Follow-Ups to Answer from Expert Hoyt Roberson

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Edsol Crowder wrote at 2009-09-30 18:18:34
I disagree with your liberal and inaccurte conclusions when you ignore basic English. When a sentence has a conjunction, "and", both sides of that conjunction are equally important and CAN NOT be separated as you have done. When you say go to the store and get some ice cream, both going and getting are equal. Sure, you can get ice cream off a truck, but that is not the point. The point is that you obey BOTH verbs (commands) and validate the word "and".

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Joe wrote at 2009-10-04 09:39:31
Hoyt does not accurately represent the churches of Christ in this and many other topics. He shows a lack of understanding of what the church of Christ believes and teaches and a lack of understanding of God's Word.



The passages in Revelation that mention musical instruments are not literal because the entire book is figurative so he is completely in error to talk about them as being literally in Heaven. They represent other things. Understanding figurative language is required.



A'capella literally means in the style of the church. Also the first historic evidence of musical instruments being used in "Christian" worship was around 700 AD, but the Pope kicked it out of the church and it didn't return until around 1000 AD when it became fully acceptable by the Catholic church but caused the birth of the Greek Orthodox church which to this day does not use musical instruments in worship.



Hoyt is correct that the main context of Ephesians and Colosians was the Christian life, but singing was indeed a command. His parallel about going to the store and getting some icecream fails as well because both going to the store and the getting of icecream are important not one or the other. If I tell my son to go to Albertson's and get icecream I expect him to go to that specific store. When Paul says, Sing and make melody in your hearts to God, BOTH the singing and the making melody in our hearts are important.



In the Old Covenant, the Temple was a building made with hands. In the New Covenant, the Temple is not a building but all the Christians who gather together for worship. We are directly connected now. There is no longer a curtain separating God's children from Him as in the OT Temple. ALL are commanded to sing and make melody in their hearts to God. Not ALL can play a musical instrument. We worship God today directly from our hearts.



Sadly, Hoyt is listed here as an expert for the churches of Christ, but all he does is mis-represent the church and the Bible. He needs to be listed under community churches or somewhere else. If you care to get a much more biblical answer, ask Ernie or Joe. Notice Hoyt uses little if any scripture in all his answers. Truly telling to me that he is not one to listen to at all.

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hroberson wrote at 2009-10-27 04:54:36
It continues to amaze me that normal people can read a novel and understand it; can read a law text and understand it; can read poetry and understand it; can read fantasy and understand it. When it comes to reading Scripture though, they seem to throw that understanding out the window, taking as law texts  poetry, narrative, and allusion.

I am an expert in church of Christ theology - I simply disagree with some of our standard conclusions. This disagreement bothers most of the others on this board who are experts as well - but who self-limit their views based on old, standard arguments that don't stand up to Scriptural review. Unfortunately, they fall into the same trap that Israel did, thinking that finessing the Law is what God is after. Unfortunately for Israel and these other experts, is that Paul says that their attempt to prove themselves by keeping rules totally misses the point of God's message. It is hardly important to use Scripture passages if we use them incorrectly and fail to understand God. This is what these other experts do, believing their narrow and limited understandings represent accuratley the view and will of God. They simply don't.

Now, this is not to say they are the only people to do so. There are people in all denominations that approach Scripture in the same manner and who also fail to understand God. Curiously, these folks fall within both conservative and liberal churches. Some limit themselves out of fear, and others allow themselves too much freedom due to focusing too much on human desire.

While they are both wrong, the good news is that they can all end up in Heaven because our God is a gracious God.

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