Authority or Interpretation?

I once heard Bobby Duncan say, "Practically every question underlying present-day denominationalism is a question of authority, and not of interpretation." Really, there is not much disagreement over what the Bible actually says. The disagreement is over what it is telling us to do today.

For example, Catholics sprinkle for infant baptism, not because they think that they can find this practice in the New Testament. Every New Testament scholar knows that candidates for baptism were immersed in the early church. Catholics allow sprinkling for baptism because, in addition to the authority of the New Testament, they accept the authority of the Pope, who has allowed an alternative to immersion.

The churches of Christ only immerse candidates for baptism because we accept only the New Testament as our authority in matters of religion and daily living. Our motto is, "Speak where the Bible speaks, remain silent where the Bible is silent." As long as we adhere to this principle, we maintain a distinct position in today's religious landscape.

These things came into my mind when I read that the Richland Hills Church of Christ in Texas has added an instrumental service to their worship schedule.

“There is unity in our eldership, and we are so thankful for that,” said Jon Jones, one of the elders who leads the Richland Hills church. His words sound hollow, seeing as how two of the elders resigned following the groundbreaking decision.

Rick Atchley, the church's pulpit minister, was quoted as saying, "...I firmly believe that if Richland Hills is to be most faithful to God’s word and Christ’s mission, we must become a both/and church with regard to instrumental and a cappella praise."

How is it possible that Brother Atchley can claim we are more faithful to God's word by allowing instrumental music into our worship assemblies? The New Testament says nothing about "instrumental praise."

As Brother Duncan said, this isn't about interpretation. Reputed Bible scholars of every stripe agree that you cannot find instruments of music in the New Testament. The Bible doesn't need to be re-interpreted. This is about authority. Unfortunately, there are some among us (and the number is growing) who no longer believe that we must follow Scriptural authority in everything that we do (Col. 3:17).

Jesus told the Samaritan woman that believers must worship God "in spirit and in truth." The Bible is the only source for truth (Jn. 17:17). Will the churches of Christ insist on following the truth revealed through the New Testament, or will they abandon that truth to follow the fleeting trends of society? The answer to this question not only determines whether we will employ musical instruments in our praise to God. Its implications reach even further into the very nature of who we are.

Make no mistake. This is not just about the instrument.