Kevin Harper
gospelunion.com

However, like so many issues, it is not the issue that is the issue, but rather what the issue reveals about the people with whom it is an issue.

You think no instruments is right? Fine. How are you treating those with instruments? And vice versa.

My personal history reveals me to be one kind of idiot on two sides of the issue.

My goal now is to revere God and love people when I talk of this or any other issue. God give me the courage to do just that.

I am an Ozark Graduate, and had a great experience there. I am sorry that they are missing out on hearing you speak!

I am hopeful that someday we can bring some of the Ozark folks here (Abilene/Highland). I would love to have our folks hear people like Mark Scott, Jackina Stark, and so many others who blessed me during my time there. Any chance that something like that is in the works?

I will close, trusting that you will be able to be there next time!

Beverly

In our town, it was the Baptists, Methodists and Church of Christ, which was a big issue when it came to electing members of the school board because neither the Baptists nor the c of C believed in dancing, while with Methodists, pretty much anything went. Not that anything much went on. I grew up in a time and age where no one I knew at all smoked or drank and I never heard four letter words or bad language from anyone in the entire town! Those were the days, in a lot of ways, but the religious prejudices and practices we learned and lived left a lot to be desired.

Fortunately, I left there, as did my entire family(even though my parents had grown up there, too), who all learned a much better way and we are all much better Christians for the changes, thanks be to God’s grace and love in our lives and the influences of many vibrant Christians in other places.

But, I think that we most times over complicate the entire matter of differences we have with other religious groups on a lot of issues, but, in particular, instrumental music. I live far away from Abilene, which is rather a world unto itself, in my opinion, because of the strong Christian influences there, and perhaps not in touch as much with how things “really are” out here in the “hinterlands,” (in South Louisiana, which is predominately Catholic, with innumerable varieties of Baptists right up the road in Mississippi). This is really a mission area in many ways. We don’t have the luxury of having a congregation on every corner, with a lot of different views on worship and/or everything else to choose from in inviting people where to attend and participate, and have to approach Christianity from a very simple, practical perspective, which I believe is Biblical.

It seems to me in talking with people outside the c of C, which I do a LOT, where not much about the c of C is known at all and what is known is not negative in any way (from lack of background and the understanding that we have about church “politics”)that the best way to identify ourselves is just as “Christians,” too, who practice and worship the way we do because God intended, thorough Jesus and the Gospel, for us to be able to worship in “Spirit and in truth,” - anywhere in the world - in any situation imaginable - without needing anything other than our own bodies - for singing, praying, testifying, preaching, edifying, fellowshipping, and so on - and some bread and some grape juice (or dare I say it?) wine.

You know what’s really amazing. Everyone I talk with - without exception - understands that and thinks that it makes a lot of sense! That approach solves the need to get into long theological discussions about whether instrumental music is correct and/or appropriate and on and on, and covers a multitude of other issues, too, without anyone getting upset or turned off by our attitude.

It’s not opinion. It’s what we find that Jesus taught in the New Testament and that early Christians practiced. It’s not that I believe we have to go back and do everything as they did, because we don’t. We can’t. We don’t have to. God made it very simple. Wherever we are, in whatever circumstances we find ourselves in our journey through life, we can worship, we can praise, we can fellowship, with or without many things we sometimes want to make issues of. Who cares? I truly don’t believe that God does!

To God be the glory, forever and ever, in whatever we do and however we do it. - Dee Andrews

Somehow, I don’t think that question is ever going to come up. But, it is interesting, my son recently told me about a girl inviting him to church, and that this particular church had instrumental music. He then told her that he grew up in church that only used a pitch pipe and vocal cords. No instruments, and certainly no band! I had to then remind him that his father had once played in one of those bands.