This sentence in the post is absolutely delusional.

“The current emphasis on ‘feeling worshipful’ is frankly masturbatory, which in men produces a cowardly and effeminate result.”

I guess certain words are OK when they are used in self righteous hatred. If Mark Driscoll had used that imagery these same goofballs would have called for his ordination. (Mark Driscoll fits their masculine role but he is still not in the club)

There was Deborah.

That example only applies when in the hands of the ODM’s…

I do find it odd that the person suggesting the feminization of church music has feminized the prophetic/discernment genre.

bingo.

Of course you are a man’s man when you worship God, when you minister to your wife and raise your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Fatherhood is not for cowards- neither is being a teacher or preacher.

Of course, I am 6′3 and 250, play sports, shoot guns, and fish. But that is not what makes me a man. I am more concerned about what God sees, and he looks at the heart. In that, I want to be God’s man, a man after His heart.

When Paul says we are to sing hymns and spiritual songs and psalms, does the word “psalms” refer to THE psalms or is the word a general reference to worship music in psalm form?

So we have Eph 5:19:

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord

And Col 3:16

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

Rick – psalms (Gr. psalmois) almost definitely would refer to the inspired Psalms of the Hebrew Scriptures.

There is some debate on hymns ( Gr. humnois), which may also be from the Book of Psalms (some Psalms are literally entitled psalmois and some are literally entitled humnois). A more contextual reading would suggest humnois to refer more to songs that were once “spiritual songs”, but have since been passed down traditionally by previous generations of Christians . I tend to take this latter view.

“Spiritual Songs” (Gr. odais pneumatikais) also has some debate – where the most rigid interpretation is that they must be “inspired” songs (thus, poetry/songs taken from other parts of Scripture – ex. the Nunc Dimittis (Luke 2:29–32) or the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) ) The contextual interpretation of “spiritual songs”, though, would suggest that the songs are written for a spiritual (or holy – “set apart”) purpose. I would strongly lean to this latter interpretation, as well. In fact, there are a few places where Paul quotes from “spiritual songs” of the first century (example – Philippians 2:6-11).

There are those who take this passage quite literally and condemn everything but the singing of unedited Psalms. I, on the other hand, would see this practice as more in line with religion (as a set of rituals) than in line with the kingdom (a way of living).

I would venture to observe that the classification of music and the debate around “what is acceptable” is probably the debate that most misses the point of what worship actually is when it seeks to impose rigid controls (which are usually based on personal taste disguised as biblical mandate).

Scotty – Are you listening?