The first nine articles in the New Wineskins series on instrumental music have now been posted —
The complete list is —
Introduction — The Instrumental Music Issue, by Jay Guin
On God’s Salvation, Galatians, and the Instrument, by Jay Guin
“Thy Kingdom Come” and the Instrument, by Jay Guin
The Early Church on Christian Music, by Danny Corbitt
Reconsidering Ephesians 5:19, by Clyde Symonette
Psallo: Lost in the Translation, by Danny Corbitt
Reflective or Regulative, by Al Maxey
An Afternoon with Rick Atchley and Chris Seidman, Part 1
An Afternoon with Rick Atchley and Chris Seidman, Part 2
An Afternoon with Rick Atchley and Chris Seidman, Part 3
An Afternoon with Rick Atchley and Chris Seidman, Part 4
Reflections on My Interview with Rick Atchley and Chris Seidman, by Jay Guin
David’s Psalms in the New Testament Church, by Clyde Symonnette
Beyond the Pitch Pipe, by Ryan Christian
And so, In Conclusion, by Jay Guin
Please make a point of helping to spread the word about this series — among all factions of the Churches of Christ. These articles won’t do much good unless they’re widely read. Post notes in appropriate forums and on your own blogs and otherwise help be sure these articles are noticed. As the next few posts will show, this won’t be just a rehash of the old canned arguments.
I agree with your assessment in your article that progressive Churches of Christ have stopped growing and that nondenominational community churches (often Bible churches) have continued to grow. Such congregations are appealing simply because of their commitment to theologically orthodox doctrine and because of their commitment to Christian virtues. Although nondenominational, community Bible churches tend to stand for biblical standards in doctrine and ethics. Those characteristics have an appeal for those who are looking for something solid.
Thanks, Terry.
It's worthwhile to ponder why "community churches" grow, whereas supposedly non-denominational Churches of Christ do not. I think it's not so much the instrument as the attitude toward scripture that leads to opposition to the instrument.
When we see scripture as imposing arbitrary rules as tests of faith, we tend to become arbitrary people. We become unattractive because we are transformed by the doctrine we teach. And the comments at New Wineskins show how very unattractive we can become.
Progressive Churches escape much of this, but often continue to keep their toes in the legalistic waters, to keep a handful of members happy. This makes them political — that is, they make decisions based on keeping the members happy rather than keeping God happy. The focus thus become internal.
The church may have many outwardly focused ministries, but when push comes to shove, the internal politics prevail over anything else. And political churches aren't attractive and quickly reach their growth potential. After all, an inwardly focused church is likely to stop growing once it has enough ministries to keep the members happy — because member happiness is what drives the biggest and toughest decisions.