CCM!
soulw...@vvm.com
[Distributed by Way of Life Literature's Fundamental Baptist Information
Service. These articles cannot be stored on BBS or Internet sites
without express permission from the author. The articles cannot be sold or
placed by themselves or with other material in any electronic format
for sale, but may be distributed for free by e-mail or by print. They must
be left intact and nothing removed or changed, including these
informational headers. This is a listing for Fundamental Baptists and other
fundamentalist, Bible-believing Christians. Our goal is not
devotional. OUR PRIMARY PURPOSE IS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO ASSIST
PREACHERS IN THE PROTECTION OF THE CHURCHES
IN THIS APOSTATE HOUR. If you desire to receive this type of material on a
regular basis, e-mail us, tell us who you are and where you are
located, and request to be placed on the list. Also include your postal
address and the name of the church of which you are a member. Please
note that we take up a quarterly offering to fund this ministry, and you
will be expected to participate. Some of these articles are from the
"Digging in the Walls" section of O Timothy magazine. David W. Cloud,
Editor. O Timothy is a monthly magazine in its 14th year of publication.
Subscription is $20/yr. Way of Life Literature, 1701 Harns Rd., Oak Harbor,
WA 98277. The Way of Life web site is http://wayoflife.org/~dcloud.
The End Times Apostasy Online Database is located at this web site. (360)
675-8311 (voice), 240-8347 (fax). dcl...@whidbey.net (e-mail)]
April 2, 1998 (Fundamental Baptist Information Service, 1701 Harns Rd., Oak
Harbor, WA 98277) - The following article by
Victor E. Sears first appeared in the Baptist Bible Tribune 18 years ago
under the title "Modernism in a New Form." It is
reprinted from The Fundamentalist Digest, Nov.-Dec. 1997 (Don Jasmin,
Editor, P.O. Box 2322, Elkton, MD 21922). Victor
Sears "was one of the early motivating figures in the Baptist Bible
Fellowship (BBF)." Writing in the Feb. 13, 1981, issue of the
Baptist Bible Tribune, R.O. Woodworth, former national representative of the
BBF, made the following comment about Sears'
article:
"Perhaps as much as any issue confronting Baptist Bible Fellowship, Brother
Sears is concerned about the 'hippy' music creeping
into our churches that antagonizes so many of our people. Compounding the
problem is the music program in many of our schools.
Consequently there is much liberal support for contemporary music which
Sears calls 'gospel garbage.' In an article 'Modernism in
a New Form,' carried by the Baptist Bible Tribune recently, which
incidentally received wide acclaim, he points out that the
invasion of contemporary music into our churches will cause irreparable harm
unless it is checked."
Sadly, these warnings have been ignored by many Baptist Bible Fellowship
preachers. Dr. Jasmin, editor of the Fundamentalist
Digest, remarks: "In the BBF, contemporary Christian music not been checked
in many churches. Consequently, the BBF
movement has drifted aimlessly toward the New Evangelical orbit. Pastors, if
you don't want the next generation in your church to
become apostate, exercise oversight over your church music program NOW!"
MODERNISM IN A NEW FORM
By Victor E Sears
Forty years ago when I first entered the ministry, the word "modernism" was
on the lips of every fundamentalist. The word had a
connotation of such organizations as the Federal Council of Churches (now
the National Council of Churches and the World
Council of Churches). Individual names such as Harry Emerson Fosdick, Harry
Ward, E. Stanley Jones and others became
synonymous with our exposure of modernism or apostasy.
Many great pulpiteers and Bible expounders became well-known for their
battle against modernism. Included among these were
T.T. Shields, J. Frank Norris, Harvey Springer, Carl McIntyre, Bob Ketchum,
Bob Jones, Art Wilson, Noel Smith, Archer
Weniger, Henry Grubs, and a host of others too numerous to list. All these
men have been very close friends.
They fought seemingly insurmountable battles against apostasy and unbelief
in denominations and councils. These men were giants
in their day. They fought those who would bring false doctrine into our
churches and those who would attempt inclusive policies of
fellowship between fundamentalists and modernists. The lines were definitely
drawn so that people knew unequivocally the
difference between fundamentalists, neoevangelicals, and modernists. Today
these lines are fast becoming obliterated.
CCM MUSIC--THE NEW FORM OF APOSTASY
Now there is a new form that modernism and apostasy has taken to creep
surreptitiously into our churches and destroy their
Scriptural testimony. THIS TIME IT DOES NOT COME IN THE FORM OF PREACHING OR
TEACHING, BUT RATHER
IN THE CARNAL PRODUCTION OF THE MUSICAL PROGRAM FROM MANY CHURCH PLATFORMS.
Much of the
singing heard today by choirs and specials on the average church platform is
what is known as contemporary or as soft rock and is
often backed with the sound of canned music that could be produced by the
average dance or disco band at the corner
honky-tonk.
In my personal estimation, much noise or racket (certainly not music) is a
polluting stench in the nostrils of a holy God. With its
sensual tones, jungle beat, and night club presentation, it appeals to the
flesh rather than to the spirit. It motivates the carnal
interest instead of the new nature. The sad truth is that most of this new
contemporary, soft rock, offbeat style of music
was conceived in hell, hatched among the charismatic crowd, and printed in
their publishing houses.
BEWARE: CHARISMATIC MUSIC IS TAKING OVER OUR CHURCHES!
Good fundamental Baptists and others that refuse the teachings of the
charismatic crowd concerning tongues, signs, miracles, and
so forth are now singing their music in our churches and preparing our
people for the world, the flesh and the devil. It is the new
Trojan Horse move of modernism to deaden our churches to spiritual truth.
Icabod can be written over most of its lyrics
and notes. The sad part of this is that many of our pastors are not aware of
what is taking place. A lot of these musical
arrangements (arranged by the charismatics) come in the form of "canned
music" with the sound of drums, amplified guitars, plus
other instruments with the offbeat of the jungle just like you would expect
to hear in the honky-tonk saloon.
MUSIC THAT SOUNDS LIKE THE WORLD
I have heard several people say that it carries the same beat and swing that
they used to dance with before they were saved.
There is a sort of hippy-oriented "pop" flavor that is disgusting to any
consecrated Christian and must be repulsive to Almighty
God.
Too many soloists and groups singing such music put on the poise and style
of Hollywood entertainers. Many of these
"entertainers" wear clothing (or lack of it) that is the same as worn in
nightclubs. Often men have long hippy-type hair
arrangements that speak of the rebellion of this age and are a contradiction
of 1 Corinthians 11:14 where it states: "Doth not even
nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto
him?" Many of these "entertainers" would not go across the
street to win a soul to Christ or attend a Bible study or prayer meeting.
The average musical group turns up the public address system so high that it
destroys all hearing of the words and receiving of a
message. I heard B.R. Lakin say in Orlando, Florida, that the "average
quartet, if they sang in an auditorium the size of a
telephone booth, would want a public address system." This blatant,
senseless roaring of a PA system is ridiculous beyond words.
Its only ministry is NOISE, not even good-sounding noise.
SHALLOW HERETICAL LYRICS
The words of most of this contemporary music used in our churches is
shallow, unscriptural, and even heretical. Someone said
recently that "weak preaching always goes along with worldly music." That, I
believe, is the truth. Just as years ago we preachers
lifted up our voices against modernism as depicted by the National Council
and World Council of Churches, so today we preachers
need to "rise up like a tomcat spitting tobacco juice in a bull dog's eye"
and start preaching against the modernistic evil of most
contemporary and all rock music in our churches.
THE RESPONSIBILITY OF PASTORS TO OVERSEE THE CHURCH'S MUSIC PROGRAM
We used to say that the musical program of the church prepared the way for
the pastor's sermon. I BELIEVE GOD HOLDS
THE PREACHER RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT GOES ON THE PLATFORM OF HIS CHURCH.
Possibly we need to tie a
knot in the tail of some of our song leaders. Some of them have gone far too
worldly in their musical programs. Let's get back to
the old time gospel hymns and singing that stirs the heart, brings glory to
God, and draws us closer to Him. The old-time hymns like
"Rock of Ages," "The Old Rugged Cross," "Throw out the Lifeline," and "When
the Roll is called Up Yonder" are still relevant in
this dark Laodicean age. "Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and
see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way,
and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls..." (Jer. 6:16).