Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 10
October 20, 1958
NUMBER 26, PAGE 4

Prejudice Or Conviction?

F. Y. T.

It happened twenty years ago. This writer was in as earnest conversation with some friends in the Christian Church, and was trying to convince them of the sinfulness of instrumental music and the missionary societies. "You people do NOT oppose the instrument and the missionary society on grounds of scripture," said the young Digressive preacher. "It is simply a matter of pure prejudice with you; you became so embittered over the split in the church that you have built up a wall of prejudice and cannot see over the top of it."

Of course the comment was resented. But developments in recent years have given us considerable room to wonder if there might not have been more truth in the young man's charge than we recognized. And we are certain that his accusation if made today, two decades later, would carry even a greater degree of truth than it did then.

How many members of the Lord's church are really, honestly, and truly convinced on scriptural grounds that instrumental music and the missionary societies are wrong? Is it not likely that thousands of people who are numbered among "us" have never been taught on these matters, and actually have no basic understanding at all as to why they are wrong. Grover Stevens of Lubbock, Texas, related to us an experience he had a few years ago while flying from Dallas to Lubbock. Shortly after- the plane took off, his seat-mate struck up a conversation with him. The man was a well dressed, obviously prosperous, and extremely polite and courteous traveling companion. It quickly was revealed that, like Brother Stevens, he was a member of the Lord's church. In fact, he had been a member of the Broadway congregation in Lubbock for some seven years, he said. As the journey continued, and the plane neared Lubbock, this man suddenly and in all seriousness said, "Brother Stevens, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a question that I've wondered about a lot: why don't we use instrumental music in the churches of Christ?"

He looked at the man with a smile, thinking he was joking. But he wasn't. He was very serious, and deeply interested. So Stevens went into the matter with him, pointing out the scriptural teaching on the subject. The man was obviously pleased to receive the explanation. He said, "I am indeed grateful to you for answering my question. I have thought about it much since I was baptized, and have wondered about it; but never really understood the matter until now. Nobody had ever said anything about it, one way or the other, and I have been puzzled to know the reason for our not having an organ."

We would guess that this good brother has his counterparts in churches throughout the land — by the uncounted thousands!! Even among many gospel preachers there has come to light in recent years an abysmal ignorance as to why the missionary societies are wrong. They have heard, and believed, and taught all their lives that they are wrong — but have no real understanding at all as to WHY they are wrong. And in their confusion they have accepted and fully committed themselves to the very arguments that Digressives have used for a hundred years to prove the societies are right!

It is a confusing — and distressing — picture. And one can hardly escape the conviction that a considerable part of the opposition to societies at least, and perhaps instrumental music as well, is based on prejudice, pure and simple. Brethren have been told that the society is wrong; men in whom they have great confidence, papers that have become household words in the brotherhood, and the traditions of the fathers have all combined to condemn instrumental music and the societies. Therefore, they must be wrong — buy why, WHY?

We believe a new generation is arising to whom prejudice will not be a sufficient reason for excluding the missionary societies and instrumental music. We have found these young people all the way from Florida to California — intelligent and honest young men who have in good faith accepted the arguments being used to justify institutional orphan homes, the Herald of Truth, etc. ("God has said to do it, but hasn't said 'how';" "there is no binding example in the Bible;" "where there is no pattern;" "only an expedient;" "no Bible authority is necessary"), and then have had enough intellectual honesty to turn around and apply those same arguments to the missionary society, instrumental music, the weekly observance of the Lord's Supper, and various other items. The result? Well, we have seen some of these boys quickly come to the truth, rejecting all human arrangements and organizations for doing work God has given the church to do; and we have seen other young men quit the church entirely, accepting the logical and inevitable conclusions of their premises.

Prejudice is a primitive and powerful weapon. It will undoubtedly hold in its thrall a great number of brethren who have come to accept as final and divine truth any pronouncement from some "old reliable" source, or some Christian college. But the ferment of freedom of thought and expression will inevitably have its way. And thinking people will either come to know why the societies and instrumental music are wrong, or, failing to understand why, they will accept them. They can not go permanently limping between two impossible positions — rejecting the human society for evangelism, accepting it for benevolence; rejecting instrumental music on Sunday morning, accepting it for worship purposes at funerals, youth rallies, and other "special occasions." Every argument made for a human benevolence society is an argument for the missionary society; every argument made for worshipping God with an organ at a funeral is an argument for the organ on Sunday morning. Sooner or later the schizophrenia will be resolved — one way or the other.