During a (conservative) church service recently an open hymn-sing asked for requests from the congregation from two approved hymnbooks: The Psalter (the old CRC hymnbook) and Hymns for The Family of God. A voice behind me requested For Those Tears I Died. I had a vague memory that it was a song from the Hippie "Jesus Movement" of the early 1970's. Hymns for The Family of God attributes the song to Marsha Stevens (now Stevens-Pino) and her band, "Children of the Day." A quick Google search revealed the facts that Ms. Stevens-Pino was divorced, two children, a now professing lesbian and founder of BALM (Born Again Lesbian Music).
I'm a bit out-of-touch with the whole CCM scene and broad evangelicalism, so all of this appears to be a well-known controversy already. This is what happens when one is part of tradition that does not actively embrace worship bands and Contemporary Christian music. I personally don't have a problem with either, but I do not listen to Christian Contemporary Music.
As I sit and think about all of this, I'm not sure if I have it all worked out. There's nothing blatantly heretical about the song, but that its author is a proactive lesbian gives me pause to stop and consider the relationship between truth and lifestyle. The question is: does truth, even if uttered by a pro-active lesbian trump the actions of the writer? I have my own take on this, but I'm simply going to leave the question hanging at this point.
From the Australian group, "Sons of Korah". I just discovered this group recently and I am impressed with their musical skill and that they have done many of the Psalms, and they are all very wedded to the text of Scripture. The song covers Psalm 94:1-11. I don't know what their church background or specific theology is, but so far, of the songs I have listened to, they seem very good.
Psalm 33:1-3 - "play skillfully" (verse 3) to the Lord with a shout of joy !
Psalm 94
"O LORD, God of vengeance God of vengeance, shine forth!
Rise up, O Judge of the earth, Render recompense to the proud. 3 How long shall the wicked, O Lord, How long shall the wicked exult? 4 They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly; All who do wickedness vaunt themselves. 5 They crush Your people, O Lord, And afflict Your heritage. 6 They slay the widow and the stranger And murder the orphans. 7 They have said, “The Lord does not see, Nor does the God of Jacob pay heed.”
8 Pay heed, you senseless among the people; And when will you understand, stupid ones? 9 He who planted the ear, does He not hear? He who formed the eye, does He not see? 10 He who chastens the nations, will He not rebuke, Even He who teaches man knowledge? 11 The Lord knows the thoughts of man, That they are a mere breath.
12 Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O [j]Lord, And whom You teach out of Your law; 13 That You may grant him relief from the days of adversity, Until a pit is dug for the wicked. 14 For the Lord will not abandon His people, Nor will He forsake His inheritance. 15 For judgment will again be righteous, And all the upright in heart will follow it. 16 Who will stand up for me against evildoers? Who will take his stand for me against those who do wickedness?
17 If the Lord had not been my help, My soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence. 18 If I should say, “My foot has slipped,” Your lovingkindness, O Lord, will hold me up. 19 When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul. 20 Can a throne of destruction be allied with You, One which devises mischief by decree? 21 They band themselves together against the life of the righteous And condemn the innocent to death. 22 But the Lord has been my stronghold, And my God the rock of my refuge. 23 He has brought back their wickedness upon them And will destroy them in their evil; The Lord our God will destroy them.
Words originally written by William P. Merrill, 1911. (* see comments at the end)
Music by Phil Keaggy
Rise up O men of God, Have done with lesser things. Give heart and soul and mind and strength, To serve the King of Kings, To serve the King of Kings.
Rise up O men of God, His Kingdom tarries long, Bring in the day of brotherhood, And end the night of wrong, And end the night of wrong.
Rise up O men of God, The Church for you doth wait. Send forth to serve the needs of men In Christ our strength is great, In Christ our strength is great.
Lift high the Cross of Christ, Tread where His feet have trod, As brothers of the Son of Man, Rise up O men of God, Rise up O men of God.
Rise up O men of God, Have done with lesser things. Give heart and soul and mind and strength, To serve the King of Kings, To serve the King of Kings. Comments: I honestly don't know the background of this hymn, but it appears to have written at a time (right before World War 1) when Liberal Christianity was making headways and a liberal post-millennialism and "bringing in the kingdom" was an influential force in western culture. Hence, the phrases about "His Kingdom tarries long" and "bring in the day of brotherhood" and "the church . . . sent forth to serve the needs of men". If the author's intended meaning of those phrases were some kind of liberal "bring in the kingdom" through good works, social gospel, and political action, then I disagree with that of course; and repudiate that message. I did a minimum amount of searching on the internet, and it does seem like the author was a liberal theologian and pastor and was part of a pacifist peace movement. Beyond that, I don't know how liberal or orthodox he was. But I think that the phrases and words by themselves can also have a more Evangelical Biblical meaning, by seeking to glorify God by abiding in the true vine, Jesus Christ (John 15:1-16); walking with the Lord; by the preaching of the Biblical gospel and for men to stand up and be committed and love their wives and children and be committed in a local, Biblical church; reach out to neighbor; be men of prayer and engage our culture and support or go in missions; then that is the meaning and spirit with which I post this.
And it is really good music also!
Prayer: (Adapted from Matthew 6:9-13) "Father in heaven, Your name is already Holy; You are already Holy! May Your name be treated as holy in my heart and life and in Your people's hearts and lives in the Biblical churches; May Your kingdom come and be spread on this earth through the gospel being preached and lived out; and may Your moral will be done, as it is done in heaven . . . May Your Word spread and run rapidly and be honored (see 2 Thess. 3:1-3) We need Your grace and power and a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:13-25) Help us guard our hearts against sin, pride, lust, jealousy, anger, selfishness; Let us not into temptation; deliver us from evil; for Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever, in the name and authority of Jesus Christ, Your only Son, Amen! "
Who will speak up for the little ones? Helpless and half-abandoned. They've got the right to choose life They don't want to lose, I've got to speak up, won't you? Equal rights, equal time, for the unborn children. Their precious lives are on the line, How can we be rid of them? Passing laws, passing out Bills and new amendments. Pay the cost and turn about, And face the young defendants. Who will speak up for the little ones? Helpless and half-abandoned. They've got the right to choose life They don't want to lose, I've got to speak up, won't you? Many come and many go, Conceived but not delivered. The toll is astronomical, How can we be indifferent. Little hands, little feet, Tears for Him who made you. Should all on earth forsake you now, But He'll never forsake you. Who will speak up for the little ones? Helpless and half-abandoned. They've got the right to choose life They don't want to lose, I've got to speak up, won't you? Forming hearts, forming minds, Quenched before awakened, For so many deliberate crimes The earth will soon be shaken. Little hands, little feet, Tears for Him who made you. Should all on earth forsake you now, But He'll never forsake you. Who will speak up for the little ones? Helpless and half-abandoned. They've got the right to choose life They don't want to lose, I've got to speak up, won't you? Scripture: Psalm 139:13-18 Jeremiah 1:5 Proverbs 24:11-12
I don’t care what anyone says, this is a great song! (From 1976-1977) I don’t exactly know where Phil Keaggy is
spiritually today, but he seems like a mild Charismatic Christian.I like his music and sometimes he has some
great music with really good Biblical words and concepts. His pro-life song, "Who will speak up for the little ones?" is also really great and beautiful. Last time I posted a song of his, some one commented that they thought he had converted to Roman Catholicism.I cannot find substantial evidence of that;
although he seems to lean to a more “ecumenical” type of thinking when the
issue comes up.
I am not Charismatic nor third wave nor a Reformed "continualist" on miraculous sign gifts (Wayne Grudem, Samuel
Storms; John Piper to a lesser emphasis, it seems to me), but I do like good classic Rock n Roll music (stuff like this would be great for a Friday night outreach to youth with Biblical preaching of the gospel; but no, I don't want this on Sunday morning); and I wish there was
more of it, in quality that is; of it with Christian words.Keith Green was another really good classic rock Christian song writer
and singer. I don't want heavy Rock for worship; but I like good hymns that have been updated with acoustic guitars and flutes; and I also like the good hymns of worship with just piano. Lots of variety with quality performance and making a joyful noise is good. If we don't update a little, we loose young people. (Just my opinion, as I see worship leaders now using 70s and 80s praise choruses that were considered anathema by them at that time, that are using them today. (30 years too late!)
Anyway . . .
This is a great rock n roll song that communicates the truth
of Hebrews 9:27 – “and in as much as it is appointed for men to die once, and
after this comes the judgment.”
Time is running out for all of us; one day each one of us will
die, and we will have to face God, the Holy One, in the judgment.One day, time will stop; “When the Lord stops him, that’ll be it!” – God
is sovereign and controls time, and one day He will bring it to an end.
Repent and believe in Jesus Christ, before it is too late.(Mark 1:15; Matthew 3:8; 2 Corinthians 6:1-2;
Isaiah 55:6; Acts 17:30-31; Psalm 90)
Time
By Phil Keaggy
Well He hasn't always been around
And He won't always be.
But He's on the move at this moment
Measuring life for you and me.
I fear we all submit to him
Existing anxiously,
And no one is able to turn him off
Except the Lord who holds the key.
When the Lord stops him, that'll be it,
Too late for apologies.
Too late to forgive your brother,
Too late to get on your knees.
When the Lord stops him, that'll be it,
Too late to help the needy
And worst of all it's too late to turn
You must face eternity.
His name is time and he's coming to an end.
His name is time where will you be my friend?
His name is time and he's coming to an end.
His name is time where will you be my friend?
Most people think he'll never stop
He'll go on perpetually,
But old man time is running out
And he'll cease eventually.
When the Lord stops him, that'll be it,
Too late for apologies.
Too late to forgive your brother,
Too late to get on your knees.
When the Lord stops him, that'll be it,
Too late to help the needy
And worst of all it's too late to turn
You must face eternity.
His name is time and he's coming to an end.
His name is time where will you be my friend?
His name is time and he's coming to an end.
His name is time where will you be my friend? Addendum: I fully agree with James and Steve Camp's assessment of the Contemporary Christian Music Industry - artists need to be in submission and membership of a good evangelical Biblical Church and have accountability.
The Anabaptist movement was born in Zurich Switzerland in 1525 during a time of iconoclastic fury (literally, demolishing icons). Conrad Grebel and Felix Mantz’s spiritual mentor, Swiss reformer Ulrich Zwingli led Zurich in its rejection of all things Catholic—ceremonies, rituals, liturgy, images, and instrumental music. Though he was a musician of extraordinary talent, Zwingli said the New Testament taught none of those popish mockeries; thus they were rejected and forbidden. Sharp said a prime example of what was rejected and forbidden was the organ.
The organ was characterized as the “Devil’s Bagpipe,” the “Pope’s Bagpipe,” the “Devil’s Trumpet,” and a “Seducer to the Worship of the Roman Anti-Christ.” Organs in the city’s five churches were silenced, then destroyed. The organ in Zwingli’s Grossmunster, the Cathedral Church, was relatively new. Sharp surmised that this organ was like the grand organ in Lucerne, another Swiss city that remained Catholic—therefore escaping Protestant axes and sledge hammers.
Historian Sharp said eyewitness Gerold Edlibach described the instrument—it was massive, gorgeous, superb, and very expensive with an imposing cluster of registers. Edlibach also described its destruction—it was “ripped down and smashed” while the cathedral’s organist, Pelagius Karlschmid, “stood by, helpless, and weeping.”
Sharp reported that in various cantons of Switzerland, pipes were melted and recast. In Schauffhausen, pipes became wine cans; in Winterthur, a new roof for the prison tower; and in Geneva dinnerware for the city hospital by order of reformer John Calvin.
Update on the Organ Destroyed by Zwingli: Another organ was installed into Zurich’s Grossmünster cathedral in1960 (link).
Addendum
This is a fun little link from the Spurgeon Library:
"The music of an organ may be appropriate to Popish worship, and may be in good taste in a Popish cathedral; and yet may be in wretchedly ill taste, when applied to Protestant worship."
"He that has ever so little examined the citations of writers cannot doubt how little credit the quotations deserve when the originals are wanting"
xx
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“Let nobody suppose that he has tasted the Holy Scriptures sufficiently unless he has ruled over the churches with the prophets for a hundred years. Therefore there is something wonderful, first, about John the Baptist; second, about Christ; third, about the apostles...“We are beggars. That is true.” - Martin Luther
"It is true that the best apologetics can be given only when the system of truth is well known. But it is also true that the system of truth is not well known except it be seen in its opposition to error."- Cornelius Van Til
"But a most pernicious error widely prevails that Scripture has only so much weight as is conceded to it by the consent of the church. As if the eternal and inviolable truth of God depended upon the decision of men!"- John Calvin
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