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Strings Against the Wind !. Part 3. Windprints. Larry West. Strings Against the Wind!. Strings Against the Wind!.
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StringsAgainsttheWind! Part 3 Windprints Larry West
Strings Against the Wind! Strings Against the Wind! “The first-century church didn’t use the instrument. So, God must have been telling them not to do it! How can you say God WASN’T telling the apostles what to do and what not to do?” “What about church history?” (shouts a brother.) “Good question, your Honor! We will now address church history,” says Curly.
Strings Against the Wind! Says Curly: “Here are some whys the early church did not use the instrument:” ____________________ (1) Early tradition of the synagogue (?) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)
Strings Against the Wind! “Your Honor,” says Curly, “there are some who say the first-century church actually followed the tradition of the synagogue rather than the temple worship. I present to the court the Presbyterian Board of Publications that says, and I quote: ‘It was not allowed in the Synagogues, the parish churches of the Jews, but was confined to the Temple service ….‘ Did you hear that? “…to the Temple service!”
Strings Against the Wind! • “ “Yet, in contrast, Mr. James Kinnon in Wineskins magazine says, ‘Modern scholars say there is no evidence of the early church adopting its worship from the synagogue.’” “He says there’s NO evidence that’s true!”
Strings Against the Wind! “So, unlike the rest we have on our list, this is merely a ‘possible‘ reason why the first-century church did not use the instrument. “We find conflicting sources. That’s why we put a question mark on it.”
Strings Against the Wind! “ And,” drawls Curly, “ by the way, one ‘feller’ just asked, ‘How do we know God wasn’t tellin’ ‘them’ Apostles other things in the first century?’ Well, my friends, slap my whiskers, let me remind us all of our paradigm! It’s to speak where God is speakin’, right? And where He ‘ain’t’ a’speakin’, why, we say we ‘ain’t’ gonna do it neither!” “CORRECT?”
Strings Against the Wind! “But, these reasons are like merely filling prescription bottles. That is, just look up some historian’s quote, his own researched reason, and just put it in the bottle.”
Strings Against the Wind! Says Curly: “Here’s a second reason why the early church did not use the instrument:” ____________________ (1) Early tradition of the synagogue (?) (2) Saints’ persecutions (3) (4) (5) (6)
Strings Against the Wind! “For a thousand years nearly one-fourth of the world’s population was under Roman rule, an iron kingdom. Emperor Nero was viciously attacking Christians. He was brutal and violent! Christians were already under his persecution when Paul wrote his letters to the Romans, Colossians and Ephesians, but especially after Rome burned in 64 A.D. Nero, under political heat himself for the disaster, turned and blamed it on the Christians. After the fire burned out he cleared off some real estate in downtown Rome to build his Coliseum, only to intensify his persecution of the Christians. And was it ruthless and relentless!”
Strings Against the Wind! Says Curly: “So … … Chambers Encyclopedia says, ‘If the Christian cult had immediately received official recognition – it is probable that the Christians would have made use of at least some of the instrumental resources of the time, but being driven underground into the catacombs they were compelled to avoid drawing attention to their activities.’” Chambers Encyclopedia, Vol. 7, p. 112.
Strings Against the Wind! Says Curly: “That, then, fills prescription bottle number two!”
Strings Against the Wind! Says Curly: “Number three, why the early church did not use the instrument:” ____________________ (1) Early tradition of the synagogue (?) (2) Saints’ persecutions! (3) Association with their pagan past! (4) (5) (6)
Strings Against the Wind! Says Curly: “And many more authorities fit here too,” says Curly. “Dr. Donald Jay Grout, Professor of Musicology, Cornell University says, ‘...The forms and types of music connected with the great public spectacles such as festivals, competitions, and dramatic performances, as also the music of more intimate convivial occasions, were regarded by many as unsuitable for the Church, not so much from any dislike of music itself as from the need to wean the increasing numbers of converts away from everything associated with their pagan past. This attitude involved at first even a distrust of all instrumental music.”A History of Western Music, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., New York, a university textbook, pp. 19-20.
Strings Against the Wind! Says Curly: “Now, I could bring to the stand dozens more the prosecution can introduce in evidence for its case, but you will notice, please, such fall into this, the third prescription bottle.” “… lifeless demons, unnecessary, and used in heathen entertainment.” Chrysostom “… licentious and mischievous” Clement
Strings Against the Wind! Says Curly: “Number four was:” ____________________ (1) Early tradition of the synagogue (?) (2) Saints’ persecutions! (3) Association with their pagan past! (4) Evolving tradition! (5) (6)
Strings Against the Wind! “How long had the non use made a habit, making tradition?” asks Curly, raising his index finger in the air, only to give answer. “History gives many dates. Here are some historians who simply set the date as best they can, and, your honor, not all are necessarily arguing against the instrument, as the prosecution wants to use them as saying.” And submitting the following as exhibit evidence, he says, “Notice these:” Says Curly:
Strings Against the Wind! Joseph Bingham, says, “In the Western parts, the instrument, as not so much as known till the eighth century; for the first organ that was ever seen in France was one sent as a present to King Pepin by Constantinus Copronymus, the Greek emperor. . . . But, now, it was only used in prince‘s courts, and not yet brought into churches; nor was it ever received into the Greek churches, there being no mention of an organ in all their liturgies ancient or modern.” • Pope Vitalian is related to have first introduced organs into some of the churches of Western Europe about 670 but the earliest trustworthy account is that of one sent as a present by the Greek emperor Constantine Copronymus to Pepin, king of Franks in 755.‘‖ 670 A.D. Says Curly: 8th Century John Giradeau, Presbyterian professor in Columbia Theological Seminary, says, ‗The church … had not instrumental music for 1200 years (that is, it was not in general use before this time); The Calvinistic Reform Church ejected it from its service as an element of popery, even the church of England having come very nigh its extrusion from her worship.‘‖ 13th Century
Strings Against the Wind! “So,” says Curly, “it seems the general consensus is that it was introduced anywhere from the sixth to the eighth century, even to the 13th, certainly long enough to become an evolving tradition.” “And tradition is okay! That is, as long as it doesn‘t become law … and breaking it then becomes criminal!”
Strings Against the Wind! “Oh-Kay,” says Curly, “now we’re gettin’ personal!” “What’s on YOUR plate?”
Strings Against the Wind! Says Curly: “Reason Number five!” ____________________ (1) Early tradition of the synagogue (?) (2) Saints’ persecutions! (3) Association with their pagan past! (4) Evolving tradition! (5) Personal Preference! (6)
Strings Against the Wind! “… Instrumental music in the house of God I abominate and abhor. This is the abuse of music, and I here register my protest against all such corruption of the worship of the author of Christianity. The late and venerable and most eminent divine, the Rev. John Wesley, who was a lover of music, and an elegant poet, when asked his opinion of instruments of music being introduced into the chapels of the Methodists, said in his terse and powerful manner, 'I have no objections to instruments of music in our chapels, provided they are neither heard nor seen.' I say the same.” -Adam Clark, Methodist‖ Says Curly:
Strings Against the Wind! “And when you put on your own brand a’boots, then “boots are made for walkin’ …. And they’ll walk all over you!” Says Curly:
Strings Against the Wind! Says Curly: And that brings us to reason number 6: ____________________ (1) Early tradition of the synagogue (?) (2) Saints’ persecutions! (3) Association with their pagan past! (4) Evolving tradition! (5) Personal Preference! (6) Then, comes the wind!
Strings Against the Wind! “Watch it happen with even beloved men. Like Ben Franklin, editor of American Christian Review, when he shamed himself in the body of Christ when he said in 1860, ‘Instrumental music is permissible for a church under the following conditions: 1. When a church never had or has lost the Spirit of Christ. 2. If a church has a preacher who never had or has lost the Spirit of Christ, who has become a dry, prosing and lifeless preacher. 3. If a church only intends being a fashionable society, a mere place of amusements and secular entertainment and abandoning the idea of religion and worship. 4. If a church has within it a large number of dishonest and corrupt men. 5. If a church has given up all idea of trying to convert the world.‘” Says Curly:
Strings Against the Wind! Says Curly: “So, here are the whys the early church did not use the instrument … adequately explaining our history:” ____________________ (1) Early tradition of the synagogue (?) (2) Saints’ persecutions! (3) Association with their pagan past! (4) Evolving tradition! (5) Personal Preference! (6) Then, comes the wind!
