The celebration churches are going wild in America. I just walked out of a church service where the drums were playing the rock beat wildly and everyone was swaying with hands up in the air to the songs on a screen. This happened in a very large church during a college alumni week-end.

So does anyone have any ideas of what will happen when people get tired of all this? Where will the pendelum swing???

I believe you should describe this experience to the NAD President, Don Schneider and report back his reaction.

Good idea Pete, what do you think his reaction would be?

Where will the pendelum swing? Well, unless something happens to stop our churches, we will become more and more like the Pentecostal churches. One day we will get tired of all the loud singing with drums, etc. and the pendelum will swing in the exact opposite direction - going the route of the Catholic Church in its solemn quiet church services.

IMHO

What are the identifying chatacteristics of a 'celebration style' church? Aside from the infusing of rock music for praise time.

God Bless,
Will

THE IDOLATRY OF TRYING TO BRING GOD DOWN TO OUR OWN HUMAN LEVEL

I have thought about this alot this morning, and here is my view on it. I am hoping someone will be able to understand what it is I mean. I think the way the pendulum will swing is going to be in a complete disrespect for both God and the Gospel.

All throughout the history of mankind, people have attempted to create idols to make God look like the created being.. like the creature instead of the Creator.

When I ponder over this issue of the "celebration" type music being used in many Christian Churches today, I think of it as coming down to this... it is an attempt to bring God down to our level. And I think there is this idea that this is somehow a "good" thing because then we realize God loves us, He is our friend, and so on. So it all appears to be innocent. And along with that, those who oppose this idea are sometimes viewed as being Pharisees who are legalists and who view God as harsh and as "not one of us" and so on.

But really, what are the results of trying to bring God down to our level? and should we attempt to do that in the first place?

Professor Edwards A. Park, in setting forth the current religious perils, ably says: "One source of danger is the neglect of the pulpit to enforce the divine law. In former days the pulpit was an echo of the voice of conscience. . . . Our most illustrious preachers gave a wonderful majesty to their discourses by following the example of the Master, and giving prominence to the law, its precepts, and its threatenings. They repeated the two great maxims, that the law is a transcript of the divine perfections, and that a man who does not love the law does not love the gospel; for the law, as well as the gospel, is a mirror reflecting the true character of God. This peril leads to another, that of underrating the evil of sin, the extent of it, the demerit of it. In proportion to the rightfulness of the commandment is the wrongfulness of disobeying it. . . .

The chapter on Modern Revivals from the Great Controvery really reminds me of the issues in this, in that some try to get rid of the awful majesty of God and bring Him down to our level.

They attempt to constantly dwell upon God's love while leaving out the respect for God and for His Law... and what are the results? Read below:

Great Controversy pg. 445,446
"Affiliated to the dangers already named is the danger of underestimating the justice of God. The tendency of the modern pulpit is to strain out the divine justice from the divine benevolence, to sink benevolence into a sentiment rather than exalt it into a principle. The new theological prism puts asunder what God has joined together. Is the divine law a good or an evil? It is a good. Then justice is good; for it is a disposition to execute the law. From the habit of underrating the divine law and justice, the extent and demerit of human disobedience, men easily slide into the habit of underestimating the grace which has provided an atonement for sin." Thus the gospel loses its value and importance in the minds of men, and soon they are ready practically to cast aside the Bible itself.
Many religious teachers assert that Christ by His death abolished the law, and men are henceforth free from its requirements. There are some who represent it as a grievous yoke, and in contrast to the bondage of the law they present the liberty to be enjoyed under the gospel.

But not so did prophets and apostles regard the holy law of God. Said David: "I will walk at liberty: for I seek Thy precepts." Psalm 119:45."

...the results of leaving out the one side of God's character... which is the law, His authority, His Judgments... is to then bring down the concept of grace and His love. It becomes a mere human sentiment and soon the respect for God is gone.

This I believe is the same result in trying to bring God down to our own human level when it comes to our music. The issue isnt US, really... the issue is GOD. We try to focus on "what God did for US" so much that we lose the idea of who God really is.


Saying or singing in a "Heartfelt" and sincere manner does not mean we have to be irreverant:

Gospel Workers. 1915., page 176, paragraph 3
Chapter Title: The Minister in the Pulpit
Reverence in Prayer
Some think it a mark of humility to pray to God in a common manner, as if talking with a human being. They profane His name by needlessly and irreverently mingling with their prayers the words, "God Almighty,"--awful, sacred words, which should never pass the lips except in subdued tones and with a feeling of awe.
It is the heart-felt prayer of faith that is heard in heaven and answered on earth. God understands the needs of humanity. He knows what we desire before we ask Him. He sees the soul's conflict with doubt and temptation. He marks the sincerity of the suppliant. He will accept the humiliation and affliction of the soul. "To this man will I look," He declares, "even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word."[2 ISA. 66:2.]

Testimonies for the Church Volume One, page 410, paragraph 1
Chapter Title: The Cause in the East
Holy angels have been displeased and disgusted with the irreverent manner in which many have used the name of God, the great Jehovah. Angels mention that sacred name with the greatest awe, ever veiling their faces when they speak the name of God; and the name of Christ is so sacred to them that they speak it with the greatest reverence. But how opposite the spirit and influence attending the 1854 time movement. Some who are still under the same influence speak of God as they would of a horse or of any other commonplace thing. In their prayers they use the words God Almighty in a very common and irreverent manner. Those who do this have no sense of the exalted character of God, of Christ, or of heavenly things.


We dont have to act and sing as if God were a human being and we were at Mc Donald's just to try to show how "chummy" we are with God.

We need to stop trying to bring God down to our human level. It ends up diminishing God in our minds... and it ends up diminishing the value of the Gospel in my opinion. In Great Controversy we are told that there would be both wise and foolish virgins... the great characteristic of the foolish would be that they showed lots of EMOTION yet were superficial. There is a great play for emotionalism in the Celebration Movement which passes for a deep love of God... supposedly a deeper love for God than "those legalistic Pharisees" who insist upon showing reverence and respect for God, even in how they conduct their music.

Claudia

Claudia,you are so right and I appreciate the quotations you put in from Mrs. White.

Will, I was thinking about my experience in seeing "celebration" style worship. They were using ccm up on a screen in the large church with people standing up and their hands up in the air singing the words with a drum set up on the state along with about six young college people who were swaying with the music beat, hands up in the air. That is when I left, I couldn't take it anymore. I went and sat in my car and read my Bible.

Other characteristics of celebration is bringing food and drink into the Sanctuary, there is also a lack of reverence with lots of talking, visiting and laughing. The music is sometimes with a loud rock beat (not always) and the serving of coffee/cocoa and donuts, etc. It depends on the church exactly what they do but these are some of the things they do.

Claudia is right, this is another form of idol worship. This is so sad to see. I expect that soon we will see actual dancing...lots of things to please the "senses." Actually I saw a little girl dance out in the isle once to the beat of the music...the little girl was just doing what came naturally in hearing the dance-style of music. I also saw an older lady dancing too.

It seems to go along with many SDA's now wearing jewelry, including men. To me this is a clear sign that we are going backwards in spirituality rather than forwards.

We are living in the antypical day of atonement, a time when we are to "afflict" our souls, to make everything right with God, to make a deeper committment to follow Him, this is NOT a time to celebrate.

Good words Claudia. The Modern Revivals chapter in GC is quite interesting and I think it is true today.

Debbie. Thanks for that informaiton because there are many things I see that are rather strange, and with the trend of new marketing fads disguised as outreach programs there are some techniques that just poush Jesus out of the way and focus on "self", and "How you can find your purpose".. God makes the increase, so it is not on our own strength.
After your description of serving coffee\cocoa and donuts it reminds me of what some of the other Sunday keeping churches do.. Was this in an SDA church?
We can see then that 'celebration' style of worship is not limited to just raising your hands, but using the same approach as we see in the more 'mainstream, romish' "protestant" churches such as food in the Sanctuary, irreverance, etc etc.. If the service does not focus on Christ and we see the the lack of reverance and piety of what was in the early church then how do we expect to receive the latter rain?

I talk with a publushed writer who came from those psuedo charismatic\pentecostal dubbed 'non-denominational' denominations and he has quite a bit to share on this subject.

Check out www.remnantresearch.com, and read up onsome of the articles that have been published. The name of the author is Fred Volz, and he is a good God fearing Seventh-Day Adventist who has a lot to share, so his work is definitely worth the reading

God Bless,
Will