JL Girardeau

[bemer]

I am reading Girardeau's "Instrumental Music in the Public Worship of the Church." He studiously avoids EP, although it would be a logical extension of his argument, based on the regulative principle, against musical instruments in worship. Without really knowing, I assume that G., like other old-school southern Presbyterians, had no problem with hymns. Does anyone know where I can find a discussion concerning how the southern Presbyterians were able to square the regulative principle of worship with the use of hymns? It seems to be very inconsistent.

 

[NaphtaliPress]

I'm allowing this thread for the information as requested; please, do not discuss acapella EP. Also, please note in the forum header the moderators have not lifted the request not to create new threads.

 

[Wayne]

The southern Presbyterians only became a distinct group in 1861 following the Gardiner Spring resolutions, which politicized the Church and forced the division that created the PCUS (aka, Southern PC).

So I would argue that it really should be more like a question of how the Presbyterians came to adopt hymnody, OR, why the Southern Presbyterians didn't perfect their practice after the division. You could also include the Reformed Presbyterians--after their division in 1833, the New Light side of that split began slowly to give up EP, while the Old Light side (the RPCNA) to this day retains EP. But back to the PCUSA, even in the colonial era, they weren't EP, if I remember correctly, Watts hymns having made such inroads into church practice.

Girardeau was just one man of course. Good historical research would have us digging into why he wrote that treatise, if we can discover that at this late date.

Good questions. I'll reply further if I locate anything.