Instrumental Music – Why Not?

Speaker: William Woodson
Date: May 8, 2000, Monday Evening Worship Service - (During a Gospel Meeting May 7 Through 10, 2000, by the Northeast church of Christ, Albuquerque, New Mexico)
Main Scripture References: Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16
Theme: The New Testament Church (Matthew 16:18: And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.)

I’m glad to be here. It is true: there is more oxygen here in the city of Albuquerque than on the Crest [Sandia Peak, the highest peak of the Sandia Mountain Range; Albuquerque is nestled in the Rio Grande Valley and extends to near the base of Sandia Mountains with the Peak in view; apparently Brother Woodson was taken on a visit to the Crest, and the oxygen is thinner there], but there is much more—in fact, there is ENOUGH—in Lawrenceburg [Tennessee]. And I’m not going to “hold my breath” here very long. I’m glad to be with you. I have enjoyed being with John and Betsy [Phyllis] and others of you. I have thoroughly enjoyed my few days here, and I look forward each evening to being with you in these services. Thank you for coming.

Last Wednesday, I received a very gratifying and special series of letters. They were handed to me, and they came from the mid-high class [middle and high school class]. I received twelve of them. They were welcoming me to this congregation and telling me of their interest, and all of that. Tobey Pierce and Dennis Setliff are the teachers of the class. And I appreciate the fact that these young people were encouraged to write those letters, and I appreciate the fact that they gave them to me. Thank you very much.

Tonight, I want to think with you about the topic, “Instrumental Music – Why Not?” Why not? One of the first things that a visitor observes among services of brethren [the brethren of the churches of Christ] is the fact that they do not use instrumental music in worship. There is no piano, organ, band, or any other kind of instrumental music. And it is not a matter of lack of funds. It is a matter with the brethren that they prefer not to use it for a reason. They believe there is a reason not to use instrumental music.

Well, some people say the reason we don’t use it is that “they just want to be different.” Now, nobody in New Mexico wants to be different. I can already tell that. But there a few in Tennessee that slipped in, either from Texas or Arkansas—we’re not sure. We’re trying to thin them out. [Brother Woodson is teasing a bit.] BUT, if that’s the reason that we don’t use instrumental music, that’s no reason at all! There’s nothing to be gained by just being different or contrary. Now, that’s not the reason.

Others say the reason is that we don’t know and appreciate good music. Well, I suppose we listen as much to good music as the average person. I suppose that there are folk among us who know the technicalities of harmony and music, etc. about as well as other folks. But if the reason we don’t use instrumental music is that we don’t know good music, that’s no reason.

Probably one of the most wide-spread explanations is that church of Christ represents an effort to go back to pioneer days, days when there were not established towns, and where there was little means of transporting instruments of music. “And today,” they say, “although the times have changed, folk in church of Christ choose to go back in their minds to those ‘good old days of long ago.’ And since those ‘good old days long ago’ did not have instrumental music, they don’t have it today.” Really, that is a kind of down-putting of us. It’s not a very nice thing to say about us. But, if that were the reason, if we simply wanted to go back to “good old days” and kind of do what they did 150—200 years ago, and, therefore, don’t use instrumental music, that would not be a good reason.

If there is to be a reason, that reason must rest upon a principle. That is, it must rest upon a statement of Truth that will apply and be true in each situation. Let me illustrate that:

When I was a youngster, I worked on occasion with my father, who was a very good carpenter. In the days after World War II, there was a great deal of building in my home town of Jasper, Alabama. And my father and other men in the work crews were building houses as quickly as they could. In order to build a house, they would put up what they call “batter boards” and stretch strings in order to determine where the foundation would be, how high, etc. I would watch my father and these other men working very carefully with those strings. I asked my father one day, “Why do you do that?”

“Well,” he said, “we’ve got to have the house square so that all of the joints will fit, so that all of the building will be proper.”

“Well, how do you make those strings square?”

“Well,” he said, “let me show you.”

So, he laid out a framing square, or steel square—now made of aluminum, by the way—and he said, “You go out this far three inches; go out this way four inches; and put a rule between those two points and it will be five inches.” He said, “I remember it by saying, ‘three, four and five,’ or ‘six, eight and ten.’”

Well, that was fine. I don’t know whether he did, or did not, know of the geometry that has to do with the legs of the triangle, and hypotenuse and all of that. Probably, if I’d started talking that, he would have thought I needed to get my mouth washed out! BUT, he was saying exactly what is right in terms of 90 degree angles, so that if you go out on this string three feet, and on that string four feet, and you got anything but five feet, you’re wrong. You’ve got to adjust it so that it is exactly in harmony with that principle.