The Psalms are the word of Christ

[aron]

Originally Posted by InOmnibusCaritas

"Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs" probably just meant "all kinds of songs".

Yes, I agree. But "all kinds of songs" undoubtedly included psalms as well. I don't think that Paul was either imposing or excluding anything here. WL looked right at this word and excluded Psalms. On the LSM website they had music CDs based on Song of Songs, on Isaiah, on Jeremiah, etc, etc, but no Psalms. Pretty strange, to say the least.

Back in the day, when the Jesus Movement(s) were happening, there were also "all kinds of songs" springing up. Not just in the LCs either; some of the burgeoning CCM efforts made it into the LCs. Here I'm thinking specifically of scriptural songs, and psalms in particular. For example, a man named Keith Green wrote a song based on Psalm 51: "Create in me a clean heart". It was very popular in Christianity, and in the LCs as well. There were a lot of others, some of whom I later tracked down. They weren't from LC people; they were from the Baptists and "free groups" but their songs became popular in the Lord's recovery movement. The music was getting sung, re-recorded, and passed around.

Can you imagine the consternation that this caused, to the control freak WL? Don't you think that this affected his interpretative abilities? Certainly there's correlation; perhaps we can't prove causation but we can suspect it. I believe that he felt the need to suppress this word because otherwise through it, these "outside forces" would have a door into his precious movement. So he created a "low word" and "high word" metric and used that to drive a wedge into the text, which enabled him to cut off anything deemed unfit for public consumption, including scripture itself.

So in Psalm 34, for example, he could say, "Natural, natural, natural" and then come to the verse saying, "not one of His bones shall be broken" and say "Revelation!", then it was right back to "Natural, natural, natural". And so forth... the whole body of the text got treated thus.

[InOmnibusCaritas]

Originally Posted by aron

Back in the day, when the Jesus Movement(s) were happening, there were also "all kinds of songs" springing up. Not just in the LCs either; some of the burgeoning CCM efforts made it into the LCs. Here I'm thinking specifically of scriptural songs, and psalms in particular. For example, a man named Keith Green wrote a song based on Psalm 51: "Create in me a clean heart". It was very popular in Christianity, and in the LCs as well. There were a lot of others, some of whom I later tracked down. They weren't from LC people; they were from the Baptists and "free groups" but their songs became popular in the Lord's recovery movement. The music was getting sung, re-recorded, and passed around.

The interesting thing about this is that I was taught Keith Green's Psalm 51 song by my youth serving one. I just assumed that it was written by Howard Higashi because we were big on Higashi at that time. My youth serving one has since been elevated as a "co-worker".

Only much later did I discover that it was written by "Christianity". The funny thing is that I'm currently teaching this song to the youths I am pastoring at the Methodist church here.

Originally Posted by aron

Can you imagine the consternation that this caused, to the control freak WL? Don't you think that this affected his interpretative abilities? Certainly there's correlation; perhaps we can't prove causation but we can suspect it. I believe that he felt the need to suppress this word because otherwise through it, these "outside forces" would have a door into his precious movement. So he created a "low word" and "high word" metric and used that to drive a wedge into the text, which enabled him to cut off anything deemed unfit for public consumption, including scripture itself.

So in Psalm 34, for example, he could say, "Natural, natural, natural" and then come to the verse saying, "not one of His bones shall be broken" and say "Revelation!", then it was right back to "Natural, natural, natural". And so forth... the whole body of the text got treated thus.

I do think WL has a low view of most of the Psalms but to be fair I don't think he totally shuns songs from Psalms. When Ron Kangas came to Malaysia, he taught us to sing Hymn 1336, "What shall I give unto the Lord", based on Psalm 116:12-13 (https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/1336).

I don't think WL's low view of many Psalms stem from his fear of CCM songs. I think he simply couldn't reconcile these Psalms with God's economy.

'I think he simply couldn't reconcile these Psalms with God's economy.'
Exact.

[aron]

Originally Posted by InOmnibusCaritas

I don't think WL's low view of many Psalms stem from his fear of CCM songs. I think he simply couldn't reconcile these Psalms with God's economy.

Perhaps. I only observe that once WN put pen to paper and composed hymns, no "outside" songs made it into Little Flock/LC meetings, until these. And none after.

[InOmnibusCaritas]

Originally Posted by aron

Perhaps. I only observe that once WN put pen to paper and composed hymns, no "outside" songs made it into Little Flock/LC meetings, until these. And none after.

With the death of WL, it is probably close to impossible to issue a new hymn book or an updated RcV. Nobody has the authority to be MotA any more since the Blendeds proclaimed "Brother We". Barring external input, stagnation is the only course.

[aron]

Originally Posted by InOmnibusCaritas

Barring external input, stagnation is the only course.

The peril of exclusive claims to truth is that once one's convinced themelves of this idea, they're on the inexorable path to self-centeredness, eccentricity, and stagnation.

Of course being open has its perils too, and associated costs. For instance, while there's good Christian music today, one may have to search far and wide to find it, while occasionally holding the nose. But the alterantive is to sit in a corner and declare that nobody else has communion with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and thereby enter the portal of spiritual doom.

"So be open, don't be hardened, drop your concepts, eat that tree!" (a little inside humour).

[InOmnibusCaritas]

Originally Posted by aron

The peril of exclusive claims to truth is that once one's convinced themelves of this idea, they're on the inexorable path to self-centeredness, eccentricity, and stagnation.

Of course being open has its perils too, and associated costs. For instance, while there's good Christian music today, one may have to search far and wide to find it, while occasionally holding the nose. But the alterantive is to sit in a corner and declare that nobody else has communion with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and thereby enter the portal of spiritual doom.

"So be open, don't be hardened, drop your concepts, eat that tree!" (a little inside humour).

And to get the living water into me

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by InOmnibusCaritas

With the death of WL, it is probably close to impossible to issue a new hymn book or an updated RcV. Nobody has the authority to be MotA any more since the Blendeds proclaimed "Brother We". Barring external input, stagnation is the only course.

Brothers in Toronto, Ontario put out a new "Songs and Hymns of Life" in 2009 after LSM had quarantined the GLA. Hymnal has Nee hymns but none of Lee due to copyrights.

[InOmnibusCaritas]

Originally Posted by Ohio

Brothers in Toronto, Ontario put out a new "Songs and Hymns of Life" in 2009 after LSM had quarantined the GLA. Hymnal has Nee hymns but none of Lee due to copyrights.

Outside of the LSM system. Once you allow for a post-Lee ministry, this can happen. There are also local compilations and sometimes regional ones. But I doubt there can be a new hymnal like the one published by LSM.

[aron]

Originally Posted by InOmnibusCaritas

Outside of the LSM system. Once you allow for a post-Lee ministry, this can happen. There are also local compilations and sometimes regional ones. But I doubt there can be a new hymnal like the one published by LSM.

This is an effect of the "One trumpet" edict: no new voices can rise, and we all must now repeat the deceased oracle's speaking. The Blendeds by this, made themselves curators of a museum.

So, what is the difference between Mary Baker Eddy, Witness Lee, Joseph Smith, Jim Jones, Brigham Young, Sun Myung Moon, Ellen G. White, David Koresh, and Haile Selassie, to name but a few? In the words of RK, "Absolutely nothing"! Each of these was apparently a chosen vessel, God's man (or woman) of the hour. No one else could receive revelation, or minister God's words, apart from God's present oracle. The Bible said that none could come to the Father except through Jesus Christ, and now, according to these self-claimed "special vessels", none could get access to Jesus Christ except through them. So if you had a "gift" for God and it wasn't brought into "submission" below these oracles of God, you were wasting your time. God is only interested in one thing on Earth today and, according to WN, you'd better get in line. Know who's in front of you and obey without question.