I have to say that the ooohhhs and aaaaahs that Acapella sing has personally never caused me to sin…now the vocalized drum beats…that’s a different story. I have tapped my foot before to that music which could be construed as dancing….

I used to be a campus minister to college students. I started to notice that, prior to our bi-weekly devotionals, people were listening to secular music, watching tv, etc in our student center. I decided to change to more of a “worshipful” environment by playing some music of the group Acapella as background noise as people arrived and waited for our devotionals to begin. The songs were sung a capella (as the name would suggest); however, they made vocal sounds that mimicked instruments occasionally, and also had “ooo’s” and “ahhhh’s” in the back ground (which, according to my elders don’t “teach and admonish”). I was rebuked for introducing this sinful element. So the statement is that listening to Garth Brooks sing about honky-tonkin’ is MORE righteous than listening to a group sing a capella praises to God, simply because that group wasn’t all singing lyrics.

Just thought that story went well with your comment.

The same view would hold if one sings “Ring the Message Out” (which has little or no praise or worship value) but if you do it aCapella, then one is saved? According to that view, we could sing the country classic “Stand by Your Man” aCapella in church and be theologically sound…right?

An excellent treatment of the text. I applaud you and amazed that you can do what you do here and still have a family and earn a living.

Royce

God bless