I was talking with a couple of my buds about the current obsession in some circles of evangelicalism with “outing” church things as pagan. You know, the new Barna book which claims that sermons, pulpits, buildings, etc. are all pagan in origin. To me this smacks of a backlash. For the longest time the conservative elements of the church have slammed the more liberal elements for doing away with traditional things or for adding new things to the worship service. In response, the more radical churches are insisting that some of the traditional things, like pulpits, are not so kosher either.
All this seems silly to me. In fact, it reminds me a bit of the history of my own church movement. About 100 years ago a group of Restoration Churches decided that they didn’t want organs in the church. They were too worldly and too costly. Organs were associated with rich city churches and saloons. They made a decision to not have organs in their churches, or any other kind of instrumental music. No problem. But, to justify that decision they needed a biblical imperative and thus constructed a hermeneutic that argued from the silence of the NT concerning instruments. Now they were not just saying that they preferred to not have organs but that others were sinning for having them.
Fast forward 100 years. Some churches don’t want guitars, drums, basses, or anything else that smacks of a typical 5 person rock band. They think the rock band format is too worldly, too loud, or not worshipful enough for their ears and accustomed style. No problem, that’s a choice that each congregation is free to make. The problem comes when they try to use the bible and flimsy arguments to insist that the rock style is not just something they don’t like but something that is unbiblical.
Now we see the backlash. So Barna likes a house church with discussion instead of a sermon. That’s fine, but don’t try to argue that meeting in a building with pews and a pulpit and a sermon is unbiblical.
If we are really trying to be a good New Testament church we should look back to what God wants in our religion. God made it clear in the Old Testament that while he cared about decorum in worship, proper rituals and sacrifices, and proper Temple personnel he was more worried about the state of our heart.
Hos 6:6
6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
NIV
Amos 5:21-24
21 “I hate, I despise your religious feasts;
I cannot stand your assemblies.
22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.
23 Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24 But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!
NIV
Without neglecting propriety in worship, God desired our hearts. The same is true in the new covenant. There are some things that we need to follow in our worship out of obedience: regular communion, biblical baptism, prayer, fellowship, compassion, the “apostles’ teaching”. But we are getting way too focused on the unimportant things: buildings, music styles, sermon styles, etc.
A New Testament church is not defined by these things. Instead it is defined by people seeking to be Christ in this world, worshiping in spirit and in truth. God cares more about our hearts and our obedience than he does whether we preach behind a pulpit or from a beanbag.
James 1:27
27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
NIV
Insipid Garbage 