Sunday School August 14, 2016

Psa 102:25 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. Psa 102:26 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: Psa 102:27 But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.

Some of us are familiar with a “Church” that was homogenous Mostly white people Mostly “middle class” Mostly married people Usually used the KJV Wore suits and dresses Had the traditional programs (buses, youth, door-to door, etc.) Used the piano and organ and hymnal Then came the Vietnam era, and nothing has ever been the same, since

But the truth is, that the entire history of Christianity has been one of conflict And one major area of conflict is music Even though there are a limited number of texts under discussion This isn’t a commentary on the quality—or lack of quality—of today’s music But it’s important to know that the Church was debating musical styles long before Bill Gaither came along And the Church—for better or worse—has survived many centuries of musical conflict.

In England The Protestant Reformation (1517) upset religious norms In 1535, King Henry VIII declared himself head of the “Church of England, “ and Anglicanism was born By the late 1500’s, England continued to use… – Cathedral Music – Metric Psalmody – And a “new form” of music called “English verse anthem.”

By the 1600’s, The Church of England was in full conflict – There were traditionalists, who continued the traditional music – Puritans (non-conformists, or dissenters), who most generally continued metric psalmody – Separatists (The pilgrims at Plymouth Rock), who pretty much followed 1 of 3 paths Metric psalmody “charismatic solos” No singing at all

Among the separatist groups were the Baptists and Congregationalists, who, since they supported Church autonomy, left the music issue up to individual congregations But, then as now, people tried to persuade others of the “rightness” of one position over the other And it was during this time that hymnody, or the use of hymns, began.

In 1690, Isaac Marlowe published a book A Brief discourse concerning singing in the publick worship of God in the Gospel-church In it, he opposed hymnody, arguing (on the basis of Ephesians 5, that music must originate in the heart, and that having everyone (including women!) sing the same song at the same time is wrong In general, he opposed singing in church, unless it was the result of the immediate activity of the Spirit

In 1691, the Baptist pastor Benjamin Keach published a response The Breach Repaired in God's Worship, or Singing of Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs Proved to be an Holy Ordinance of Jesus Christ. Keach had introduced hymnody to his London congregation somewhere around 1673

Here are some of the controversial songs Amazing Grace When I Survey the Wondrous Cross Joy to the World

What were the issues; the cause of the fight? What is the essence of worship? What right—if any—do we have to introduce “novelties” into the worship service? Where is the permission to bring man-made music into God’s Church?

John Smyth was a “general” Baptist Pastor. He wrote in Wee hould that the worship of the new testament properly so called is spirituall proceeding originally from the hart: and that reading out of a booke (though a lawful eclesiastical action) is no part of the spirituall worship, but rather the invention of the man of synne it beeing substituted for a part of spirituall worship 2. Wee hould that seeing prophesiing is a part of spirituall worship: therefore in time of prophesiing it is unlawfull to have the booke as a helpe before the eye 3. Wee hould that seeing singinging [sic] a psalme is a parte of spirituall worship therefore it is unlawfull to have the booke before the eye in time of singinge a psalme.