Consistency

In his October 5, 2025 Reno Record, Marvin Weir recounts a situation that occurred years ago. He writes that

an aged gentleman led the singing at the congregation where I preached my first sermon. He would have never consented to using a piano to accompany the singing of praises to God during the assembly of the church. This same gentleman, however, invited his denominational neighbors to his home on Sunday afternoon, and while his wife played the piano, the same religious songs that were sung in the morning worship assembly were once again sung. This gentleman did not believe that he was being inconsistent or committing error.

Your congenial editor could not help but recall another situation that also occurred years ago (about fifty). It happened at the first place I preached full time. The church building was on a corner lot, and the house we lived in was 20 to 25 feet away from the wall at the front of the auditorium. On the other side of our house was an alley; so, only the two structures (the church building and the house) sat between the main route and the alley. The side of the house nearest to the church building was the dining / living room, where we had a piano that we had purchased from my sister (which we still have).

On Sunday evenings, we were visited by an elderly couple, whom we greeted and talked to over a period of time. We learned that they were members of the Christian Church. It may be that they did not have a Sunday evening service; so, they came to visit us. We invited them over for dinner one evening. Afterward, he asked who played the piano, and I told him we both did. He then asked if we played hymns on the piano; I answered, “Never.” He was surprised. “You never play religious music?” I affirmed that I did not—that I only played popular music.

At this point, he had a confession to make. “I thought when we entered that I had you. I figured you used the piano to play religious songs.” Referring to the short distance between the church building and our house, he said, “I was all set to ask you, ‘What’s the difference between using a piano here in your house or accompanying the singing of religious hymns and doing so next door just a few feet away?’” I agreed that such would have been incongruous. I wonder what the brother who Marvin Weir described would have said to this man. He likely would have become embarrassed. If we are not authorized to use instrumental music in our worship at the building, then what makes anyone think that changing locations makes it right? It remains unauthorized at a member’s home, at camp, or at a conference miles away. We ought to be consistent.