So to tell me that I "would be wise to leave the disagreements over EP and focus on the matter at hand" is to tell me to do something that I have been doing all along which indicates to me that you haven't read my posts very well.
Sarah, I apologize if it wasn't clear that this statement in particular was a general admonition for the thread, not directed to you in particular. I tried to speak about the whole group by saying "I think we should all be able to agree" prior to writing the portion that you cited, but I definitely could have been more clear.
The topic of my posts addresses the concern of abstaining from worshipping God through song if that song is a hymn. I've been very clear on my posts concerning this.
I understand and hear your concern.
I realize that I am in the minority on my view here on PB (although I doubt I would be in the general reformed public), however, I disagree that one can claim conscience when one wants to disobey God especially on multiple levels.
I think this is where there is a disconnect. I don't believe that this representation is true or charitable, if I'm correctly understanding you. Nobody here "
wants to disobey God." Rather, everyone here is seeking to
obey Him.
When God commands us to worship him corporately it's not a suggestion. Part of the call to worship is to sing.
We all agree that the command to worship is not a suggestion. We all agree that part of our worship is to sing. Our EP brethren, to my knowledge, sing whenever Psalms are present in worship. They
desire to sing even when they refrain. When I'm sick and I stay home from worship, I
desire to be there, even though the circumstance prohibits me. In a very real way, an EP attending public worship with those who sing hymns
desire to sing, though the circumstances of the worship service
with their conscience would prohibit them from singing. This is not using conscience as a license to sin, but rather seeking to obey God in a circumstance where they believe
part of the worship is not honoring to God.
If God wasn't concerned about corporate worship, he wouldn't have issued a command for us to not forget the gathering of the brethren and we could stay home and do our own thing.
I fear this is a straw man argument. EP proponents put themselves in a worship service that includes singing of hymns, not because they think they can "do [their] own thing" but because they believe that public worship is important enough that they attend even when their consciences do not allow them to participate in every aspect of the worship service.
But he is concerned about corporate worship. He wants us to worship him by gathering together and lifting our worship to him in unison. Corporate worship is about God it's not about individuals who have a statement to make on how reformed they are.
A matter of conscience is not necessarily a statement about "how reformed" one is. I really hope you can be more charitable towards those you are seeking to represent.
Our duty is to obey God's command to worship him through song and to obey God's command to submit to church leadership.
EP proponents worship publicly because they believe that public worship is commanded. If church leadership makes their singing/not singing a matter of obedience to church leadership, they bind the conscience and are not properly shepherding the flock. But even if those in church leadership commanded that members obey their mandate to sing against their conscience, the EP ought to say "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29).
You can't have a unified body of Christ that worships him when individuals are doing whatever they want during service.
I feel like I have explained my position quite clearly on all sides and to continue is to just repeat myself multiple times to multiple people (because they aren't reading well what I'm writing) and to remind them that I'm not debating EP but touching on the subject of not obeying God's command to worship him/submit to church leadership. I leave you all to it.
I appreciate that you are not trying to debate EP in this thread.
I hope that I have clarified things a little. Please let me know if I've misunderstood you.
Blessings,
Tim