Church Singing(more than in the comment... re read it please.)

ok... here goes that rebel... that lost son among you (sorry, i have a bit too much fun w/ that image... but we all have an image we enjoy portraying... dif. subject.)... i'm here to start a friendly debate... not divide yon brotherhood.

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

well, for the word smiths among you, definitions might be in order since most cannot define what these 3 types of songs are.

Hymn: this is an ode (archaic word for musical poem of sorts) that sings praise to a hero... think of what heros do... they do heroic, daring acts. They win the heart of the princess, slay dragons & save the people. This is what a hymn is... like that yankee Battle Hymn of the Republic. It is a war song, a fight song... a victory chant! it's blood in the eyes and grit in the teeth. it's wiping out the works of an enemy so treacherous that it deserves a movie like 300 or LOTR. A Man's man song. Swords, Guns & Fighting.. Death, Life & Celebration!

Spiritual Song: Think of the ONE song you can actually see WRITTEN in the bible... it's literally an entire book. any guesses? Larry... was that you i heard blurt out the answer?... did you say SONG of solomon? or also called song of songs? that's right... they are often love songs. they even take on a romantic or erotic twist... Did someone say EROTIC and Worship in the same sentence? WOW! Where's that web site? But next time you talk about "I want to know Christ..." think of the intimate knowledge of Adam & Eve. Literally wholly transparent and having a deep, internal connection with the soul & experiences of the other.

- Worship songs (not directly mentioned): generally songs of adoration and love
- Praise Songs (not directly mentioned): a song that declares a worthy or admirable characteristic.

did i leave one out... oh, yes... Then there's Psalms

Psalms: A song sung to Harp music or a plucked instrument. By the way... the book PSALMS... was named incorrectly... it's the equivalent of a good ole fashioned song book. UH-OH, OH CRAP. THERE GOES THE ACAPPELLA STANCE. yes. we are told to speak to one another w/ Psalms... so, do we use this verse as a "no instruments" stance? Mike, bring your guitar any day. I'm tired. I'm tired of bickering. i'm tired of the in-fighting. I'm tired of seeing self-righteous churchies damn others because they have a GEE-TAR and some DRUMS.

Now there's the group who will go to the side of saying... well it says "speak." Ok, then if the legality is what you want... then go ahead... next time you pull out a song, psalm or hymn... use no singing at all... simply SPEAK it. I think there is some goode that could come of that... esp. if you do your best to literally speak it, mean it to the receiver. But for those who would say this is a verse about worship and singing... we're clearly misusing this verse if we're saying you must forsake all instruments in worship to an awesome holy father.

No, i think that we can find this verse as a strong proponent of using one's musical talent with an instrument in worship... i'm sure that David would look at a guitar as a plucked instrument... i'm sure they would have included Pianos too, but they weren't invented until much later. besides, could you imagine having to tune that thing every time the cloud moved?

Well, here's the debate... here in the NEW TESTAMENT, we clearly have a statement to USE instruments. so, why do we (being the CofC denom, we can choose to debate the DENOM idea later) not use them? Is it JUST TRADITION... ok, that's cool. i'm ok w/ that... But for those who say it's because it's not the RIGHT thing to do... how can we justify this? and trust me, the singing in your heart doesn't cut it... david worshiped w/ all of his heart... even pursued the heart of the Most High while using a harp. So, what's the answer...

(SORRY, church boy has grown a set of spurs, and i think it's time to kick the crap out of this horse. Let's get it to move.)

What if, the speak to one another actually supports the idea of one speaking/singing while another is silent and listening/absorbing/understanding the message portrayed. OH NO.. is petey boy suggesting we have those dreaded "specials?" Well, i do draw a line some where... i'm not saying that's necessary... esp. when it's used as a form of a talent show... and especially when the "talent show" lacks the required "talent." That's when it's just simply better to speak it... or heck, just shut up and be a listener.