The Richland Hills Church of Christ has recently decided to add a single service that utilizes musical instruments in worship, and the range of opinions I've heard on this matter has sent me reeling. Most of the arguments against it have been vocalized many a time before. But recently I heard one that really made me scratch my head.

Some friends made the point that it was important to preserve our heritage of a cappella worship, and said that changing that was not something the founding fathers of the church would have wanted. My question, though, is this: who are the founding fathers of the church? Stone and Campbell? The church didn't begin in the 18th or 19th century - it began at Pentecost (and, I would argue, at the start of Jesus' ministry on earth). So the "founding fathers", at most, should refer to Peter, John, James, Paul, etc.......the inspired authors of New Testament epistles. So why would my friends desire to return to the wishes/intent of men who lived in the past couple of centuries? I guess the heart behind it is similar to those others I've had debates with in the past who turned to commentaries for supporting statements rather than turn back to the Word. They want to understand and do things a certain way, and will find a way to justify themselves. Truth is secondary.

Well, here's one more case where the Word proves itself:

2 Timothy 4:3
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

If we don't take everything back to the Bible, seeking the heart of God and His intents for things, then what are we even doing here?