That one verse: How verses, often taken out of context and used anachronistically have led to the fracturing of the church (Eph. 5:15-21)

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I've re-enabled comments on the blog and most of the posts. I will be doing some moderation and delete comments that are off-topic or uncivil.

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Ephesians 5:15-21 (NASB):

Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,  speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

I can't tell you how many times I heard a sermon on the passage. It was a favorite because this was the passage that divided the RPCNA from most other NAPARC churches. We could shake hands with the OPC, the PCA, the URC and the ARP, but never quite enjoy full fellowship because they sinfully chose to sing man-written songs instead of God's inspired Psalms in worship as Paul "clearly indicated" here.

There's a strong argument that Paul isn't talking about corporate worship at all in this passage. What follows is clearly talking about how Christians interact in everyday life and this first starts with how we use our time, not getting drunk, etc., very practical advice.

Despite there being plenty of RP and RP-affiliated books on why Exclusive Psalmody is commanded in scripture, scholars dismiss exclusive psalmody for good reasons.

I think the most clear example is Hezekiah. Isaiah 38 describes how Hezekiah was going to die and God relented and gave him 15 more years of life. Hezekiah writes a song and in the song says that "we will sing my songs all the days of our lives in the house of the Lord" (vs. 20). There are other examples, though that are not as clear. Moses records a song Israel (a nation/church) sang. Miriam's song is there. There is also a song Deut 32, which is taught to the nation that is meant to remind them of the punishment for unfaithfulness. It's hard to distinguish here between what might be called "corporate worship" and what was nationalistic. Was the giving of the law in Exodus 20 a worship service or a national gathering?

I don't think that there's anything wrong with singing Psalms and I actually prefer the Psalms to a lot of what I sing. How many hymns allow us to be angry with God? How many hymns let us despair? I think the church gets stuck in this rut where only positivity and smiles are allowed in church. You got into a huge argument with your spouse this morning and divorce is on the table? Praise God! You got fired yesterday and don't know where your next mortgage payment comes from? Hallelujah! In a sense, the church becomes irrelevant when real people aren't accepted and only picture-perfect painted smiles are welcome.

I think the RP church ends up being worse off. Real people still aren't accepted. Psalms are sung in the same joyless monotone whether it's Psalm 22, 27, 51, 100 or 150. Only emotional flatlines are accepted. Want to lift your hands in worship? You're doing it just to be a show-off! If you are in tears, you can be ignored because no one wants to get sucked into your pain.

When the RP church considered joining another church and possibly allowing freedom on Psalms, I was one of those horribly offended that we would stoop to such levels. But consider this argument. I think that God has commanded Psalm singing in worship and it is a great blessing to everyone to sing God's words back to Him. However all these other people sing hymns because they are cheesy and it makes them feel better. Aren't RPs talking out of both sides or their mouths? We say don't commit adultery because we believe that adultery hurts the offenders, not because marital fidelity is some cruel suffering we must endure to be true Christians. If Psalmody is truly what God uses to bring joy and blessing to his people if they sing inspired psalms only, then the RPCNA should be full of joyful people blessed by worship, not a bunch of people who are afraid of showing any emotion.