MATTHEW 7:1 - MOST QUOTED VERSE BY UNBELIEVERS, AND MOST DISOBEYED COMMAND BY CHRISTIANS?

John 3:16 may be the best known reference, but the most quoted verse is Matthew 7:1 - "Judge not lest ye be judged."

Note I compared "reference" with "quoted verse." Most of the time, the quotation is given without reference, and my hunch is a very large percentage of the time those using this verse have no idea where it's located at. 

But if they don't know where it's located, is there a chance that the verse is ripped out of context, with its real meaning twisted and distorted? Let me rephrase the question - is there a chance it ISN'T taken out of context or misused? To that rephrased question, I'd say "Probably not."

When it's quoted, I'd bet the vast majority of the time, those using it mean "Don't judge ME." It wouldn't surprise me that they also judge others, maybe without knowing it. 

Of course, there's nobody who wants to be judged. But should we judge actions? Those participating in actions God clearly condemns would give that a negative, or else they'd have to turn from the sins they enjoy. Likewise, they'll remind you of Jesus' words to the law-keeping crowd, "He who is without sin cast the first stone" but forget Jesus told the accused (and guilty) woman to "Go and sin no more."

Again, those making that claim don't know the Scripture they're appealing to. The next thing Jesus tells them is to not give what is holy to the dogs or cast pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6), which involves discernment, which some would call judging. Later in the same chapter, Jesus says we're to beware false prophets and are told we'll know them by their fruit (Matthew 7:15-20). Again, a call to discernment, or judging. Then, in Matthew 18:15-17, Jesus teaches His disciples that if someone sins, we should go and confront that person one on one, and if the person doesn't repent, then bring other witnesses and finally to the assembly (church). I've just given response through the book of the Bible we're dealing with - the same concepts are throughout Scripture.

But WHY did Jesus give that commandment? Isn't this part of "Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20)? Like other issues as not applying the commands to our thought-life (Matthew 5:21-48), doing our good works for man's applause (Matthew 6:1-18), trusting in money (Matthew 6:19-24), or worrying (Matthew 6:25-34), is judging something we are prone to do?

Here's the sad part. I've seen two different memes which both pointed out the misuse of "Judge not" and then taking the unfortunate route of giving out-of-context Scriptures to excuse not obeying the command. One of them steps into absurdity of pointing out there's a book in the Bible called "Judges." No, that isn't a command to judge! The other lists Scripture translating words as "judge" when I'm used to them translated differently.

One Scripture used to counter Matthew 7:1 is John 7:24, where Jesus commands to "Judge with righteous judgment." The argument is that we should focus on this quote in John and basically ignore the command in Matthew. Is this based on the presupposition their judgment is righteous?

But what if we looked at both verses in context? Let's start with Matthew 7. You may be aware that it is part of the Sermon on the Mount. It starts in Matthew 5:1-2 with Jesus sitting on the mountain and His disciples coming to Him, and Jesus teaching them.  I mentioned Matthew 5:20 three paragraphs earlier concerning the righteousness of the Pharisees, which is the key verse for this section of Scripture. Jesus starts with eight beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-10), and the teachings that follow are examples of living those beatitudes out. With Matthew 7:1-5, it fits the blessings on the poor in spirit, the meek, and the merciful. And to clarify the obvious, this is a commandment to Jesus' disciples.

Now, let's take the isolated brick of John 7:24 and put it back where it belongs. Is this section in John 7 Jesus teaching and commanding His disciples? No. In the context, our Savior is confronting the Pharisees who condemned Him from healing the impotent man on the Sabbath. "Judge with righteous judgment" is not a commandment to His followers but a rebuke to His enemy. In other words, if you want to live by John 7:24, you're placing yourselves not with Jesus' disciples but with the Pharisees. 

Returning to the context of "Judge not" (Matthew 7:1-5), we see the command followed in verse 2 by the fact that we will be judged according to how we judge. If you're one advocating judging, let's be serious: do you want to be judged by the measure of how you judge others? If not, should you be judging?

Then, Jesus gives an illustration of someone with a log in their eye seeing a speck in their brother's eye and offering to help them. The pro-judging crowd sees the key thought/command in this paragraph to be verse 5 ("Take the log out of your eye so you can see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye," forgetting this verse is addressed to a hypocrite). This approach is opposite of typical Jewish teaching which starts at the main point and the develops the main point, which in this passage would mean the main point is "Judge not." 

Also, how many of you have seen a speck in someone's eye? My hunch is that the answer is no unless a) somebody asks you if you see a speck in their eye or b) your occupation is an opthamologist. (How many specks do you see? One, or two? One? Or two?)

They have an impressive list of Bible verses, but I never see two important ones on the topic included. First, there's Romans 14:4 - "Who are you to judge another man's servant? To his own master he will be made to stand or fall, and he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him to stand." What is this verse saying? Simple - the person you're judging is not your servant but God's. Reading on in the same chapter, Paul asks why we do we judge our brother in a tone that makes it clear we shouldn't be. 

Wait, I see why this one is omitted, because it strengthens Matthew 7:1, not giving us a loophole to obey the disliked command. But there's one more to look at.

"Do not speak evil against another, brethren. He who speaks evil of his brother or judges his brother speaks evil of the Law and judges the Law. But he who judges the Law is not a doer of the Law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver who is able both to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?" James 4:11-12 Uh, after this verse, does anybody think we are qualified to judge others? 

So here's the question. As I pointed out above, we are commanded to discern and to turn others from their sins (also see Malachi 3:18, Galatians 6:1, Hebrews 5:14, James 5:19-20, and Jude 22-23). But when Jesus said "Judge not," I've got a sneaky impression He meant "Judge not." How, then, do we obey both thoughts?

The first is to distinguish between people and actions. We are commanded to condemn wrong actions, words, and ideas. But we aren't to judge others or motives. 

That sounds simple. Well, maybe it doesn't. And it isn't. I heard one guide, though, on whether we should confront, and that is to ask ourselves, "Do I want to confront? Do I want to judge?" If the answer is no, it may be that God is calling you, as poor in spirit as the one in error, to gently and mercifully plead with them to turn. If the answer is yes, then I suggest you find something else to do.

THANKS TO MY BETA READERS, AND WHAT'S NEXT WITH MY WRITING?

 

I'd like to start today's blog by thanking my Beta Readers: Mary Allen, Kacy Barnett-Gramckow, Heidi Glick, Twyla Jackson, and Joanne Sher. They have read my novel that I've been working on since '07, and provided excellent feedback.

Did I mention that I started writing "An Apologetic For Murder" since 2007? It has been an adventure. 

It started no later than 1995, actually, when I had a concept of a group of six friends working together to solve a murder. I called them the Menagerie: each one had an animal nickname. 

In 2007, I was wanting to write a book promoting apologetics. Of course, as a lay-person with no name recognition, would anybody consider reading a book by little old me? And then, I remembered some friends who were in apologetics/anti-cult ministry mention that they got death threats. 

So the Menagerie found a home - they attended an apologetics conference to find out who was trying to kill an apologist. I also thought of having an innocent bystander - if a hit-man could be called an innocent bystander - intercept a bullet meant for one of the apologists. 

Immediately, there were a lot of characters to develop. There was the six in the Menagerie. Then, there were the apologists, of which there were five (patterned after the book Five Views On Apologetics? Not intentionally but it did have an influence). Add to that seven suspects. Which one did it?

No, I'm not answering the above question, though my Beta Readers know. However, I was half way through writing the novel until it hit me who hired the hit-man and whose bullet said hit-man intervened. 

The novel was finished in 2008. The next year, after looking into some venues for publishing, a self-publishing company agreed to publish it. The following year, that company went belly-up in a way that it ended up on the front page of the local paper and was covered by all the local newsstations on TV. 

Around that time, I read The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Christian Fiction by Ron Benrey.  I had previously read other literature on writing, includint two books on writing Christian fiction. Benrey was the first one to advise getting an agent, and also encouraged going to writing conferences and joining the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers).

So I took his advice and joined, became part of a couple critique groups, and started on my first re-write of the novel. Originally, it had six "main characters." In writing the novel, though, those six characters fell into roles. Two got a lot of "screen time", two were important more for their roles (e.g. the policeman of the group), and two (who happened to be the married couple of the group) were basically supporting characters. So I set to work focusing on the two main characters.

Shortly after, I did a third rewrite, more major than the second. I figured out who the actual sleuth of the group was. So I did something I never thought I'd do, and rewrote the story as a first person narrative. 

Around 2014, the fire faded. During that time I made some half hearted starts, and in 2019 I got serious to rework the novel and seek publication. That's also when I lined up the beta readers.

I did have two concerns with my novel, both of which affected marketability and both were confirmed by the comments of the beta readers. The first was if there were too many characters. The consensus was that the story called for a lot of characters, but yes, I did have a lot of them. The second was if it was too deep theologically for the average fiction reader (and relatedly, not enough action to maintain interest). This concern was legitimate.

Soooo... where do I go from here?  Basically I have two options.

One is to give up on this story. I have two other story ideas (different genres from each other and from my above novel). I also have other talents that are laying dormant such as songwriting, ceramics, and drawing. Add to that an interest in refugee ministry.

The other is to do a third rewrite, and this one will be more major than the other two. The previous ones maintained the same characters, the same plot, the same victim, the same killer. If I rewrite, I will be trimming the characters which will then alter the plot. After all, the seven suspects had motives to kill one of the five apologists, but they weren't after the same apologist. I might get rid of an apologist while wanting to keep the person who wanted to kill him.

If I do start from scratch as I'm proposing, or if I decide to write a new novel, I'll be working with a couple of books. The first is The Chunky Method by Allie Pleiter, to help me in following the two rules of writing illustrated above. The second is Soul Types, which looks at the impact of the Myers-Briggs Types on spirituality.

Should you feel led to pray as I think this over, it would be appreciated.

IS THERE A HEAVENLY MUSICAL ARRANGEMENT FOR CHURCHES? CHURCH MUSIC PART 2 OF 4

The Concert by Gerard van Honthorst

Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with the clashing cymbals! Psalm 150:3-5

Did you know I absolutely love classical music? Especially when there is a full orchestra. I'll never forgot being blown away hearing a college orchestra start off with the pounding timpanis on Brahms' 1st symphony.

I also like a good rock band. A guitar or two with bass and drums? That's nice. But I would rather have a big sound including a keyboard. Better yet, there's the local band Beracah which had trumpets and flute. Other favorite bands include Styx, ELO, Yes, Petra, and Servant.

So what musical arrangement would be my first choice for a church worship? A big praise band, or a big praise orchestra?  

Actually, I'd prefer a solo piano. Or maybe one acoustic guitar, maybe with a flute or violin or French horn for the melody. 

Yes, I'm talking about my personal preference. No, I'm not saying everybody should conform to my thoughts. God is omnipotent, and He is magnified regardless of the instrumentation or the style. He is more concerned with the hearts than anything else.

But for me, being a lover of a full instrument sound, I can get distracted when there's more instruments. For me, simpler is better. If you want to be like the Church of Christ or the Psalmody movement and have singing without instruments, I wouldn't complain.

I remember being at one church where the instrumentation was the typical piano and organ. I believe the organist at our church played at ball parks, tough I could be wrong. But when we sang "Wonderful Grace of Jesus", he had an awesome riff during the chorus. And so instead of singing, I'm listening for the riff. 😱That's not what I want to do. I want to be concentrating on singing.

Let me go to another church. We also had the piano/organist combo. Likewise, we also had a good organist. But he did not want to play organ. Why? Because when he's playing the organ, he's not singing, and he wanted to sing praises to God!

Now, let me do what you expect and look at it from the other direction. Those who have talents to play instruments have it given by the Lord. Maybe for them, playing their instrument well is their way of giving glory to God. Do I want to keep an instrumentalist from glorifying God by limiting the number of instruments in the church service? God forbid!

So what's my point? Do I have one? It's this - our focus should be on praising God. We can praise Him with a simple format or with a full band or orchestra (or both) or without any instruments at all. But our focus in congregational singing should be on the singing.

One last story to close. When I lived in California in the early '80's, some of my friends were in a band that blew you away with great melodic riffs in their songs. That band broke up. Why? Because the music was overpowering the words.

Back to what my point is. Simple. Realize that worship is for God. It's not for us to draw attention to ourselves if we're on the performing side. It's not to entertain us if we're in the pews singing. Are we giving God the glory He's due?

INTERVIEW WITH BECCA SUGG OF THE BAND RECLAIM THE DAY

 

I have learned of the band Reclaim The Day by being a member of the Facebook Group Female Christian Rock & Metal. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they're based out of nearby Greenwood, Indiana. It is my honor to interview the band's lead vocalist Becca Sugg.

JR: What are the origins of the band? Who's in it? Also, how and why did you decide on the name?

BS: The band was formed in 2019 by myself and my husband. We had left our previous project as we felt God tugging us toward starting our own ministry together. It took us awhile to really think of a name. We prayed about it for a good few weeks before choosing something that was personal to us. We had one of our friends and mentors at the time tell us that we have the power through Jesus Christ to reclaim our day from what we were struggling with and then the name stuck. Not only did it help with our situation, but we wanted to spread that hope to other people. After a couple line up changes throughout the years, we now have a solid line up of 4 people for quite awhile. On drums we have Alex Beattie, who actually started with us originally on guitar before I started playing rhythm live again. On bass guitar we have Logan Morehouse. Lead guitar is played by my husband and co-founder of the band/ministry Marcus Sugg. I am the lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist.

JR: Who would you consider role models/heroes/mentors both on the music end and on the faith end?

BS: I have had many mentors throughout the years that have helped me get to where we are today. All of them have had individual advice to help me in different parts of life whether it would be business or faith. It is hard to name one person because I have been blessed with so many amazing people in my life.

JR: What is it like in performing in an outdoor festival like the Pit Fest you were part of September 25? How does it compare with being the main performer? Also, Becca Sugg served as the emcee at the Pit Fest. How do you prepare for that role? Any memorable moments in the festival?

BS: It is always interesting because depending on the weather and the sound, you never know what you are going to get with an outdoor festival. I myself have been a part of Pit Fest since it’s first year in 2013. Since then I have played that festival with 3 different bands over the years, been a guest speaker, and have had the pleasure of emceeing the festival for 4 years. This year has been particularly interesting as the sound went out during our set but it gave us the opportunity to get up and personal with our fans for a brief time of ministry before the power came back on. I prepare for Pit Fest just as I do for any of our shows. I usually pray for God to speak through me and make it about Him and not about me. It is hard to pinpoint any particular memory but I will say when I was listening to the band Leper Saturday night share the gospel gave me chills. They just happened to be the other band that the power cut out on too. I think the devil really tried to stop what we were doing in that festival and we just persevered to spread the gospel and hope of Jesus Christ. That is what has always stuck out to me about any Always One Ministry event. No matter what that particular festival will always hold a place in my heart.

JR: How has being in the band strengthened your Christian life and/or made a positive impact on others? Likewise, are there any challenges you face unique to Christian musicians/artists?

BS: Let me start off with saying being a Christ follower is never easy. I think being a Christian band has been even more so difficult. Though I have learned many life lessons in my time being a music evangelist, some of them were some of the hardest times of my life. I have been burnt and broken by many things including some people who are also in the same industry or sometimes even the same band. However, it’s because I have conquered that with Jesus Christ that I am the person I am today. That is the same hope that myself and my bandmates carry to give to others. Though we have all been broken, God has called us and will equip us to be whole again. I will never really see all the seeds that our ministry plants but when I have seen it, there is no greater joy than to see our friends and fans find the hope and peace God has given to us. They realize that God has a plan for them and that is why we do what we do. I would have to say the challenges we have been through haven’t just made us stronger in our faith but it has made us more bold in reaching out to others.

JR: Related to the previous question, we are living in uncertain times between COVID, the political divide in the country, and the current shift in culture, among other things. How does the band deal with it as a group and individually? Are there any "Macedonias" that are calling Reclaim the Day to help them?

BS: Well as I said previously, it is very challenging to be a Christian especially in these times. I know many people that have done what they did or said what they said that goes against what the Bible says just to be relevant. Either that or I have seen some of my closest friends step down from their faith because of how they have been treated by other Christians. It is heartbreaking to see but this is a time where we as Christians need to be more bold than we have ever been. Despite all of the negativity in the world, there is still a God who loves each and every one us and we need to stand our ground and tell people about hope and love. As a band, we are all on one accord with the same ministry mindset. That is something we are truly blessed with. If there ever is something we disagree on, which usually barely ever happens, we talk about it as family and as adults and still love each other. We just have to stand up for our beliefs now more than ever all while loving on and serving others.

JR: At the moment, I have not had the honor of hearing you live. 😢 Are there any concerts coming up in the near future, or any new music projects ready to appear over the horizon? How can the readers keep in touch with the band?

BS: Right now until next year we only have two shows on the radar. One is going to be a part of an online streaming event and the other is an award show in Alabama in November. We have started working on booking for 2022 ut the majority of the rest of the year our main focus will be on finishing up our upcoming EP. We will be hopefully releasing new music within the next month or so as well as a new music video. The new song is called Chokehold and it is featuring my good friend Zahna. Other than that you can keep an eye out for any upcoming news or events if you follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. We have two songs out right now called Who You Are and Sentenced to Life so people can go check them out on all streaming platforms everywhere. Also, if you just need prayer you can also message us or email us at Reclaimthedaystudios@gmail.com. As always, we want to remind our Reclaimers family to keep the hope alive and reclaim the day!

INTERVIEW WITH MINISTER, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, AND AUTHOR SAM ROBB

JR: It is not often I get to interview a former Presidential candidate (probably never). What was it like? What lessons did you learn, and anything that has made a lifetime impact?

SR: It was really a once in a lifetime experience. I mean, even if I never run for that particular office ever again… how many people can say they’ve even tried? My biggest lesson came not just from my own particular race, but from working on Jo & Spike’s campaign last year. It’s really simple, but pretty profound: like Wayne Gretzky said, you really DO miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. What I learned in that campaign is to take a shot. Run for office. Write that book. Volunteer for that cause. Ask for that raise. Call that person. Ask for the interview. Sure, sometimes the answer will be “No”… but you will be amazed and surprised at how much you can accomplish just by showing up and doing something. Be someone who makes decisions and makes things happen instead of someone who waits to see what’s going to come down the line.

JR: Another hat you wear is being a minister. How did you come to know Christ and get into the ministry?

SR: I was saved at the age of 30. It was a long path to get there. I was raised Catholic, and went to a Catholic high school, so someone who’s been there can probably understand what I mean when I said I came out of there wanting nothing to do with religion! I was more or less an agnostic through college and my twenties. I’ve heard an agnostic described as “someone who doesn’t know the nature of God, and is sure that you don’t, either.” That was me. It was something that might be fun to argue about, but not something that was real to me, you know? It wasn’t until my wife and I returned to PA from my time in the Navy out in California that I found myself someplace different. My wife grew up in a Christian and Missionary Alliance church, and when we got back to PA, we started going there. It was pretty obvious that the people there took God seriously, and they were happy about it. It was also my first exposure to expository preaching, which really made me sit up and take notice. People who read the Bible and paid attention to what it says, not what someone says it says? Whoa! We went from there to an independent Baptist church where we found an amazing group of people and a fantastic preacher by the name of Kurt Skelly. By that point, pretty much every message I heard was convicting me of my need for a savior. So it was Easter weekend in 1999 that I finally admitted what I already knew, and accepted Christ as my savior. After that, I wanted to learn, I wanted to help, I want to do, I wanted to teach… so it wasn’t long before I started helping out with Sunday school classes, taking college courses on the Bible, and working towards understanding theology and apologetics well enough that I could do my best to communicate the Gospel message to others.

JR: I remember that one of your rivals on the campaign, Dan "Taxation Is Theft" Behrman, invited you to speak at a rally he had one Sunday. How has your involvement in the Libertarian Party expanded your ministry? Also, has anyone suggested you are mixing church and state or has questioned if Libertarianism is compatible with Biblical Christianity?

SR: That was a wonderful time! Dan is a fantastic guy, Meeting people like him and Ken Armstrong and Jo and Spike (in photo with Sam)… that was all just so wonderful, getting to know all those great people. I was delighted that he asked me to speak, because I think there’s such an unseen overlap between Biblical Christianity and Libertarian thought that the two might as well be different sides of the same coin. God gives us freedom of choice, and then uses his Word to show us that following His way is the best way… Libertarian thought is that you have freedom of choice, and if I want to convince you that I have the best way, I need to use my words - not force! - to get you to follow my advice. I mentioned Ken Armstrong earlier - Ken’s a pastor, and one of his comments really stuck with me. The idea that the Libertarian Party is his mission field. My wife reminds me of that often, that this is my mission field. I’m here for a reason, and ultimately, that reason is to see lives changed by the Gospel. I’ve had a few people push back on the idea of a preacher as a politician. Usually die-hards who oppose any and all religion, and not necessarily on Libertarian grounds. So long as I am not seeking to use the power of the state to force people to believe what I believe, where is the conflict with Libertarian philosophy? I don’t understand why we would want to use force in any case, not when we have the power of the Gospel and God’s word. I think that Christians need to get away from “There ought to be a law” and back to “We ought to preach Christ to the world”.

JR: Do you believe Christian Liberty is at risk here in the US? Why or why not? What are practical ways we can defend it?

SR: Yes. Not necessarily because of any one thing, but because it has always been at risk. Like I said above, I think that Christians need to get away from “There ought to be a law” and back to “We ought to preach Christ to the world”. As the body of Christ, we have too often gone for the easy route of using the state to force people to behave a certain way - then we declare that victory over immorality, when in fact, we’ve changed behavior but not hearts and minds. Legislating behavior the junk food version of salvation. It looks good, it tastes good, it may even feel good for a while… but ultimately, it doesn’t provide the spiritual nourishment that people need, and it kills them. Which is eerily close to the description of how sin works in our lives, isn’t it?

JR: You recently were a part of the Perspectives of Freedom event. What was your role there, and anything of interest dealt with?

SR: That was a great event organized by Liz Terwilliger. She’s an incredible lady who’s seeking the LPPA nomination to run for the US House of Representatives in her district next year. She’s been incredibly active in her community and region these past few years, and this is an example of that. She brought in a number of different speakers (Spike Cohen, Noel Olinde, Nick and Valerie Sarwark, and others) to have round table discussions about how freedom directly impacts our lives. We talked about health mandates, the military, police reform, education - you name it. There were a couple of common themes across all the discussions. The big one for me was very much related to what I see as a desperate need within the LP. We need people who are able to preach liberty. That means getting out and finding people where they are, then talking to them about the problems they are having, and then showing them how liberty is the solution to their condition. I may be biased, but I think the last 2000 years have shown this is a pretty successful model for reaching people! Folks like Liz and Spike and Jo Jorgensen have done a fantastic job of leading the way here, and I am excited to see us continue on that track as we grow the party here in PA and across the country.

JR: Most of my interviews are with people in the arts, and especially authors. You are an exception... or so I thought. Actually, you have written a short story in the sci-fi collaboration "Exploring Infinity." Would you like to tell us about your contribution and any other writing goals you have?

SR: I’ve got a couple of short stories out there now, plus a book of Dad Jokes :) You can find them all on my Amazon Author page. Hopefully there will be more to come. The past year has been busy, but I do like storytelling. My story in “Exploring Infinity” is about an alien who gets trapped on Earth thanks to an errant time-traveller. My other stories focus on “Weird Pittsburgh”, a setting where faeries, the undead and even angels sometimes wander through the City of Bridges. It’s still hard for me - I’m not a 10k word a day guy like Larry Correia, by any means! - but I do enjoy telling an entertaining story. Really, I’m just glad that some folks out there think they’re worth spending time on. That makes me happy :)

JR:Thank you for your time. What is on your schedule? Do you have a blog or webpage for those who want to follow your activities?

SR: I’m getting more involved with the newly formed Pro LifeLibertarian Caucus and with several crisis pregnancy centers in our region. I will stay involved in LP politics, though perhaps in more of a peripheral or supporting role as time goes by. I love being able to help people accomplish their goals, and contributing to or supporting a campaign or effort is one of the real joys I’ve found in the LP. You can find me on Twitter as @Samrobb4liberty, or on Facebook as SamrobbForLiberty. I also have a Substack blog named “Political Perceptions”  that I will write longer pieces for once in a while.

PSALMS, HYMNS, SPIRITUAL CHORUSES, AND WORSHIP WARS - CHURCH MUSIC PART 1 OF 4

Song of the Angels, William-Adolphe Bouguereau

 "...speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord...." Ephesians 5:18

One of the saddest books I've read is Why I Left the Contemporary Christian Music Movement: Confessions of a Former Worship Leader by Dan Lucarini. Part of it is the book aims to be ammo for the traditional side but isn't that good. He basically is calling for an unconditional surrender from Contemporary music lovers, for them to put the interests of the traditionals above their own (though he never suggests the reverse), and for them not to refer to traditionals as legalists though he uses some insulting terms for the contemporaries. Even more so - Lucarini's views have led him to not use his talent for writing music for fear he'll follow his previous tendencies in style.

As I write this four part series, I'll from the front say that God is more concerned with what comes out of the heart than what goes into the ears. Christ is glorified by His children worshiping together and loving each other, and the style of the songs they're joyfully singing is, on the top ten list of things He's concerned about, is somewhere around 8 millionth (or is it billionth?). 

You might have noticed that the first three items I have on my list are similar to the wording in Ephesians 5:18 (quoted above) and Colossians 3:16, inserting "choruses" in place of "songs." It should not be surprising that there are some who suggest we should sing only one of the three, with advocates for each of the trio.

Let me start with hymns. I grew up with hymns. And I'm glad I did. First, there is some wonderful music. But more importantly, the lyrics of many hymns are awesome. You could preach sermons from a lot of the old hymns. For example, have you noticed the richness of the Christology (doctrine of Christ) in the Christmas song "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" (words by Charles Wesley, music by classical composer Felix Mendelssohn)? The hymns have inspired, comforted, encouraged, challenged, taught, and exhorted for centuries.

On the other side of the normal battle lines are the contemporary choruses. Some are jokingly referred to as 7/11 songs - seven words repeated eleven times. Instead of the hymns rich four part harmonies, the choruses usually are sung in unison, sometimes allowing the men and women to sing separately (but most often, as an echo). I've commented on hearing a medley of one of my favorite hymns (Great Is Thy Faithfulness) and one of my favorite choruses (I Love You, Lord), and mentioning one could be a sermon and the other would need some padding.

That being said, worship choruses have also been a part of my heritage. While simpler, a lot of the choruses from Maranatha music are Scripture set to music, such as "Seek Ye First", "Psalm 5", "Unto Thee, O Lord," and "Humble Yourselves In The Sight of the Lord." While I don't believe we should make personal preference in style a condition for worship, I also don't think we should mandate that younger generations adapt to the music we or our parents or our grandparents love. By the way, let me continue about setting Scripture to music...

I mentioned a book that saddened me; now let me mention one that was a blessing: Sola Scriptura: The Protestant Position on the Bible, part of the Reformation Theology series by Soli Deo Gloria Publications. This collaboration (edited by Don Kistler, as you'll guess from the title, has a completely different focus than Lucarini's, and this one's focus is not on music. But in the final chapter, Joel Beeke does a superb job of point out the transforming power of Scripture which is why we hold to and defend the teaching of Sola Scriptura. In this chapter, I was introduced to the practice of psalmody.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, it is the belief that our Hymn book should be His book. In other words, we should be singing the words that the Holy Spirit inspired rather than the words men have penned. There are areas I disagree with them: 1) they normally sing aca pella, including psalms that say, "Praise the Lord with the harp! Praise Him with the loud sounding cymbals!" 2) they ignore other Scriptures for singing - I believe there are psalms in the prophets and the New Testament, the latter of which reflect Christian theology better than the Old Testament songs, and of course 3) I don't believe that Psalmody is any more spiritual than the other options. 

However, I admire the concept. Yes, I'd allow instruments, and I'd expand the song selection past the Psalms, but I admire the idea of letting our praise to Him being the inspired words of Scripture.

Let me clearly state, though, that the important thing is not which style we use, but that we love those who disagree. As Paul wrote in Romans 15:1-3, we should focus on pleasing our neighbors, not ourselves. We should be willing to sing joyfully what others want to sing.

Okay, I've gotten the elephant in the room dealt with. But should we sing hymns with the cymbals and the electric guitar? Should we sing contemporary choruses with piano and organ? Should we sing the Psalms with a full orchestra? More about that next Sunday.

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR DONNA FLETCHER CROW, 2021 MODEL

 

Author Donna Fletcher Crow, with her latest book series

Since starting this blog, I may have had interviews with an author in one installment and review their book in another. But up to this point, I've never had a return interviewee, until now. Which not surprisingly is the same person I interviewed for this blog. Also, the first novelist I interviewed when I was blogging for Hoosier Ink, the blog of the Indiana Chapter of the American Christian Fiction Writers. So I'm pleased to welcome Donna Fletcher Crow back to my blog. 

JR: Let me start off with something that caught me by surprise. Do you know you have an entry on Wikipedia? I've tried to find some of my other favorite authors, and they didn't make it (though, unsurprisingly, Kerry Nietz did). Besides that major accomplishment, what other claims to fame do you have, such as writing awards or organization memberships, etc.?

DC: Oh, Jeff, my real claim to fame is my grandchildren—15 of them—and all stellar. But in the writing world, my first award, being named “Writer of the Year” at the Mount Hermon Writers’ conference in 1983, was such a thrill. I suppose my biggest awards have been having Glastonbury and The Fields of Bannockburn each named “Best Historical Fiction” for the years they were published. And then, if you’re looking for surprises, not many people know that I was Miss Rodeo Idaho in 1960. Yes, I know—before most of you were born.

JR: Before I get into reality, let me take a trip into the fiction zone, where fictitious characters spend their lives when not being written about. This particular day, Lord and Lady Danvers happen to have a table at the banquet with Elizabeth and Richard and Father Antony and Felicity. What do you think they'll be talking about? Literature? Theology? Classical music? History? And do you think your ears would be burning?

DC: Ah, well, since my current project is writing a collection of short stories using these characters in mysterious adventures on the Riviera and in Switzerland, I expect they’ll be sharing notes on their favorite places and how things have changed since Victorian times. Elizabeth and Richard, of course, will be most interested in the literature and Father Antony is sure to bring things around to theology. I do wish I could sit in on the conversation—that would make writing the up-coming stories much easier. If readers are interested in seeing the background to all this, I’m doing a blog series on my research trip now.

JR: I believe your latest endeavor is the Celtic Cross Series. Could you tell us about this look into the history of Scotland and Ireland?

DC: The Celtic Cross Series is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, so I’m thrilled that it is becoming a reality. My Scottish and Irish epics The Fields of Bannockburn and The Banks of the Boyne have been out of print for nearly a quarter of a century, so it was past time to do something about it. Since each of those 800+ page tomes is divided into historical sections, (and since Amazon won’t print books that big) it made sense to give each story its own book. I’m loving the process of completely rewriting these stories with a new editor and I’m thrilled with the covers Ken Raney is painting for them.

JR: Many of your stories have your modern characters learn lessons from the past. With your study of British History, is there any common threads or helpful applications from the past on the other side of the Pond to our COVID affected, politically divided country?

DC: History always speaks to today. I never feel I’m writing about history—I’m writing about today because the basics never change—just the technology. The most important thing that writing Glastonbury taught me was that, no matter how dark things look today, they have always been darker in the past. And humanity has always survived—triumphed, even. The Light always overcomes the Dark.

JR: This may seem like another way of asking the previous question, and pardon me if it does, but what struggles did Britain in the past have with religious liberty? Is that right more secure now, more vulnerable, or about the same in the 21st century than it was here?

DC: Always and everywhere religious liberty has been and is under threat. I’m not sure whether the greatest threat, though, is having political leaders oppose religious faith or try to suppress it. Real faith has always grown when it’s under threat. The important thing is not to look at the depressing statistics about how church attendance is slipping here and in Britain, but to look at all the good things that are happening—and try to be part of that. People often ask me about failing faith in England (and I know there are struggles), but I visit so many thriving churches in the UK, belong to so many super Christian organizations there, and have such wonderful Christian friends all over Britain—including many faithful pastors and priests—that I know there is definitely a strong beacon of light still shining.

JR: Besides the Celtic Cross series, what looms on the agenda with your writing?

DC: As I mentioned above, I am working on a short story collection. When that’s done, I hope to get to a stand-along mystery I have wanted to write for many years using as background the great revival that swept the Hebrides right after World War II. I did the research clear back in 2000, so I think it’s had sufficient time to germinate.

JR: Thank you for your time. For those who haven't taken the opportunity from my previous interviews with you (I believe this is at least the fifth... and interestingly the first that isn't following the release of the latest Monastery Murder), how can we keep in touch with you?

DC: Thank you, Jeff. I always love your interviews because you ask the most surprising, searching questions. I would love to have your readers follow me—and there are lots of options: Subscribe to my newsletter (and receive a free Lord Danvers book), follow my blog, follow me on facebook, or follow me on Amazon. And you don’t have to choose—it’s all free.