, PROSPERITY, AND LEISURE PREPARED THE WAY FOR ROCK & ROLL.
There was a “baby boom” in America following the end of World War II. In 1946, there were about 5.6 million teens in U.S. high schools. By 1956, the number had almost tripled to 13 million (The Fifties, p. 473).
There was an accompanying dramatic increase in personal wealth and leisure. “In a 1956 survey, Scholastic magazine’s Institute of Student Opinion calculated that there were thirteen million teenagers in America, with a total income of $7 billion a year, and an average income of $10.55 a week--a figure close to the average disposable income available to an average American family just fifteen years before” (James Miller, Flowers in the Dustbin, p. 144). Continue reading this article……
The Feminization of Christian Music
Christian music doesn’t have to have a backbeat to be problematic. In my preaching meetings over the last couple of years, I have become increasingly concerned about the “sweetness” and “softness” of the Christian music that is being sung as choir numbers and specials. It is a problem that is not easy to describe, not easy to nail down. It involves a backing away from the bold, dogmatic, militant sound that characterizes the best of the old hymns. The music is sweeter, more pleasant -- too pleasant, I believe. I am convinced that the new soft sound ministers not to the spirit but to the soul. It is soulish. It doesn’t bring spiritual conviction. It doesn’t change lives. It is pleasant, entertaining, appealing, but not powerfully godly.
The following important warning is from Confronting Contemporary Christian Music by Dr. H.Talmadge Spence:
"In 1973 a Neo-Evangelical movement swept across America called 'Key '73.' Many of the evangelical denominations, including the Pentecostals, joined this movement, believing it would be the strongest evangelistic thrust to date in our country. An extensive invitation was sent out for new music to be written that promoted the message of 'Key '73' with several stipulations: the words righteousness, judgment, holiness, repentance, and several other biblical terms were not allowed to be used, and THE LYRICS WERE TO BE OF A POSITIVE NATURE. There was an intentional effort made to write NON-OFFENSIVE songs. A number of these were produced that year through this evangelical effort, strengthening the move away from biblical, doctrinal standards in the music.
Continue reading this article……
Southern Gospel Music
Southern gospel is not a single style of music, but is a classification for a broad range of harmonizing, country-tinged Christian music that originated in the southeastern part of the United States. Some Southern gospel is lovely and spiritual and seeks not to entertain the flesh but to edify the spirit. (There are also quartets that are not Southern gospel in style; an example is the Old Fashioned Revival Hour Quartet that was featured on Charles Fuller’s radio program.) We praise the Lord for all Christian music, Southern or otherwise, which doesn’t sound like the world, which has scriptural lyrics, which seeks solely to glorify Jesus Christ and edify the saints, and which is produced by faithful Christians. Sadly, though, much of the Southern gospel incorporates worldly pop, country, ragtime, jazz, boogie-woogie, and rock rhythms, and is oriented toward entertainment. It is the latter that is closely akin to Contemporary Christian Music. As a matter of fact, commercial Southern gospel today is one of the branches of the larger CCM world.
I grew up with Southern gospel. The Southern Baptist churches my mom and dad attended in Florida would have all-day sings on some Sundays. Following the morning service, we would have a glorious “dinner on the ground,” featuring tables piled high with the tastiest dishes the church ladies could concoct. The kids would romp around as the tables were prepared, then the pastor would pray and everyone would gorge himself on whichever foods suited their fancy. The variety was incredible. When the meal was finished and the tables cleared, everyone gathered back in the church auditorium for the sing. There would be some congregational singing and then the quartets would start up. Usually these were local groups, but sometimes a professional group would be available. I always liked the congregational singing best.
(above, Elvis sings with the Statesmen Quartet at a Gospel Music Concert)Continue reading this article……
What is the Difference Between Contemporary Christian Worship Music and Old Interdenominational Hymns?
Updated March 20, 2011 (first published January 7, 2010) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -
The following is from the 2011 edition of CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC: SOME QUESTIONS ANSWERED AND SOME WARNINGS GIVEN. This book begins with the author’s experience of living the rock & roll lifestyle before he was saved and of how the Lord dealt with him about music in the early months of my Christian life. The next section of the book expounds on FIVE REASONS WHY WE ARE OPPOSED TO CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC AND THE CONTEMPORARY PRAISE MUSIC: It is worldly; it is ecumenical; it is charismatic; it is experience-oriented; and it weakens the fundamentalist stance of churches. We give examples of how changes are occurring in formerly staunchly fundamentalist churches through the instrumentality of contemporary music. The next section of the book answers 29 QUESTIONS THAT ARE COMMONLY ASKED ON THIS SUBJECT. These are as follows: Should Christians only use old music? Isn't music neutral? Does a b flat note have a moral quality? Isn't the sincerity of the musicians the important thing? Isn't some of the contemporary Christian music acceptable? What is the difference between using contemporary worship music and using old hymns that were interdenominational? What about the miracles that some CCM artists witness? Why does traditional church music seem dull? Didn't Luther use tavern music? Didn’t the Wesleys use tavern music? Isn't the issue of music just a matter of taste? Doesn't the Bible encourage us to use cymbals and stringed and loud sounding instruments? Why are you opposed to drums? What is wrong with soft rock? If we assume that Christian music is demonic, why would the devil sing about Jesus Christ and the things of God? Didn't God create all music? Christians are not supposed to judge, are they? Love is more important than doctrine and standards of living, isn't it? Since God looks on the heart, why are you concerned about appearance? Isn't Christianity all about grace? Shouldn't we use rock music to reach the youth? Making rules and standards about music and clothing and such is pharisaical legalism, isn't it? Don't 1 Corinthians 6:12 and 10:23 teach that the Christian has liberty? Didn't Paul say that he was made all things to all men? David danced before the Lord, so why are you against dancing in the churches? Why do you say that the Pentecostal-Charismatic movement is unscriptural? By preaching against Christian rock aren't you hurting people and hindering their ministries? What about all of the young people who are being saved through CCM? The final sections contain TIPS FOR KEEPING CONTEMPORARY MUSIC OUT OF THE CHURCHES and SUGGESTED RESOURCES FOR SACRED MUSIC. 190 pages. $8.95
_________________________
QUESTION
A pastor asked the following question:
“What is the difference from using songs that every denomination using across the board from the past (‘Just as I Am,’ ‘Amazing Grace,’ etc.) to using songs that everyone uses across the board in the present (‘How Deep the Father’s Love for Us,’ ‘Holy Ground,’ ‘Majesty,’ etc.) if they follow Biblical principles and if we do not promote a particular artist whose lifestyle we don’t support?”
Another pastor who wrote to criticize me for my warning about Independent Baptist churches that are adapting CCM said that if my position is true I should stop using the King James Bible, because it was written by Anglicans.
ANSWER
This is a very typical argument used by CCM defenders, and it is amazing to hear it on the lips of an Independent Baptist preacher who would doubtless think of himself as a real defender of the faith. If we buy into this argument, we will not be able to resist the onslaught of CCM in any effective manner except perhaps to stand against hard rock, and that stand won’t last very long. Those who accept soft rock will eventually accept “hard” rock. It’s the same fleshly beast.
In a nutshell, I would offer three rejoinders:
First, the old Protestant denominations were fundamentally different than their modern counterparts.
The old Lutherans and Methodists were militant for the Christian faith and were not infiltrated by theological modernism and other new thinking. They hated Popery! The old Protestants were much closer, doctrinally and spiritually, to the position of today’s old-fashioned Baptist church than to that of the contemporary movement.
Does Jesus Groove to Rock Music
Republished December 23, 2009 (first published July 3, 2000) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -
The July 2000 issue of Charisma, the very influential Charismatic publication, has an article exhorting the readers to “Get in the Groove.” The author, J. Lee Grady, mocks traditional Christian music as “dirge-like” and “lily-white” and something only for “grandmothers.” He goes on to make the pretentious claim that worship music in Heaven will feature “a dozen Hammond-B3 organs and a procession of hip-hop [rap] dancers.” Not content with this brazen claim, Grady tells us that Jesus Christ “loves all music--even the funkiest” and that Jesus Christ enjoys dancing with the angels and “grooving to the sound of Christian R&B [rhythm and blues] pumped out of a boom box.”
How does Grady know this? The simple and frightful fact is that he knows no such thing. He is preaching a false christ, and the Contemporary Christian Music movement in general is preaching much the same thing. They tell us that Jesus Christ is not separated from the world, that He loves every sort of music in this wicked world, that He boogies to rock and roll, that He is pleased when His people hip hop around on a stage after the fashion of modern rappers.
Light Rock: The Devil's Chum
The following is an excerpt from a seminar on rock music entitled "Easy on the Ears, Hard on the Soul," by David Benoit (Glory Ministries, Charlotte, North Carolina) --
You know, I talk about heavy metal rock 'n' roll and I make a few people mad. But then when I show a slide of these guys [New Kids on the Block] I make people really mad. But let me stop right here. Before you get really mad at me, let me ask you a question. Why is it that anger comes on when I put these guys up? I know, you're sitting there going, "I can't believe this guy's going to say anything's wrong with these guys."
You know, last year I went to the Bahamas. And I went fishing for shark. Now to fish for shark--do you know how they do that? Continue reading this article……
Country Music
The following is from the book Music in the Balance, by Frank Garlock and Kurt Woetzel, copyright 1992 by Majesty Music, P.O. Box 6524, Greenville, SC 29606. Used by permission.
This is an appropriate time to comment on a disturbing tendency in some Christian circles. Rock music is frequently rejected by Christian adults in what would be considered good churches. However, there is another sound which is welcomed in many of those same churches. The country sound, considered to be harmless and mild by adults who cannot bear that "noise," has gained in popularity and acceptance as an appropriate vehicle to sing praises unto the Lord.
THE THEME
Country music is contemporary music which is designed to entertain, satisfy, and please the world. An entire city exists on this industry. Nashville has become synonymous with country music. The discussion of the previous lessons has focused on the proven fact that all music, by its very nature, preaches a message. What is the message of country music? The titles of the songs give a reasonably accurate indication of the theme of the music:
"Loving Up a Storm"
"You'd Make an Angel Want to Cheat"
"That Lovin' You Feelin' Again"
"You Make Me Want to Be a Mother"
"Behind Closed Doors"
"Something to Brag About"
"She's Pullin' Me Back Again"
"Making Love from Memory"
"Let's Get It While the Gettin's Good"
"She's Not Really Cheatin,' She's Just Gettin' Even"Continue reading this article……
The Feminizatin of Christian Music
Christian music doesn’t have to have a backbeat to be problematic. In my preaching meetings over the last couple of years, I have become increasingly concerned about the “sweetness” and “softness” of the Christian music that is being sung as choir numbers and specials. It is a problem that is not easy to describe, not easy to nail down. It involves a backing away from the bold, dogmatic, militant sound that characterizes the best of the old hymns. The music is sweeter, more pleasant -- too pleasant, I believe. I am convinced that the new soft sound ministers not to the spirit but to the soul. It is soulish. It doesn’t bring spiritual conviction. It doesn’t change lives. It is pleasant, entertaining, appealing, but not powerfully godly.
The following important warning is from Confronting Contemporary Christian Music by Dr. H.Talmadge Spence:
"In 1973 a Neo-Evangelical movement swept across America called 'Key '73.' Many of the evangelical denominations, including the Pentecostals, joined this movement, believing it would be the strongest evangelistic thrust to date in our country. An extensive invitation was sent out for new music to be written that promoted the message of 'Key '73' with several stipulations: the words righteousness, judgment, holiness, repentance, and several other biblical terms were not allowed to be used, and THE LYRICS WERE TO BE OF A POSITIVE NATURE. There was an intentional effort made to write NON-OFFENSIVE songs. A number of these were produced that year through this evangelical effort, strengthening the move away from biblical, doctrinal standards in the music.
Continue reading this article……
Video Presentations on Contemporary Music
Republished April 22, 2009 (first published January 20, 2009) (Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -
Way of Life has four powerful multimedia DVD presentations on the subject of contemporary Christian music, and we are convinced that these are more needful for fundamentalist and independent Baptist churches than ever. Each week we receive news about the inroads that is being made by contemporary music.
The video presentations are professionally produced and a multiplicity of photographs and video and audio clips are included to illustrate the message.
These presentations are for churches, Bible Colleges, and Home Schools that want to prepare their people to avoid the contemporary music and its underlying New Evangelical philosophy.
Continue reading this article……
Christian Drum Circles
July 8, 2008 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -
Drum circles are growing in popularity in North American society in general and are beginning to be used in ecumenical and emerging churches.
A drum circle is a group of people who get together to beat out rhythms on various types of drums and to be carried along by the interminable pounding beat. Drum circles are a logical outgrowth of the addiction to the rock & roll back beat, which is an integral part of contemporary Christian worship.
The group Rhythm Praise is dedicated to hosting drum circles and “rhythm events.” It is said to “open up a dialog within a community where communication, shared values, self-esteem and unity can be attained” (http://www.rhythmpraise.org/). It is “a vehicle to break down barriers between people and to foster healing.”
Mike Perschon is the associate pastor of Holyrood Mennonite Church in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He teaches contemplative practices at youth retreats. Writing for the Youth Specialties web site in 2004, Perschon described entire nights “devoted to guided meditations, drum circles, and ‘soul labs’” (“Desert Youth Worker: Disciplines, Mystics and the Contemplative Life,” Youth Specialties, www.youthspecialties.com/articles/topics/spirituality/desert.php). This was part of the church’s “alternative spiritual expressions.”
In 2004 the Cameron United Methodist Church in Denver, Colorado, hosted a community drum circle night entitled “drumming up the spirits” (Christine Stevens, “Drumming up the Spirits,” Christian Sound & Song, Issue 9, 2005, http://www.ubdrumcircles.com/article_spirits.html). This was “a kick-off to future church based drumming programs” and since then the women’s spirituality group has taken up drumming.
Stevens says: “Drumming is happening in churches across America. It is being used in children’s programs, worship services, family events, and men’s and women’s groups.”
The Church of the Holy Comforter of Richmond, Virginia, founded by Regena Stith, uses drum circles. Stith first experienced the drums in the late 1990s during a yoga retreat (Roger Oakland, Faith Undone, p. 70). She said that during the drumming “you move out of your head.”
Roger Oakland writes:
“Even though some in the emerging church might consider the drumming at the Church of the Holy Comforter in Richmond a bit extreme, it is growing in popularity and use in the postmodern religious scene. And according to proponents, drumming is a doorway for ecumenical harmony” (Faith Undone, p. 70).
Oakland quotes Zachary Reid who says drumming “can transcend denominational and cultural boundaries” (“Feeling the Beat: The Spiritual Side of Drum Circles,” Richmond Times Dispatch, March 10, 2007).
Oakland also sites an article by Asher Main at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship web site (March 2005), that says, “It would be to our advantage as worshippers to harness this resource that we see in secular world culture and adapt it and bring it into the church.”
I have a niece who was heavily involved in drum circles when she was using hallucinogenic drugs. The weekly drum circle became her “church.” She would dance for hours in a trance-like state, caught up in the power of rhythm. After she repented and got right with the Lord she realized that she had been communing with devils.
Can you imagine the Lord Jesus and Peter and John sitting by the Lake of Galilee pounding away on drums in order to have a mystical experience with God, and the rest of the disciples dancing around in a trance!
When one lets go of a strict commitment to the Bible as the sole authority for faith and practice and rejects the biblical practice of separation from error (Romans 16:17; Ephesians 5:11), there is no end to the confusion that can result.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
[Distributed by Way of Life Literature's Fundamental Baptist Information Service, an e-mail listing for Fundamental Baptists and other fundamentalist, Bible-believing Christians. OUR GOAL IN THIS PARTICULAR ASPECT OF OUR MINISTRY IS NOT DEVOTIONAL BUT IS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO ASSIST PREACHERS IN THE PROTECTION OF THE CHURCHES IN THIS APOSTATE HOUR. This material is sent only to those who personally subscribe to the list. If somehow you have subscribed unintentionally, following are the instructions for removal. The Fundamental Baptist Information Service mailing list is automated. To SUBSCRIBE or to UNSUBSCRIBE or to CHANGE ADDRESSES or to RE-SUBSCRIBE UNDER A NEW ADDRESS, go to http://www.wayoflife.org/fbis/subscribe.html. If you have any trouble with this, please let us know. And please be patient with us. We do not ignore any unsubscribe request, but we cannot always get to your request immediately as each person involved with maintaining the Way of Life web site does this only on a very part time basis and is busy with many other major activities, such as pastoring and missionary work. We take up a quarterly offering to fund this ministry, and those who use the materials are expected to participate (Galatians 6:6) if they can. Some of the articles are from O Timothy magazine, which is in its 25th year of publication. Way of Life publishes many helpful books. The catalog is located at the web site: http://wayoflife.org/catalog/catalog.htm Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061. 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org. We do not solicit funds from those who do not agree with our preaching and who are not helped by these publications, but from those who are. OFFERINGS can be made at http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/offering.html. PAYPAL offerings can be made to https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=dcloud%40wayoflife.org]
What About Bluegrass?
April 30, 2008 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -
I received the following question from a reader:
“You have dealt with CCM, Southern Gospel, and Rock and Roll in the churches. There is one area that seems to exist in the fundamental churches that no one pays much attention to. That is bluegrass gospel. CCM and rock and roll are easily discerned but bluegrass is far more palatable to the Christian and accepted among Christians. Bluegrass, like other forms of music, has its deep roots in the world no matter what spiritual word you lay down beside it. So often when people engage in this music the religious music is not enough so they start to go to popular songs that are secular. Godly music has never inspired me to listen to the world’s music. It seems to me gospel bluegrass is of the flesh and for the flesh. I have seen the same effects produced by bluegrass gospel as rock and CCM has produced. Attitudes, standards and respect for the word of God seem to descend. Is this something that ought to be in our churches?
Is it Wrong to Listen to "Clean" Secular Rock?
February 26, 2008 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -
I received the following question recently:
“I am a 14-year-old born-again Christian (proud of being born again) with a question about secular music. I do not approve of the rock lifestyle, but I like rock music. I have about 40% secular music and 60% Christian music on my iPod. I am very picky about the secular music on my iPod. I do not approve of music about sex, drugs, or alcohol. I also will not tolerate curse words and blasphemy. But throughout the Rock 'n' Roll scene, there are songs without any of this. I have found that it is hard to find one secular group that has none of this in any of their songs, but my philosophy has always been that I should judge the song instead of the singer. For example, John Lennon, one of the pill-popping adulterous Beatles who stated that he was more famous then Jesus, wrote a song entitled ‘Beautiful Boy’ for his son. I have always found this song sweet and enjoyed it, but the song ‘Imagine’ starts off with ‘Imagine there’s not heaven, it’s easy if you try.’ And I don't approve of that song. So this leads me to my question: In your opinion, should I not listen to any of the clean secular songs, because they are written by vulgar Rock 'n' Roll stars. I stress that I do not admire them, but I do love music a lot.”
REPLY FROM BROTHER CLOUD
Continue reading this article……
Bill Gaither's Disobedience to God's Word
Updated and enlarged May 5, 2006 (first published July 30, 1998) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -
Bill and Gloria Gaither are graduates of Anderson College, a Church of God school, and attend a Nazarene church. They have written some very popular and well-known gospel music, such as “He Touched Me,” “Thanks to Calvary,” and “There’s Something about That Name.” Since the early 1990s, the Gaither’s Homecoming CD and video series has dramatically increased the popularity of Southern Gospel music in this generation.
Sadly, the Gaithers have used their vast influence to promote the lie that music is neutral and thus to encourage the deep inroads that the world has made into Southern Gospel. They have also promoted the unscriptural ecumenical movement with its bogus “judge not” philosophy and its lack of concern about doctrinal purity.
MUSIC IS NEUTRAL
In the 1980s Gaither bought into contemporary Christian music’s foundational premise that “MUSIC IS NEUTRAL” and that any type of raunchy music can be used to glorify God.
Continue reading this article……
