Weekly Roundup: Church of Christ Edition
I thought I would change up my roundup this week and focus specifically on issues in the churches of Christ, the fellowship with which I most readily associate myself. I dont often write about my own tribe’s particular issues, but I do truly love this family that led me to Christ and continues to help me grow. Therefore, I thought I would share with all of you, coC and otherwise, some of the interesting things I have come across recently regarding the churches of Christ. Every fellowship and denomination (yes I insinuated that the churches of Christ are indeed a denomination) has its issues. I have decided to post some resources I have found from around the web dealing with various issues in the churches of Christ. These particular resources generally, though not entirely, reflect my own views on these issues.
One of the issues that is pretty unique to the churches of Christ is the debate over instrumental verses a cappella music. Jay Guin has an astounding list of resources on this debate, including a lot of his own thoughts, book recommendations/reviews and some links to articles and sermons. These are a few of my particular favs: A review of Instrumental Music:Missing More Than Music by Danny Corbit, and these three posts of a fictional debate on the instruments subject. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
On the issue of instruments, America’s largest church of Christ added an instrumental service a while back. Here are three sermons preached explaining Richland Hill’s position. I think they are well thought out and of course well delievered. Listen to Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
Baptism has long been a particular area of interest in Restoration Movement churches. Honestly it is difficult to find many resources about this issue that arent terribly dogmatic. However John Mark Hicks, who is likely the best single resource on the subject in our fellowship, has written this superb book, Down to the River to Pray: Revisioning Baptism as God’s Transforming Work. He also has this short blog post about the traditional disagreement about baptism between the churches of Christ and Southern Baptists. I think the four points at the end of the post are particularly helpful for synthesizing Scripture’s presentation of baptism.
Another classic issue in the churches of Christ, although not completely unique to our fellowship, is the role of women in the church, in particular in public worship assemblies. Mike Cope has a brilliant sermon on the subject, explaining the Highland Church of Christ’s decision to have women play a more visible role in worship services. I also preached a sermon, one of the main reasons given for my being fired, about women’s roles, much of which is directly from Cope’s sermon.
One defining feature of my own tradition, of which I am particularly proud, is our history of peacemaking. Although, this aspect of the churches of Christ has been ignored or abandoned by many in our fellowship there is still a current of peacemakers running through our churches. This six part sermon series by Rick Atchley provides a good look at the Restoration tradtion of being peacemakers. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 and Part 6. Also this article by Lee Camp gives convincing reasons why the church should be pacifist.
If you have any interest in Church of Christ/Restoration Movement issues, history, theology, ecclesiology and more then I recommend these resources. First, this is the most comprehensive list of primary and secondary resources from the Restoration Movement that I know of. It is from Memorial University and is both scholarly and accessible. Second, on a slightly less scholarly note here is a list of the best church of Christ blogs. There are a few which I was surprised to see on the list and several that were glaring in their absence, but it is a very good list nonetheless. Finally, this sermon series by ministers at the Fourth Avenue Church of Christ is a good place to start if you want to understand a healthy view of basic coC tenets.
I have two miscellaneous blog posts that didnt fit into the other sections but that I found interesting. Mike Cope has an interesting look at legalism, another unfortunate hallmark of the churches of Christ (though to be fair not at all unique to our fellowship). My new friend Jared Cramer presented a paper about homosexuality at Lipscomb University’s Christan Scholars Conference last year and predictably got a lot of grief for it. Here is his very gracious and well thought out response.
Enjoy. Let me know what you think, especially those of you from the Churches of Christ.
Tags: A Cappella, Churches of Christ, Instrumental Music, Jay Guin, John Mark Hicks, Lee C. Camp, Lipscomb University, Mike Cope, Restoration Movement, Rick Atchley
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July 13, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Less scholarly! Well, yes.
If you have names you think have been omitted from the top blogs list feel free to submit them and I will put them where they fit. I am sure there are quite a few that could go on there but only so much time to do searching. Thanks for the link.
July 13, 2009 at 10:08 pm
rogue, I would suggest that with regard to instrumental music the arguments made by the reviewer But, it sounds like he is using the same old, time worn(worn out) arguments.
Fact is, both psallo and ado are used in non-instrumentalcontexts. Also, he needs to do better work in his argumentfrom Revelation.
Two of his is Revelation references (5:8-9; 15:2-3) also donot prove that singing (ado) was done WITH harps.Forexample, where does it say in 5:8 or 15:3 that the harpswere being played, or, if played, was played while the
others are singing? May sound ridiculous, but he is assumingwhat the text does not clearly state.
Second, 14:2 says that what John heard was LIKE the soundof “harpists playing their harps.” The word “like” isJohn’s word to show that it was NOT LITERALLY what he isdescribing, but was LIKE it. So the passage in 14:2 iseliminated from his arguments.
That leaves him with ONLY 5:8, and there is nothing in thatpassage to support his argument. As a matter of fact, Icould argue just as easily that they were not literallyharps in 5:8, based on 14:2.
I wonder if, in his book, he deals with:
1) The fact that the Greek language had a word that CLEARLY,UNDENIABLY meant “sing and play” – sympheneo. Why didn’tPaul use that word in Ephesians and Colossians?
2) Why did the early Christians, who (as Jews) were used toworshipping with instruments, suddenly stop?
3) Why do early church writers actually argue against theuse of instruments?
4) Why do major Greek lexicons (such as A & G and TDNT)suggest that the word PSALLO had come to mean only “sing” Anyway, those are a few thoughts I had.
Secondly, with regards to baptism, I’d suggest to mr. Hicks that to give up truth to create unity is simply inexcusable with regards to scripture. I’m for unity but to give up baptism for the forgivness of sins in order to build a bridge is simply unbiblical and Mr. Hicks walks a dangerous line if in fact that is what he is suggesting in his article.
Thirdly, with regards to women’s role in the church it is clearly defined by 1 Timothy 2m with regards to worship. God loves everyone equally but there are roles which he has set out for everyone in the church, to simply argue culture I think would be a fallacy considering the nature of 1 Timothy 2.
fourthly, I agree with regards to peacemaking, it is obviously something which every Christian should strive to do, but i’m not sure that protecting oneself from harm is Biblically condemnable. Just to make sure you understand i’m not pro war or pro violence, they should never be the first option, but at the same time I think we have the right to defend ourselves from being murdered or raped ect.
Finally, I disagree with the whole legalism remark, I think that is a gross misrepresentation of the Lord’s church, now there are those extreme churches out there but at the same time I’m not sure one could paint the church of Christ with that broad of a brush. Following scripture is not legalism. And I honestly don’t see how one can get around homosexuality and it being a sin. granted it is no different than any other sin and sometimes we look at that as the “unforgivable sin” but it is not different than any other sin one commits.
GP 238
July 16, 2009 at 10:10 pm
I agree with everything
July 18, 2009 at 11:53 am
thanks Mark, i’m glad you agree.