The loss would be significant, yet the gains would be abundant. No more heartburn for traditionalists when the bongo drums and tamborines are unleashed. No more inward groans when we sing a mediocre modern tune with mediocre lyrics as led by unordained “worship leaders.” For the other side of the spectrum, we’d have to give up today’s favorite contemporary praise songs and modernized hymnody. But think of what we’d gain: no more dreary old hymn tunes to dampen the spirit. No more funeral dirges to inflict on otherwise celebratory services. Remove all music and nothing is left to distress anyone.

You will have heard of the “Benedict Option” for coping with the culture wars. I would like to propose to Reformed Protestants the “Zwinglian Option” for ending the worship wars: eliminate all music from our public services. Zwingli, the outstanding musician among the Reformers, removed all music from the church in Zurich. We wring our hands over our worship divisions. The two ends of liturgical spectrum endlessly annoy each other. Think about it. Take away the music and we have little left to fight about. No more arguments about instrumentation. No more fights about types of songs. No more conflicts about the amount of time spent singing. Take it all away. No more music. No more songs. No more singing. This would be a very painful option for me personally. I love metrical psalmody. What is better than worshipping with a congregation that knows the Trinity Hymnal version of Psalm 51 to Redhead (“God Be Merciful to Me”) or Psalm 146 to Ripley (“Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah”) or Psalm 23 to Crimond (“The Lord’s My Shepherd”)? It would be an equally painful option because I love classic hymnody. What is more moving than a full house of worshippers singing “Holy, Holy, Holy” to Nicea, or “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” to Hamburg.

The loss would be significant, yet the gains would be abundant. No more heartburn for traditionalists when the bongo drums and tamborines are unleashed. No more inward groans when we sing a mediocre modern tune with mediocre lyrics as led by unordained “worship leaders.” For the other side of the spectrum, we’d have to give up today’s favorite contemporary praise songs and modernized hymnody. But think of what we’d gain: no more dreary old hymn tunes to dampen the spirit. No more funeral dirges to inflict on otherwise celebratory services. Remove all music and nothing is left to distress anyone.

Unity in Worship

What would be left? Only that upon which we can all agree. Reformed worship in all its beauty and simplicity would remain:

• a full-diet of biblical prayer (praise, confession, thanksgiving, intercessions, illumination, and benediction)
• lectio continua readings of Scripture, or at least substantial readings
• expository preaching, hopefully of sequential texts, taking congregations through books of the Bible, but at least of texts selected topically
• regular administration of the sacraments

Who possibly could object to these slimmed down services? Can you not envision the happy result for those who move from one community to another, or those on vacation, as hither to unknown Reformed churches are visited, and nothing is found to complain about at the services?

Read More