Regulative principle of worship

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The regulative principle of worship is a 20th century term used for a teaching shared by Calvinists and Anabaptists on how the second commandment and the Bible orders public worship. The substance of the doctrine regarding worship is that only those elements that are instituted or appointed by command or example in the Bible are permissible in worship, or in other words, that God institutes in the Scriptures everything he requires for worship in the Church and that everything else is prohibited. The term "regulative principle" is less frequently broadened to apply to other areas such as church government (Thornwell, 1841-2), but in this sense it becomes synonymous with the principle of sola scriptura.

The regulative principle is often contrasted with the normative principle of worship which teaches that whatever is not prohibited in Scripture is permitted in worship, as long as it is agreeable to the peace and unity of the Church. In short, there must be agreement with the general practice of the Church and no prohibition in Scripture for whatever is done in worship.

The normative principle of worship is the generally accepted approach to worship practiced by the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, and Methodists. The regulative principle of worship is generally practiced by the conservative Reformed churches, Restoration Movement, and in other conservative Protestant denominations, and it finds expression in confessional documents such as the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Belgic Confession, and the London Baptist Confession of Faith.

Some groups reject the use of musical instruments in worship because, they argue, there is no example of the use of musical instruments for worship in the New Testament and the Old Testament uses of instruments in worship were specifically tied to the ceremonial laws of the Temple in Jerusalem (like the Old Testament sacrificial system) and are not applicable in the church.^[1] Likewise, some have applied the regulative principle to argue for exclusive psalmody, which allows for singing only from the Book of Psalms and excludes any hymns or other non-Biblical songs. Many early Calvinists eschewed musical instruments and advocated exclusive psalmody in worship, and this practice typified Presbyterians and other Reformed and Calvinist churches for some time. Since the 1800s, however, most of these churches have modified their understanding of the regulative principle and make use of instruments, hymns, and the like.

While music is certainly the central issue in worship debates, other matters have been contentious as well. Some of these elements include doxologies, benedictions, corporate confession of sin, prayer and the readings of creeds or portions of scripture. The presence of any one of these, their order and priority have ranged over various denominations.

[edit] Notes

1. ^ Schwertley (1998).

[edit] References

• Frame, John, "A Fresh Look at the Regulative Principle", Reformed Perspectives Magazine (in PDF)
• —. "Regulating worship", chapter 26 of The Doctrine of the Christian Life, published in Reformed Perspectives Magazine (vol. 8, no. 32, August 2006).
• —. "Some Questions About The Regulative Principle", Westminster Theological Journal, 1992 (vol. 54), p. 358.
• —. "Reply to T. David Gordon" Westminster Theological Journal, 1994 (vol 56), pp. 181-83.
• —. Worship in Spirit and Truth. 1996. ISBN 0-87552-242-4
• —. "The Regulative Principle: Scripture, Tradition, and Culture", a written debate between Darryl Hart and John Frame from 1998.
• Gordon, T. David. "Some Answers about the Regulative Principle," Westminster Theological Journal, 1993 (vol. 55), pp. 321-29.
• —. "Nine Lines of Argument in Favor of the Regulative Principle of Worship"
• Johnson, Terry L. Reformed Worship: Worship that Is According to Scripture. 2000. ISBN 1-884416-33-0
• McMahon, C. Matthew, "The Regulative Principle in Worship: A brief article."
• Pratt, Richard, "The Regulative Principle", Reformed Perspectives Magazine (in PDF)
• Schwertley, Brian (2000), "Sola Scriptura and the Regulative Principle of Worship" - an article advocating strict adherence to the regulative principle
• Schwertley, Brian (1998), "Musical Instruments in the Public Worship of God" - an article applying strict adherence to the regulative principle to musical instruments and concluding that instruments other than the unaccompanied human voice should not be used
• Thornwell, James Henley, http://members.aol.com/RSISBELL/thornwell.html "The Regulative Principle Applied to Church Government", excerpted from "Argument Against Church-Boards" (1841) and "The Argument For Church Boards Answered" (1842), in Collected Writings, volume four