Music was created to be a language of the human spirit. It was never meant to be called the language of the soul. Man is a spiritual creature and singing is one of man’s highest ideals. Life without music and singing would be dull and empty. Not only is music a language of our human spirit, it is also a primary language of our worship. The human spirit is our direct line of communion with God. Spiritual singing unites us to Him for fellowship and life. “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19).

Singing was ordained by God to be full of Him, His words, and answers that satisfy our daily longing after Him. Modern music is similar to Modern art and Modern living, it is full of questions with very few answers. It is like a painting full of color with no capturing scenes. Modern music is almost totally the same theology as the “positive thinking” ideas of Robert Schuller. Rick Warren calls his church, “The flock that rocks.” You are not likely to find a liberal church that is now called “The Emerging Church” that sings Gospel music. Modern/Contemporary music is the music of churches that have left the fundamentals of Holy Scripture.

I have spent about two weeks trying to listen as much as possible to music from both the Gospel styles and the Modern styles. As I have listened, I have kept extensive notes. I use these two terms to cover the many variations of each category. Please understand that I know there is a little decent music in the Modern variations, and there are some very bad songs and styles in the Gospel variations. My words are not meant to sweep with a broom that is too broad, but I must speak truth.

While listening to Gospel music, I have found an overwhelming abundance of themes straight out of Holy Scripture. Here are some of the actual words that fill the songs: Calvary, forgiveness, being Born Again, repentance from sin, and the consequences of living an unholy life are constantly present. The Blood of Christ is also a constant theme. The Born-Again life of happiness and holiness is heard over and over. Terms like “straight and narrow,” “whosoever will,” “Jesus Christ died for one and all,” and “He set me free” are sung in many songs.

There is an extremely strong presence in Gospel singing of the prophetic messages in the Bible. “The Rapture,” “the sounding of the trumpet,” “going home with Jesus,” and “in the twinkling of an eye” are some happy themes often heard. Our future robes of “spotless white” and the great “Marriage Supper of the Lamb” are never forgotten. In fact, after one straight session of only ninety minutes, I had heard every theme I could name out of the Holy Bible. By listening to Gospel music — including Southern Gospel, Church Hymns, etc. — you will get an understanding of the Christian life, along with the great truths that we believe and love. It’s easy to understand that Gospel singing is going to be the music of any strong Bible-believing church.

Listening to the Modern music has really been an education for me. I find it almost impossible to explain my experience. I have not heard one whisper of prophecy in all the Modern music to which I have listened. I heard the Blood of Christ casually named one time. I made a note for myself after a full hour of listening, “One hour and not one word of His blood or Calvary, not one word of repentance or sorrow for sins.” That hour had been nothing but “praise and thanks” that gave no valid understanding of what brought them to such a state of ecstasy. Believe me; the “state of ecstasy” had been on a pitch above normal even for a Pentecostal like me.

After Sirius XM, I tried the Billy Graham station in Black Mountain, NC, and all the songs were of no understandable difference. I heard one requested song that was played for a woman in the hospital. The theme was, “I waited for you today, I needed you today,” but there was never an answer given to that lady’s needs. As I said earlier, the only answers in the Modern music I heard was to just “praise Him” regardless of the situation. It’s like praising someone that you have really never come to know in the great revelations of the Holy Bible. It was religious “positive thinking” saturating every song.

It appears to me that once an individual is hooked on Modern/Contemporary music, there is no turning around. It is soulical music and it creates a strong religious satisfaction and bondage that defies escape. It’s religious noise that drives the human emotions wild. It’s a “god” without standards, convictions, or adherence to Biblical truth. Their response is “I just like it so, leave me alone.”

I have come to believe more strongly than ever that Gospel music is music that is full of answers, while Modern/Contemporary music is full of vain repetitions. While most of the questions are not bad, modern theology and music has forgotten how to proclaim God’s straight Biblical answers to human life. Gospel music is Christ-centered and Bible-centered, while Modern/Contemporary music is man-centered and emotions-centered. Gospel music is the source of great joy because it blends the answers with the questions. Gospel music is also full of praise, but with great understanding of the God and Christ we are praising.

I know this article is incomplete because no one person has all of God’s answers. Please be a part of discussing this article by going to our Internet and adding your own postscript. It is located at the bottom of the page containing the full article. I will be reading your opinions and watching for what I expect will be a healthy discussion. The URL for this article, “The Battle in Religious Music,” ishttp://www.pawcreek.org/salty-saints/the-battle-in-religious-music. Please be a part of these discussions.

Joseph R. Chambers

jrc@pawcreek.org  

In 1978 Pope John Paul I proclaimed, “The smoke of Satan has entered the Sanctuary.” He was dead shortly after that statement. His death was considered mysterious and is believed by many as being an inside job. A well-known writer and renowned Jesuit priest, Malachi Martin, wrote in his Vatican novel, Windswept House, “Suddenly it became unarguable that now during this papacy, the Roman Catholic organization carried a permanent presence of clerics who worshipped Satan and liked it; of bishops and priests who sodomized boys and each other; of nuns who performed the ‘Black Rites’ of Wicca, and who lived in lesbian relationships . . . every day, including Sundays and Holy Days, acts of heresy and blasphemy and outrage and indifference were committed and permitted at holy Altars by men who had been called to be priests. Sacrilegious actions and rites were not only performed on Christ’s Altars, but had the connivance or at least the tacit permission of certain Cardinals, archbishops, and bishops . . .” (Windswept House, Malachi Martin, 1996, p. 492.)

The Roman Catholic system is a pagan religious system. The newspapers of our American press continue to provide us with the news that the Catholic priests are absolutely not going to end the filth of homosexuality and pedophilia within their system. Recently, the Charlotte Observer stated in their secondary headlines, “Offenders would be kept from kids, but not those ousted from priesthood.”There was an immediate cry from those men who were abused as young boys in Catholic ministries. How does any religious institution put a man back in ministry at any ordained level that has stooped to the acts of homosexuality or the molestation of young people or children? That defies reason or Biblical responsibility.

But this article is not mainly about the Roman Catholic system, but about the once great Bible-believing churches and ministries that have decided to give support and acceptance to this dark religious world. The Catholics boast of over one billion adherents and of their worldwide political influence and incalculable riches. This system is extremely rich and millions of its members are perfectly willing to fund with liberal donations any Protestant ministry that will bridge the differences between the two. Many formerly separated ministers and their leaders have decided that the money is worth the compromise.

The Catholic Church Is Aggressive
While churches that were formerly Bible-believing are speaking kindly of the Catholic Church, the Catholics are aggressively reaching for the world. No one can doubt that they want and intend to be the spokesman for Christianity. I just received a copy of a multi-million mailing by Karl Keating, president of Catholic Answers. This mailing was a fundraiser and was premised on the “2002 World Youth Day.” It blasted a tract showing a man in hell that had been deceived by the Catholic religion, the Virgin Mary and other unbiblical teachings. A copy of that tract was reproduced and the receiver was asked to immediately destroy it with a warning of how dangerous it was if it fell into the hands of the wrong persons.

Of course, if we write a similar letter from our position, we are blasted for being judgmental and uncaring. Every time I do a broadcast showing the false, unbiblical teachings of this system, I get ugly, vicious calls, letters and e-mails. They can be aggressive, but most Bible believers are being intimidated not to be aggressive. Our position and approach should never be to attack persons or to demean anyone, but rather to speak the truth in tender love. Our message must be clear and absolute truth about the only plan of salvation.

In this large Catholic mailer, there was a very slick looking booklet, entitled Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth. It looked like a good Bible booklet and was very colorful. Here are the inviting words from the back cover, “The Catholic Church: Your Guide to the Truth” “Jesus established the Catholic Church especially for you. He set it up as your spiritual home, he provided it with everything you need, and he wants you in it. The Catholic Church guides you as the pillar of fire guided the Israelites when they escaped from bondage. They had a guide they could trust, and now so do you. Your guide is trustworthy because it teaches as Jesus taught. This is why the Bible calls the Catholic Church the ‘pillar and foundation of truth.’ Jesus has a special plan for you, one He wants you to perform through His Church. This booklet explains Jesus’ plan and how you can know the Catholic Church is where you belong.” (Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth, 1997. Published by Catholic Answers, San Diego, CA.)

This booklet left no room for the Bible believing churches to claim anything. The Bible quotes were from a strange translation. It speaks a lot of our language, but full of their twist. For instance, look at this invitation to be saved. Here is their question just like we would ask it and then their answer.

QUESTION: “What you must do to be saved?”
ANSWER: “Best of all, the promise of eternal life is a gift, freely offered to us by God [Catechism of the Catholic Church (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1994, p. 1727.)]. Our initial forgiveness and justification are not things we ‘earn’ (Ibid., 2010). Jesus is the mediator who bridged the gap of sin that separates us from God (I Timothy 2:5); he bridged it by dying for us. He has chosen to make us partners in the plan of salvation (I Corinthians 3:9). “The Catholic Church teaches what the apostles taught and what the Bible teaches: We are saved by grace alone, but not by faith alone (which is what ‘Bible Christians’ teach; see James 2:24). “When we come to God and are justified (that is, enter a right relationship with God), nothing preceding justification, whether faith or good works, earns grace. But then God plants His love in our hearts, and we should live out our faith by doing acts of love (Galatians 6:2).” (Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth, 1997. Published by Catholic Answers, San Diego, CA, pp. 22-23.)

The Christian Church world is being deceived and outflanked. Our national and best-known leaders have foolishly denied the truth and taken allegiance to this harlot system. I must share the truth with you at any cost. Let’s look at some of the better know men and ministries. They are becoming the children of the Mother of Harlots.

Charismatics & Catholicism
The Charismatic religion has been Catholic in nature since its beginning. As a Classical Pentecostal I have watched the whole life of the Charismatic renewal. It was first named Neo-Pentecostal and was totally rejected by the Classical Pentecostal even as they rejected us because of our fundamentalism. I visited many of their events throughout the years and never found one thing I could Biblically connect. When I call this movement “Charismatic Catholicism,” I do not suggest a structural connection. There may have been, but I do not have any proof of such connections. The connection was in the spiritual realm. The Charismatic movement never had any solid Biblical roots. It was a smorgasbord of many different doctrines loosely connected to esoteric experiences. Speaking in tongues and other so-called gifts was the glue that held it together.

As you research this movement from its beginning, the experiences of tongues and the gifts were always subject to the individual. The entire manifestation of gifts was at the control of these promoters and the crowds. I can honestly say that during all my experiences among Charismatic people, I have never seen one person that appeared to have a genuine Book of Acts experience. Being a Classical Pentecostal, we recognize the Book of Acts and the Pentecostal experience, but firmly believe that the Holy Spirit alone is sovereign. Any manifestation of the Holy Ghost cannot be subject to the whims of the individual.

We have witnessed numerous cases where individuals seeking to be filled with the Spirit were told to say whatever came to their mind, funny sounds, incoherent symbols, etc. and that it would evolve into a language the Bible calls “speaking in tongues.” Classical Pentecostals have always called such action heresy and dangerous. The Charismatics actually teach that all the gifts can be manifest at will. When you want to pray in tongues, you just start making sounds. This is called a “prayer language” to be used when it suits you. I have been in several meetings where the crowd was told to pray in tongues and the entire place would erupt into a guru-sounding roar.

How does such a diverse gathering bring glory to the Lord? When you put together the Catholic doctrine of the mass with the doctrine of the Jesus Only (They deny the Trinity.) and then add the Born-Again Jesus that accomplished nothing of salvation on the cross (Jesus was born again in hell.) of the Copelands, you have a pot of poison.

In our last edition of this publication, we printed an article entitled, “Marriage From Hell.” This article listed numerous quotes from leading Charismatics and Evangelicals endorsing the Catholic system as Orthodox Christianity. Men like W.A. Criswell, Paul Crouch, Chuck Colson, etc. were mentioned. I sit at my desk as I write this article trying to speak to all of this as kind as I know how. If such distortion does not make one angry, then something is wrong. I am determined to speak evil of no man, but I must warn everyone possible of the “Mother of Harlots and Her Children.”

Conclusion
This mother of religious whoredom is spreading her powers and embracing every aspect of religions regardless of its origin. The Writer warned in Holy Scripture, “And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.” (Revelation 17:5).

The only religions the Whore of Rome hates are Orthodox Jews and fundamental Christians. Everyone else is playing her game, but these two groups. The Bible plainly warns us that she will be covered with the blood of those she has slain. We still have protection from her murderous hands in America, but history is replete with her past deeds. She is still murdering or attacking saints in countries when government provides her protection and cover. The priests have destroyed a multitude of her altar boys to satisfy their insane lust.

When the Bible prophesied the term “harlot,” it certainly knew what was going to occur. She is called a “whore” and that is her character. “And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters.” (Revelation 17:1) Be strong in your defense of truth and do not fear those who can destroy your body. Reserve your fear for the one that destroys the soul.

Joseph R. Chambers

jrc@pawcreek.org