Reading through the closed Canon of Secular Wisdom one weekend our eyes were drawn to the above title `Perception Without Prejudice'. At that time we were also reading through an `Occasional Journal', written and published by a respected Christian ministry, which contained articles on the `erroneous and heretical teaching that has been brought into the Western churches at this particular time'. The `Occasional Journal' was a weighty tome of some 84,000 words (according to the postscript), and indeed the articles did seem to weigh heavily, as though only too aware of the weight contained within the pages, for the articles expressed concern through the whole gambit of what the writers considered to be `erroneous and heretical teaching'. The first subject dealt with was comtemporary Christian music with its so-called `Trojan Horse of Mission Praise'. It then moved on to the Alpha Courses, to Pentecostalism and the charismatic churches, and finally into Christian Zionism (our expression). One interesting article reported on the `mavericks' in the Church (who could, we suggest, be more correctly called prophets in the Church) condoning the stand of the `mavericks' who would not bend the knee to every wind of doctrine, and who would consequently stand out in the herd. These, of course, were only a few of the articles contained in the `Occasional Journal', and there is little point in setting out the salient points of these weighty articles for it is not our intention to agree with or refute the conclusions of the writers. This would merely produce yet another weighty occasional journal of some 84,000 words or so and would further entrench Perceptions written with Prejudice.
Very early on it became apparent that all the articles were written from a cessationist viewpoint - written, in fact, from the viewpoint of ultra cessationism - that is to say, from the viewpoint that such work as the `gifts of the Holy Spirit' had ceased with the early Church (in the context of miracles, tongues and healings) and that the New Covenant has replaced the Old Covenant - which in their opinion embraced all the Covenants made in the Old Testament, whether they were conditional or unconditional. Those who thought otherwise, it was said, were Christian Zionists (our expression) who were `chasing after fantasies'. These ultra cessationist writers could not accept an earthly Kingdom of God lasting for a thousand years and centered in Jerusalem under the Kingship of Jesus. They were looking foward to a new heaven and a new earth - a spiritual kingdom - and dismissed all earthly work as `chasing after fantasies'. This kind of thinking often leads to an attitude of stoic endurance and suffering in a coming Tribulation, where one's only hope is in a heavenly kingdom at some indefinable time in the future after the final judgement! And whilst we have no desire to dismiss as out of balance such doctrine as set out in the aforementioned `Occasional Journal', it is clear that their perceptions are out of balance because they are written with cessationist prejudice (and the truth of Scripture will prevail in spite of our prejudices).
However having said that we would turn our thoughts to the opening article on contemporary Christian music, trusting that our perception is not prejudiced but objective in attempting to `look through the window' into what is happening in our Western Church life. We are called to live as disciples of Jesus - in the world but not of it - and in order to be effective in the world we need to understand what is unfolding in the secular world in order to `sieve it through Scripture'. In other words, to gain perception of what is going to happen rather than major on what has happened. To use a familiar analogy: It is no use looking at the flower because it it is already `dead' once it is in full bloom. Instead we should be looking for the seed which is already formed and waiting to flower. If we take that analogy into our contemporary secular life it can be said that, what we consider to be permanent is already passing for we live in a world of constant change. There are times, however, when the change becomes more dramatic, and these occasions are later recorded in history books as `significant events'.
In reality they are but the flowering of the seed which has been maturing while hidden in the `bloom' of the daily social/economic life of the country. People may be dimly aware of a `new seed' forming, and their unspoken awareness is usually manifested in music, literature, fashion and social behaviour. It is our belief that we are at this time in a late maturing stage of an historical event that will, if the Lord tarries, be recorded in future historical books. The so-called Establishment, upon which our modern-day western life has been developed, has now reached its zenith and is being seen for what it is, hedonistic and unfulfilling, for it has its roots in trusting in the full potential of human effort without God. Western society is in a state of degeneration, and as such it is in a volatile and unstable time in its history.
We have also said on occasion that much of what we consider to be Scriptural in our Church life is but a reflection of our secular social life with a coating of spirituality. A simple way of illustrating this is seen in church meetings which are attended by disciples in whatever style of dress is fashionable in the world at the time - from mini skirts to designer slashed jeans through to those of more sober preference. All of them are gathered with the knowledge from Scripture that `all things are permissible', but by ignoring that `not all things are desirable' they have been affected by the spirit of the world as it is manifesting in society today. So too, in the music of our Church Fellowships: With this new-found freedom, today's songs would seem to be expressing an inward need of the gathering rather than an outward and upward offering of praise to God. If this is so, we need to stop and prayerfully consider what is happening rather than judge and condemn what is an outpouring from the hearts of the gathered believers in whom the Holy Spirit dwells.
We have mentioned before that there is an unspoken `anxiety factor' appearing in modern society which is often mistaken for a spiritual awakening (or, to use the mistaken expression, a revival). It manifested itself very powerfully after the death of a Princess in the summer of 1997, and although it has subsided it still lies just beneath the surface. There is an awareness of a `rot' within our society that is counter-balanced by a longing for the security of yesteryear, remembering perhaps the golden years of childhood (whilst ignoring the fact that those years were not always golden!). A product of this unspoken `anxiety factor' is reflected, we would suggest, in contemporary music, both secular and Christian.
We would stop here and pick up the expression `aware of a rot within society' and look at what constitutes a `country', for it is within the country in which we live out our lives that security or anxiety will be determined. Once again there lies the immediate danger of thinking that we live in a country which has remained unchanged for long centuries, without considering that it is really in a constant state of change determined by outside factors. The nation state of Great Britain as we know it has a very short history. It was formed over a period of time as the independent kingdoms within this island faced severe and ongoing challenges to their security from outside forces, principally from Europe. The names of such famous men and places as Nelson and Trafalgar, Wellington and Waterloo, come to mind as we remember the men and the battles they fought as they emerged to combat and defeat those outside forces that had been such a threat and had caused Great Britain to become established as a nation state. A real crisis in society forged the United Kingdom, but then it was able to withstand the danger without, which was threatening to engulf this island's kingdoms. Similar crises faced Great Britain through two world wars, which were but a continuation of the challenge, in some form or other, for supremacy in Europe. But long before these crises had manifested themselves in war we would have found an unspoken `anxiety factor' expressing itself in the popular music and literature of the people of those times.
We move now into our contemporary scene: Although at present there is no apparent external threat to Great Britain, the danger is that it will break into separate kingdoms once more. However there are events appearing on the horizon which could lead to a dramatic change, hastened by a new government which seems to be inovating change just for the sake of something happening through that change - and the looming question of a dominant Europe is demanding a decision! Without an external threat to Great Britain the nation state as we have known it over several generations is in danger of breaking up into independent kingdoms and principalities once again, and a rot is manifesting which will hasten this process. This is reflected in contemporary music, which is both triumphant and rebellious and nostalgic and inward looking. `Anxiety factors' develop slowly over many, many years and important trends are slow to reveal themselves, but they gather momentum as they approach a crisis point, and as dramtic changes occur - usually through war.
We would now take this principle into the Church scene. What our `Occasional Journal' was perceiving, through cessationist prejudice, was that the people of the Church are picking up the anxiety factor and expressing it in triumphant and nostalgic music and literature. But by losing sight of the `external enemy', that is to say, the spiritual battle being constantly waged against God's people, the Church is breaking up into powerful groupings. These groupings continually denounce each other as being `the enemy without' instead of being a gathered people under God and standing together against the real enemy without who is challenging the kingdom inheritance of God's people. Consequently, this is leading to `a rot within' the Church which is expressing itself in contemporary Christian music. As events unfold there will come a crisis point which will result in an historical, or rather a spiritual, event being manifested and, as in secular history, the crisis point will come as a result of seeing the true external enemy - which will unify the true Body of Christ in order to withstand it. The Church is being `redefined' by God for a battle ahead which it has not yet seen. This is not a cry for modern-day ecumenicalism, a Super Church of Great Britain, but it is a cry for `Perception without Prejudice' - a spiritual discernment to be outworked within the local churches while recognising the catholic or universal Church, the Body of Christ in the country in which we live.
Within the article on contemporary Christian music there was a cry for a return to the `old-style hymns' - although it was acknowledged that the expression meant not only hymns of another age. But such old-style hymns that come readily to mind were written during periods of history when the Church at that time expressed itself in songs caused by the `anxiety factor' of that particular generation! This is not to say, however, that such old-style hymns should no longer be used - indeed there is a spiritual basis for such use. In the Book of Psalms we find an expression used at the heading of several of the psalms, `To the Chief Musician'. These are not just translator's notes inserted in the script. They form part of Scripture, signifying the fact that those particular psalms were written at a time of crisis and were so profound and significant that they were given to the Chief Musician at the Temple to be used on important national occasions when a similar crisis had presented itself. As such they were part of the National Depository of Liturgical Psalms, to be used when similar occasions arose.
To bring this Scriptural understanding into more contemporary times we can therefore see that the songs of people such as Charles Wesley need to be placed in the setting of the real possibility that the revolutionary forces which had taken over in France could well have threatened Great Britain, which was only just beginning to feel its way into its new role as the United Kingdom, forged to withstand the forces without that posed just such a threat. The Christian songs of that day, glorious as they are in melody and words, reveal the majesty and glory of God against a backcloth of the chaos and destruction of the revolutionary forces in Europe. Therefore, to seek to reintroduce those `old-style hymns' into a different historical setting would cause even more of an `anxiety factor' because those historical times are not necessarily the
present situation and they do not reveal the crisis the Church is in today. (This present crisis was clearly revealed in the `Occasional Journal', but because of its cessationist prejudice it was unable to perceive the root of the crisis.) This is causing a further hardening into such power centres as Pentecostals, Charismatics and Evangelicals, setting them at loggerheads with each other as each group seeks domination over the others through criticism (albeit through `loving' criticism). As we have said, in doing so, and in seeing each other as `the enemy without', the real enemy continues his relentless battle to precipitate by imitation the coming of the Kingdom of God by bringing in another kingdom through man's efforts, a false revival and the destruction of the true Church - if that were possible.
We would finally turn to another article mentioned in the `Occasional Journal' which was entitled `Mavericks needed in the Church'. However, the `mavericks' needed are not those who will hasten the breakup of the `united Church in England' through continual criticism, power-centered groups with their cries of `Come out from among them', but those who understand the nature of the `anxiety factor' being expressed so clearly through contemporary Christian music. Although honouring the old-style hymns they will begin to speak into that `anxiety factor' and turn the heart of the Church back to God, who alone is its security, so that it is ready to speak into the anxiety of the people of this nation who are without hope outside of Christ Jesus. Our prayer, therefore, is that God will raise up true `mavericks' who will speak through their own `Occasional Journals' of the love of God for all His beloved people, and through their spoken and written words bring understanding of what contemporary Christian music is expressing, thus enabling the Church to respond to what is unfolding in our fast-changing, degenerate and unstable world.
