LANCASTER BAPTIST SHOUTING TO THE LORD
Friday Church News Notes,
February 18, 2011, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143
For a while now we have observed with increasing concern the adaptation
of Contemporary Worship Music at Lancaster Baptist Church, home of West Coast
Baptist College. It would be very easy for me to keep my mouth shut about this
because of the close relationship I have with some of the people there and
because of the widespread support the school has from very conservative
Independent Baptists, not to speak of the many commendable things the school
stands for; but I can no longer remain silent in good conscience before God. It
is not a one-time problem; it is a pattern. For decades I have been warning
about the spiritual danger of Contemporary Christian Music and how that it
brings a lot of worldly baggage in its wake. It is not just music; it is a
philosophy of Christianity that breaks down the God-ordained barriers between
the church and the world. Any church today that is not aggressively resisting
CCM will eventually succumb to it, and probably sooner rather than later. The
evidence is all around us. The pressure toward compromise is too great; the
satisfaction that this music offers to the flesh is too intense. The
contemporary philosophy in this apostate hour is like a powerful flowing river,
and our churches are like small boats. Those that are not paddling fiercely
against the current will certainly be carried along by it. I don’t care what
else you are doing right; if you allow CCM a foot in the door you are on the
slippery slope of compromise. Like many others, Lancaster Baptist and West Coast
are saying the right things about being opposed to CCM, but increasingly their
actions don’t match the rhetoric. I strongly suspect that there are people in
the music department that love CCM and listen to it regularly. This is why they
frequently come up with toned-down CCM specials. They remove the heavy back beat
(though the dance syncopation can still be present in the piano style); there is
no drum kit, no bass guitar; but it is still CCM. The most recent example that
came to my attention was radical charismatic-ecumenist Darlene Zschech’s “Shout
to the Lord” performed as a special by the orchestra and two pianists and
available on YouTube. I urge Pastor Chappell and the leaders at Lancaster
Baptist Church and West Coast Baptist College to put a stop to the music people
who are digging in the garbage bin of CCM in search for something acceptable.
And don’t say, “It can’t happen here.” When I graduated from Tennessee Temple in
1976 it was in most ways every much as conservative as West Coast is today. In
music, it was more conservative. But they didn’t heed warnings and thought they
were too big to be criticized and shot the messengers instead of heeding the
reproof, and today Tennessee Temple is a Southern Baptist rock & roll
institution. I would challenge the leaders of Lancaster to bring in an expert
like Graham West of Australia to inform the people more properly about music.
The wisest standard for Christian music today is the standard that rejects CCM
lock, stock, and barrel. Lines must be drawn, and the safest line is the best
line. It is far better to err on the side of being too strict about music, as it
is one of the most powerful influences in modern society. There is an endless
supply of truly sacred music, both old and new, that doesn’t push the
boundaries.
Although I wouldn't usually put music like this on my blog, I'm doing it to emphasize a point, I don't encourage this music at all. (thus the post) Also, I don't want it to be said that I'm "picking" on WCBC, or Lancaster Baptist Church. I'm very disappointed in this, having almost gone to WCBC for my music major. And it's the only good college that has been brought to my attention that is bringing in CCM.
I hope that this has been a help and not a discouragement to you! Please pray for WCBC and LBC, as well as all IFB churches and schools as we are battling against Satan's temptations!
