Issue: Music as a neutral element that can be used for worship

Slice/CRN take: Dwayna, from “Music is not Amoral”

Consider these points from Dan Lucarini, former Contemporary Christian Worship leader:

“…I do not trust the argument that all music is or can be good, because of the biblical record. The first musical reference in the entire Bible is not in Psalms or Chronicles, as many believe. It is not in the stories of David or the song of Moses. The first mention of music is found very early in Genesis 4:21, where we are introduced to Jubal, the father of all musicians: ‘He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute.’ Our modern band and orchestra instruments can probably be traced to the handiwork of Jubal and his descendants.Furthermore, the first musician named in the Bible was a direct descendant of Cain, whom God had judged so severely, because he used his own personal [p]references in worship! Ponder that for a moment.

God told Cain that his personal style of worship was unacceptable, because it violated the specific rules given by God. Cain was infuriated with this rejection and extremely jealous that God accepted  his brother, Abel’s, worship. Cain murdered Abel and was banished from the presence of the Lord and His family.Cain’s descendants continued to disobey God. They were so wicked that when they intermarried with the line of Seth, God decided to destroy them with the Flood. This was the heritage and environment of Jubal…I also recommend a diligent study of 1 Chronicles 15 and 16 where David organized the musical structure of temple worship. This will help us to understand how a fallible man can become acceptable to  God as a music minister before Him, trusted to choose the music and the instruments wisely.”

[Why I Left the Contemporary Christian Music Movement, Lucarini, pp. 93, 133; Evangelical Press] [emphasis hers]

My Take:

I suppose you can twist scripture to say a whole lot of things, but this not only takes the cake, but it then tries to eat it, too…  This is another attack on the Third Commandment, trying to make our preferences into “God’s preferences”.

So, let’s see:

1. Jubal is the first musician in the Bible, who was the ‘father of all those who play the harp and flute’.
2. Jubal was decended from Cain, who was rejected by God for “using his own personal [p]references in worship”. [This is certainly a huge stretch in Biblical interpretation, far beyond Rick Warren's stretches in interpretation in the Purpose Driven Life that his detractors gnash about ad naseum.  The remainder of the exposition of Genesis 4 is also a bit of a stretch in interpretation, but hey, Dwayna and Lucarini are on their side, so they can be given a pass...]
3. “Our modern band and orchestra instruments can probably be traced to the handiwork of Jubal and his decendents.”  [I was kind of thinking that Jubal and his decendents were either a) wiped out in the flood; b) ancestors of Noah; c) ancestors of Noah's wife or his son's wives.  Since we don't have Jubal's geneology to know if all of us or a third of us or none of us are related to him, I will have to assume this is a lame attempt at unsupported hyperbole toward whatever instruments/music Dwayna/Lucarini don't like...]
4. David is then used as the example for how to choose music and instruments.  [Wasn't David's key instrument the harp (1 Sam 16:18)?  Isn't one of his Psalms (#5) written for flute accompanyment?  Didn't he know that *shudder* Jubal was the 'father of all those who play the harp and flute'?  What was he thinking?!?!?]

I think Dwayna and Dan just need a good therapist, and need to leave the church alone until they grow up a bit and realize that just because something isn’t their preference doesn’t make it displeasing to God.

God is the creator of everything, including music, and as such, it can – and should – be used to worship Him, in any musical style that is acceptable to the church community worshipping Him.  Even if it includes harps, flutes, drums, guitars or an organ…