A New Dispensational Spin on Ezekiel 38-39
Friday, September 25, 2009 at 11:47AM 
Joel Richardson's book on the Islamic Antichrist offers a new spin on the dispensational teaching regarding a Russian-Arab confederation invading Israel. Richardson sees this as a reference to the Islamic Madhi. Since cold war images don't fit (Russian expansionism), lets try Islam. http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=108899
Now this comes as a big surprise . . . Most megachurches are "evangelical" and "contemporary." Wow, I had no idea . . . And someone received a paycheck for that brilliant observation???? http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2009-09-16-church-growth_N.htm
Now the environmentalists are after two-ply toilet paper. Give me two-ply or give me death! If this comes to pass, I'll have to subscribe to the Los Angeles Times again. That will work. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/23/AR2009092304711_pf.html
Reader Comments (23)
Soon after it'll be no-ply; they want everyone to use bidets. 'Course, the next level down in the OMPC chain after that will be the hole in the floor and hose, vis-à-vis the Arab countries...and the hose is to rinse off your fingers.
My favorite, is using the pipe organ and the old hymns. Luther inspired the great J.S. Bach, which we have in our hymnal. Lutherans consider different worship styles a adiaphora.
My children love the old hymns, and consider contemporary music in the church "wierd".
The problems with much of the contempory music in the church is the theology is so poor. Most of it is 7-11 music, (the same seven words sung 11 times). A lot of the music is about what we are doing for God, rather than praising Him for what He has done for us. (Bad, bad theology!)
I have some questions for my friends on the Riddleblog, especially pastor Kim.
Is using different worship styles wrong (adiaphora)? What if different worship styles were used, but the words had to be used out of a hymnal?
What if different worship styles were used, but the pastors had to check the words used for proper doctrinal content? Is God displeased with any other music other than a pipe organ -- which I prefer?
We never want to make our church pleasing to the world, because then our church is not a very good one.
Is there a danger of having young talented musicians leaving our Lutheran and Reformed churches because they cannot use their gifts in church worship?
Again, I much prefer the traditional worship style. I would like to hear from my friends like Zrim, John Y, Reg and all the other great folks on the Riddleblog.
The key here, is what is honoring to God, not to us.
Sean Rippy, an LCMS pastor in Michigan, has written a very insightful essay on this very subject entitled "In Defense of Historical Worship - From a Former Advocate of Contemporary Worship." If I recall correctly you are Lutheran as well, so many of his reference will be ones with which you are already familiar.
However, it is far too lengthy to include on this blog; I can e-mail you a copy, if you wish to read through it. I think you'll find it worthwhile.
George
Having spent 15 years in non-denominational Church's and hating the praise dity's we sang all the time I have come to love the traditional Lutheran worship service. I do not miss that contemporary worship at all (it is more trying to manipulate God to move among the congregation by its praise and worship-it was monotonous and the music quality was often not very good; besides God seems to be very clear on how he is to be worshiped in the pages of scriptures- something which Arminian and revivalist type church's do not seem too concerned about). Of course, some of these mega-church's have impressive choir's (they would more appropriately be called highly choreographed bands then orchestra's) but it never seemed appropriate in church to me. Not that what I think really matters.
I do not think Luther and Calvin would agree on what type of instruments would be allowed in worship services; even though many Calvinist's have not followed Calvin in his worship beliefs (10th Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia being an example of a Calvinist Church having a beautiful orchestra with many and varied instruments). From what I have read Calvin did not like any instruments and thought it was more appropriate to sing hymms acapella and to sing mostly psalms. You Calvinists correct me on this if I am wrong.
We have no choir or orchesta (just a pipe organ) in the small Luitheran Church I go to but I do occasionally go to a very well attended LCMS Church in Naperville, Illinois (one of the biggest LCMS church's in the country) and they have a more and varied instrumental worship. No contemporary instruments but beautiful and highly transcendent worship music. The man who leads the worship is a highly skilled and trained musician. They sing only the hymms in the Lutheran Worship manual although I have heard on occasion some hymms not from the Lutheran hymnal and I am not sure what there specific policies are their.
John: I agree with what you have said regarding both contempory and traditional worship music.
Reformed pastors: We do a great newer hymn entitled, "Thy Strong Word." It is written by Martin H. Franzmann, and the tune by Thomas J. Williams. My son does the sound in our church, and he says that when we sing this great hymn, we sing it so loud that his chair shakes!
You can almost see the German army marching to it. (Pastor Kim would love it!) It has been around since about 1869. Check it out, and you'll see why us Lutherans love it.
Every year our Lutheran High School (The Arizona Lutheran Academy -- ALA, sings the National Anthem at the Diamondbacks game. We will be seeing and hearing them this evening. They are a great choir!
By the way, we are probably the only church group at a baseball game that loves to drink beer!!!
George
Reformed come from a perspective that yields the regulative principle of worship. Against broad evangelicalism’s and Lutheranism’s descriptive posture (whatever is not prohibited is permissible), we have a prescriptive one (only those elements that are instituted or appointed by scriptural command or example are permissible). Other Reformed virtues include the dialogical principle, simplicity, reverence and awe.
To my Reformed lights, categories like “traditional” and “contemporary” are unhelpful, as they are really just the language of human preferences, though admittedly “traditional” does do much to nurture better the virtues of reverence and awe. Even so, I am convinced that without the RPW controlling all questions about worship everything tends so simply devolve into fights over human preferences, battles to meet the felt needs of low brow culturalists or high brow culturalists (drums and electric gee-tars, or pipe organs and orchestras?). Then the really insightful people come up with “blended worship,” where Genevan Psalms are set to Josh Groban ballads, or we sing popular praise choruses in operatic meter. Talk about two great tastes that don’t go great together. My wife likes to mock such efforts by singing “Like A Virgin” or “You Shook Me All Night Long” in operatic. Doesn’t sound right, does it? This is where points about form and content make lots of sense.
Scott Clark was recently in town lecturing at a friend’s church. When this topic came up he suggested the tiny, unadorned PCA church in which we all sat do an experiment: refrain from using even the simple little piano up front. I laughed to myself when even this innocent suggestion sparked so much heat, and I thought about the fact that my own Reformed church just spent over $200,000 (that’s right) refurbishing the pipe organ and held a “music dedication service” in the morning recently. Ours is a very “traditional” service, but, going by the love affair with music style, I am not so sure it passes as Reformed. Bob Godfrey once sad that “music is the new sacrament.” Truer words were never spoken.
Also, re choirs, per the dialogical principle, I am of the persuasion that they take the rightful duty and privilege of worshipping God away from the people of God. We don't need someone else doing our worshipping for us. The more passive the pew the worse, the more active the better.
Choirs are gussied up versions of praise teams.
You make some great points. I would just add, that when we sing, we sing the theology of the songs into our hearts. (Example; a praise song which says 10 times, "Jesus, I want to hold your hand," that is the theology that is sung into the heart.)
Many of our great hymns, have more theology about what God has done for us, in just one hymn, than many pastors preach in an enire year. In our church, we do chants, hymns, and Psalms.
It is: lcadle@q.com
Thank you.
Where did you get that 4 CD set by Luther? I would love to get my hands on that. Do you know where I can order that?
I would also enjoy reading that paper you told Lloyd about- you can email me at johny382100@yahoo.com
George: Thanks for sending me the essay, I will read it, and also send it to my pastor.
A couple of more things on music in the church: During the services at the Church that Luther preached in, he would have his choir stationed at four corners of the sanctuary. The choir would sing real loud, and compete with the laity to see who could sing the praises of thanks to the Lord the loudest.
Luther would play the lute. It would certainly be most interesting to see which style of worship Luther would use today, although he does proclaim the importance of using all musical instruments -- as he states, even new ones, in singing our praises to the Lord!
Pastor Kim has a great choir at Christ Reformed Church. It really adds a lot in singing praises to the Lord.
John, you mentioned that one of the churches that you attend, uses a great orchestra, utilizing a vast array of different instruments. It probably sounds great, as it fits into the liturgy and proclaims the Gospel.
The key, and I am not expert on worship, is to have a worship style that fits into the liturgy. The songs must proclaim the Gospel. For the most part, be out of the hymnal, and here is the most important part -- the theology must be impeccable!
That's my two cents worth. And it might not be worth much more than two cents!
Our first hymn was, "The Law Commands and Makes Us Know", by Isaac Watts.
We also sang our Psalm of the Day: Psalm 116, among others.
Our WELS hymnal has 623 hymns, and a new hymnal supplement with another 150 additional hymns.
I mentioned above, how important it is to have the correct doctrine and theology in your hymns.
I was discussing this with my pastor this morning. He mentioned that every single hymn that we use has been revieved and appoved by our Commision on Worship, which consists of our seminary professors and pastors, before it is allowed in our worships services.
What was most interesting -- at least to me, was that most of our Hymns are Lutheran, but some are not. Our commission on worship will actually go in and alter the words in the hymns to correct any false doctrine. At the bottom of the pages in each hymn, you may see the letters alt., which indicates that the words of the hymn have been altered to assure the doctrine is correct.
It is great to be a part of a church body that takes this kind of care in assuring us that what we are singing to the Lord, is sound doctrine. We are singing sound doctrine into our hearts as well.
God absolutely, detests false statements to be made about him, whether in song, preaching, or in talking about Him to others. That is breaking the second commandment. (We use the oldest version of the 10 commandments, as defined by St. Augustine, in case anyone wonders about this second commandment. I know that some churches use the newer version from the 16th century, which is fine -- it all God's Word!)
When you get the Luther CD's, shoot me an e-mail and let me know what you think -- great stuff!
I'll bet you're pretty happy with "Da Bears". My Raiders, and Cards look pretty pathetic -- to say the least.
I believe that pastor Kim will have a happy ending to the baseball season, if his beloved Yanks can get past their "thorn in the flesh", the Angels!
The essay that you sent me was great.