The Highway Forums General Discussion Open Forum The Role of the Choir

The PCA has LOTS of various "interpretations" of many doctrines, including The Regulative Principle of Worship, which in too many instances is alien to how the Reformed/Presbyterian churches have understood it and practiced it. It would seem that the PCA has taken the 'lead' from John Frame's view which he sets forth in his book, Worship in Spirit in Truth. Having read this book with special interest since Frame was one of my former profs at WTS, Philly, it became quickly and painfully obvious that he virtually ignores the Regulative Principle and makes it of no effect, adopting more of the Lutheran view, i.e., "whatever is not forbidden in Scripture is allowed."

So, now as to the matter of a "praise team", it on its face, would be a violation of the Regulative Principle for various reasons, the most obvious being there is no commandment nor example of such in Scripture. But there is another problem that I can see with such a "praise team" and that is that worship is to be conducted by the eldership, which is entrusted with the care of the people of God, especially in the church's ultimate expression as a people called out of the world, to worship God in spirit and truth. In too many cases, "praise teams" and "choirs" tend toward entertainment, which the whole world in our day is infatuated. Reformed/Puritan worship was always reverent and simple vs. the modern display of up-beat emotionalism.