Posted on 06/12/2007 3:26:32 PM PDT by pissant
There are churches in my area that are putting “Family of God” on their sign in large letters followed by tiny print that reads “a church of Christ”. Since we are NOT a denomination, that is certainly the perogative of the local body. I attend a church that has grown in recent years from 500 to almost 1000 as people left other congregations to escape the Happy Clappy. But we are far from the Chosen Frozen (although I’ve no doubt I was called that at my former congregation). We are a thriving congregation that just prefers not to jump on the purpose-driven train and wind up at the bottom of a slippery slope.
This book has a "rudiments of music" in the front that teaches all about how to read shape notes. If you want to learn, that's as good a start as any. And you can get some of the recordings and sing along.
It was more of an academic exercise for me, because I can't remember a time when I couldn't read music (mom's a music prof., retired now, and both parents sang in church choirs from childhood, as did I). But shape notes apparently help you learn to read music if you didn't know how before.
As you probably know if you looked at the Wiki entry (and the cross reference to Sacred Harp), the shape note community is highly fragmented. Even the four-note Sacred Harp crowd is split between the Cooper revision (mostly in Texas and the Western parts of the South) and the Denson revision (deep South and Piedmont).
I'm a Denson Sacred Harp singer -- I have a copy of the 1911 James revision (parent of the Denson book) as well.
I love the congregation I am in now - there is just a wonderful sense of caring and love. We have a large congregation in the area that is moving to ultra liberal and we are getting many from that church.
The people I have come to know awe me with their lives and character. No preteniousness - just salt of the earth good American people. One of the elders is often mistaken for the maintenance man by unknowing visitors. Any time I am up there during the day, I will generally find him working on something.
I am so blessed to have found this church and finally I feel a part. Being around a group such as this makes you want to join in and do all you can.
The weird thing we have noticed is that the pattern is always the same in the move toward more liberalism. First they only want to clap their hands (which is nothing), then they start bringing instruments into other church functions, then the praise teams, then recorded instrumental music used at special times, then the drift to including secular teaching materials which have some things we do not believe.
On and on. Each is really explainable and nothing to worry about on its own - but why the pattern? That is disturbing to me because it shows manipulation and a purpose.
This larger congregation got women deacons, moved to Saturday night church service giving communion and even branched out to a satellite church without the “Church of Christ” name. Now why is it necessary to tinker with the church and fall away from the biblical teachings? They even were limiting use of Bible verses in classes to one per class.
If you have to remove the bible from teaching, if you have to change and say baptism is not necessary - you are up to destruction of the church for your own purposes.
Very interesting. I cannot really read music other than follow the direction of the notes - I just generally try and make my voice blend in with the others.
I so admire those with musical talent. It is such a gift because many just do not have it.
It sure gives you goosebumps when the building is filled with those voices singing for all they are worth. The harmonies and different parts are so very powerful. Of course the singing would be nothing unless the hearts joined in.
I love instrumental music but once one instrument is added to the service, you soon have a whole band with the jockeying of performers seeking to showoff for personal gratification at the expense of turning the worship service into a stage performance. A “free” stage I might add.
When you have the members attend such a service, they are not participating they are enjoying the performance and therefore, God is not hearing the beautiful voices of the heart.
We are free to have music and instruments 24 hours a day everyday - why the need to overpower the beauty of heartfelt singing being offered in praise of God during the worship service.
Are we trying to please God or or we trying to bring out talents to the forefront over others? You will note that it will only be “some” who get to perform for God - not all, so it turns the worship service into an entertainment format.
Also, James Dobson's words were taken totally out of context and he never questioned Thompson's faith. He had an talk with Glenn Beck about that issue.
As for the Church of Christ being a cult, it all depends on which "Church of Christ" you're talking about. There are many, just like the "Church of God." This may need some clarification.
Whoops. Please do not think I was criticizing you or your beliefs in my post above - I did not mean my comments to be taken that way at all. My post just drifted to the pro/con of instrumental music in our church.
Many Christians HAVE NEVER filled out an attendance card, presided at the Lord's Table, served as a greeter or led singing.
I never have. Sheesh.
True, but you can’t let reality get in the way when you are trying to destroy the Christianity of another.
Wonder where some get the description as “holier than thou”?
He might re-read the Bible where “judgement is mine sayeth the Lord”.
Pompousness, elitism, and endeavoring to disclaim the baptism of a brother in the church. Very nice - very nice.
Actually, the Catholic Church is closest to CofC on the matter of appropriate worship music!
The incrementalism you mention is forestalled by the rule that the organ is the proper instrument for church. Other instruments (even orchestral ones) are traditionally discouraged because they lead to solo virtuosity (concentrating on the 'performance' rather than praising God) and secular rather than sacred sound.
The organ is (1) most like the human voice; (2) can simply double the vocal parts so as not to be conspicuous or overpower the singers; and (3) is unlikely to lead to other instruments because very little is out there that blends with the organ. Trumpet is about it.
Case in point: we had a big big deal last Sunday, celebrating our rector's 40th anniversary of ordination and 20th anniversary with our parish. So we had in a flutist, a violinist, and a trumpeter to augment the organ. Our choirmaster had to throttle back the organ almost to vanishing point for the flute and violin to be heard at all. The trumpet on the other hand was perfect for the prelude and postlude. They did a Purcell trumpet voluntary and another by a contemporary of Purcell - the trumpeter told me the composer but I forget. Anyhow, that's just music for people to come into church and go out by, not part of the Mass. But it sure is gorgeous (and it takes 8-900 people a while to get in and get out, and good religious music is more congenial than gossip in the aisles!)
The folks who do all the guitars, drums, and praise band stuff in a Catholic Mass are ignoring the rules!! (there's been a lot of that going around in the American church, but Benedict XVI is doing his best to put a stop to it.)
*** Since we are NOT a denomination, that is certainly the perogative of the local body.***
Yet there was no C of C before Alexander Campbell and Barton Stone started it. If there was can you show me sermons from the 1700’s? 1600’s? 1500’s? There are none.
There were lots of reasons, however I think the primary one was a group of ‘Elders’ that simply were neither old enough nor wise enough to effectively manage the Church and keep the lead Evangelist from burning himself out. When the elders are not fully trusted and the lead Evangelist is, all problems (mainly people with problems) end up in the lap of the lead Evangelist. As several years have now passed, I think the Elders tried to regain control of the Church by essentially destroying the lead Evangelist. During this time I had what you might call a pretty good seat and it so soured me that I will never return to a CofC.
The Elders have to meet specific criteria given in the Bible to be nominated as an elder - husband of one wife, having raised his own family to be Christians, and having leadership ability
The Elders are responsible for the flock and answer to God for their oversight. In addition, the evangelists report to the elders. If you have a situation as you describe - there might have been things going on behind the scenes that you were not familiar with.
If the Elders find that a minister is not teaching according to the Bible, it IS their responsibility to handle the situation, as it would also be their responsibility to handle any wrongdoing by a minister.
So, although you might have taken sides and were disillusioned, you probably did not have the full story.
A church is a lot safer biblically if they follow God’s given plan for organization of the church. The men responsible as Elders are all supposedly leaders, biblically knowledgeable men of strong faith. The minister is one man who is hired.
It all works out. I remember a case where the minister was let go. The reason was never mentioned but the minister was liked. Yet, there was a reason and it was the responsibility of the elders to correct any problems in the church.
My response may appear ironic to you, but this is what I thought when I saw your post: Yeah, let's worry about if Fred is Christian enough, because if Fred's not good enough, we have such great other choices:
The good Catholic boy who's a cross-dressing twice-divorced pro-abortion extremist
The Mormon who just figured out a couple of years ago that child dismemberment is bad
The Navy vet who may or may not be solid on Chritsin practice (I have no idea) but definitely thinks we would have no right to discuss his religion OR ANY OTHER BLOODY THING ABOUT HIM anywhere near an election. Oh, and don't forget that his idea of Christian compassion is an open border.
And it gets better! If we run a candidate who can't win, we get to be ruled by...
The good Methodist girl who stuck by her man in a tough marital situation...but the downside is that she's a Marxist pro-abortion extremist
The Church of Christ guy whose church has a website extolling racism and segregation in the name of God, and incidentally he's also a Marxist pro-abortion extremist.
Wow. Yeah, engaging in nitnoy examination of Thompson's church life is exactly what we should be doing right now... if we're trying to start an idiot club.
Once again we're in total agreement, bud. I want someone who'll fight the headchoppers and push conservatism at home. It ain't a contest on best verse memorization at the local Sunday school.
Well said. I still can’t figure out why someone would NOT vote for someone who agreed with them on the issues just because he doesn’t go to the same church, or because he keeps his religious practices private.
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