I am getting these from this site,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulat...ple_of_worship

http://reformedperspectives.org/newf....Reg.Princ.pdf

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Erick Bohndorf, Covenant Baptist Church, KS
http://qayaqtraveler.blogspot.com/
The question for us today is, will we be like the majority of Israel and continue to look in fear at the giants in the land and urge our fellow Christians to be "realistic," or will we be like Joshua and Caleb and faithfully follow our king, trusting to fulfill every one of his promises completely?

I've always had a lot of respect for Pratt.

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Jeremy Gage
First Baptist Church
Durham, NC

"No heart can conceive that treasury of mercies which lies in this one privilege, in having liberty and ability to approach unto God at all times, according to his mind and will." - John Owen

This is a rather poor argument. I don't know of anyone who believes that Psalms are not allowed to be sung in worship, so how does this violate liberty of conscience?

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Scott Roper
Member, Redeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA): "A bunch of hippie Calvinists"
Winston-Salem, NC

Pratt isn't saying that some believe the Psalms aren't allowed to be sung...he is saying that some insist that only the Psalms (or primarily the Psalms) are to be sung. He then concludes that this violates the regulative principle due to violating consciences of others which I would agree with.

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Joel Batts
Christ Presbyterian Church (PCA) - Memphis, TN

"Why wasn't God watching? Why wasn't God listening? Why wasn't God there for Georgia Lee?"
- Tom Waits
But you, O God, do see trouble and grief;you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. - Psalm 10:14

I am sorry, but this is funny.... Since when is singing something from scripture a violation of liberty of conscience? Scripture binds and does not violate liberty... On the other hand forcing MAN MADE song on someone is a violation of liberty of conscience.... Forcing by way of worship something that the scripture does not allow i.e. Songs written by men is a violation of my liberty of conscience.....

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Michael Daniels
Reformed, RPCNA
Denton, Maryland

[i][b]As For Me And My House, We Will Serve The Lord[/i][/b]

[SIZE="1"][I][FONT="Century Gothic"]Unum Deum in Trinitate: Pater, Filius, et Spiritus Sanctus [RIGHT]Sola scriptura - Sola gratia - Sola fide - Solus Christus - Soli Deo gloria - Solum psalterium - Lex talionis[/RIGHT][/FONT][/I][/SIZE]

You have missed Pratt's argument...singing something from Scripture is certainly not a violation of conscience...Pratt is not arguing that..Pratt is arguing that to bind another's conscience to EP is a violation of the RPW, and ultimately, Scripture.

The rest of your post is question begging...the question is whether or not the Bible (and the RPW) requires that only Psalms be sung...IOW, your statement that "Forcing by way of worship something that the scripture does not allow" is only be true if Scripture indeed does not allow it.

Contrary to popular EP opinion, EP just ain't as clear as "do not commit adultery" or the doctrine of the Trinity when it comes to exegeting Scripture. The very existence of solid Reformed theologians, such as Pratt, who do not hold to EP demonstrates this.

If I reposted your original post verbatim, but changed the topic to drinking alcohol or trick-or-treating or listening to rock music, I could justify outlawing anything in the believer's life. But this would be solo Scriptura not sola Scriptura. I believe you are living out this issue in the former and ignoring your non-EP brothers.

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Joel Batts
Christ Presbyterian Church (PCA) - Memphis, TN

"Why wasn't God watching? Why wasn't God listening? Why wasn't God there for Georgia Lee?"
- Tom Waits
But you, O God, do see trouble and grief;you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. - Psalm 10:14

I fail to see how anyone's conscience is violated in an exclusive psalmody setting. If a congregation sings nothing but psalms when it comes together, who's conscience is being violated?

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Scott Roper
Member, Redeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA): "A bunch of hippie Calvinists"
Winston-Salem, NC

FWIW. Pratt's piece was not praised in the Sixty Year Survey of RPW literature part one, in The Confessional Presbyterian 2 (2006).

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Chris Coldwell
Lakewood Presbyterian Church (PCA), Member
• Naphtali Press: Presbyterian & Reformed Books
• The Confessional Presbyterian, A Journal for Discussion of Presbyterian Doctrine & Practice
• The Blue Banner Archive

When heresy rises in an evangelical body, it is never frank and open. It always begins by skulking, and assuming a disguise. Its advocates, when together, boast of great improvements, and congratulate one another on having gone greatly beyond the ‘old dead orthodoxy,’ and on having left behind many of its antiquated errors: but when taxed with deviations from the received faith, they complain of the unreasonableness of their accusers, as they ‘differ from it only in words.’ This has been the standing course of errorists ever since the apostolic age. Samuel Miller, Introductory essay, The Articles of the Synod of Dort (1841).

Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

That's not what Pratt is saying. Let's say that church A is EP. Church B is not EP. Church A says that hymns are not for singing. Church B feels that is a statement that cannot be justified scripturally.

That is the argument.

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J. B. Atken
John Knox PCA
Layman, M.A. student at Louisiana College

Yes.

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Joel Batts
Christ Presbyterian Church (PCA) - Memphis, TN

"Why wasn't God watching? Why wasn't God listening? Why wasn't God there for Georgia Lee?"
- Tom Waits
But you, O God, do see trouble and grief;you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. - Psalm 10:14

Pratt is saying much more than that. He is also saying that it is a violation of liberty of conscience. "What are the attacks on liberty of conscience in worship today?" Then he goes on to list exclusive psalmody.

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Scott Roper
Member, Redeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA): "A bunch of hippie Calvinists"
Winston-Salem, NC

I'm not seeing how you are arriving at this. However, if Pratt were to mean what you say, I would disagree with him.

If an EP or non-EP congregation/person holds the other to their view in a "binding of conscience" sense, the "binder" is violating RPW..actually I think it goes beyond the RPW to Romans 14.

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Joel Batts
Christ Presbyterian Church (PCA) - Memphis, TN

"Why wasn't God watching? Why wasn't God listening? Why wasn't God there for Georgia Lee?"
- Tom Waits
But you, O God, do see trouble and grief;you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. - Psalm 10:14

I thought Romans 14 was dealing with things indifferent? The worship of the church, whether one is EP or not, is hardly indifferent, right?

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Josh Hicks, Chloë's Daddy
Member of TRBC. My Blog
The Puritan Pub (Team Blog)
Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

Well, then, who has the biblical authority to bind whose conscience - the EPers or the nonEPers?

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Joel Batts
Christ Presbyterian Church (PCA) - Memphis, TN

"Why wasn't God watching? Why wasn't God listening? Why wasn't God there for Georgia Lee?"
- Tom Waits
But you, O God, do see trouble and grief;you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. - Psalm 10:14

Only the Scriptures have the authority to bind one's conscience. My point was not to discuss EP or non, but to point out that I don't think the application of Romans 14 (each one should be fully convinced in his own mind) has the worship of Christ's church in mind; rather, it speaks to things indifferent. Worship is not something indifferent, right? I mean, either Scripture teaches worship as "such and such" is right, or worship as "such and such" is wrong. It's not something that is indifferent.

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Josh Hicks, Chloë's Daddy
Member of TRBC. My Blog
The Puritan Pub (Team Blog)
Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

Worship is certainly not indifferent...I see what you mean although I still think the issue of EP or non-EP is a matter of conscience from Scripture..perhaps I'm viewing Rom 14 too broadly...thanks for the corrective...I will go back and review that chapter again.

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Joel Batts
Christ Presbyterian Church (PCA) - Memphis, TN

"Why wasn't God watching? Why wasn't God listening? Why wasn't God there for Georgia Lee?"
- Tom Waits
But you, O God, do see trouble and grief;you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. - Psalm 10:14