by Pastor Archie Alvarez
Bible Baptist Mission of Imus, Cavite
(PART 1)
In the recent past some Baptist churches in the Philippines started adopting odd practices and became open to modern type of worship. We cannot but raise our silence over some of the issues surrounding Baptist circles today not only in the Philippines but also on other parts of the world.
Article 1
Should Christian Churches Use Drums in Their Worship?
While it is true that drums are just like any other musical instruments available in the music world, we need to examine very extensively some precautions and truth about this controversial instrument as whether to use it or not to use it in a Christian worship.
It is never my intention to malign or degrade anybody who maybe "PRO" in this subject matter but to shed light and present facts of History and Biblical credence not based on logic and personal opinion or feelings. I suggest that we rule out any prejudice for a while and take into serious consideration the things that are about to be unveiled.
FACTS
Since DRUMS, DANCE and WORSHIP are somewhat intertwined, we will have no recourse but to draw out Biblical and historical facts so as to establish the truth concerning the subject. Let me present you five FACTS.
#1
The tambourine or timbrel (sometimes referred to as tabret) in the Bible is not the same "drum" instrument used in a Rock music and some Christian Churches Today who are adherents of "Drum Worship."
In desperation to prove that the same drums are used in worshipping God in the Bible, "Drum Worship" adherents quote several verses in the Bible--take a look on the following verses:
Psalm 81:2 - Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel (Toph), the pleasant harp with the psaltery.
Psalm 149:3 - Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.
Exodus 15:20 - And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.
Psalm 68:25 - The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; among them were the damsels playing with timbrels.
1 Samuel 18:6 - And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets (Toph), with joy, and with instruments of musick.
After quoting such verses they would proceed on explaining that the Hebrew word "toph" simply means drum, but that is half-truth and I believe it is explained in that manner to prove their stand about the drum being used in worship. But let us dig deeper.
Tabret is an ancient percussion instrument which no longer exists as such. The earliest mention of it (Genesis 31:27 KJV) dates back to about 1740 BC--that's over 3700 years ago. The root word for tabret is tabor, which describes a small frame drum with one head. The word tabor is also used to describe the same frame used for embroidery, with two hoops used to keep the material taut. While the timbrel has small bells, rings, or metal discs attached to the frame to make a jingling noise, most sources agree that the tabret did not have these. As a drum, the tabret whould have been played by beating with a small drumstick, o by tapping with the hand. It is often accompanied by a pipe.
In ancient times, it appears that the tabret was used by the Israelites, though perhaps not in the Temple worship itself. (1 Chronicles 5:12; Gen. 31:27; 1 Sam. 10:5; Job 17:6; Isaiah 5:12)
The timbrel, on the other hand, is a percussion instrument which does have bells, rings, or metal discs attached to make a jingling noise when shaken or tapped with the hand. From the Hebrew root word toph, the timbrel first appears in Exodus 15 (about 1490 BC), confirming that it, too, dates back to very ancient times. Some ancient timbrels appear to have a single drum head, like the tabret, and some appear as a frame only. In either case, including jingles and streamers makes it a timbrel.
The timbrel was used for a variety of different reasons including: praise, joy, gladness, triumph or victory, singing, warfare, celebrations, processionals and welcoming. It was definitely an instrument of praise and warfare, often leading armies into battle. It was played in a multitude of different places: in the home, on the battlefield, at feasts and celebrations. (see also Job 21:12; Isaiah 30:32)
Tambourine is the modern term for timbrel ('Toph') and is sometimes referred to also as tabret (1 Samuel 18:6).
I have provided a picture below:
Now does this timbrel (toph or call it a drum) looks and is used the same way as of the drums below?
or maybe this...
Of course the obvious answer is NO.
#2
#2
The DRUM has always been associated with paganism and the devil.
1. In Africa, drums are used in demonic rituals such as "Voodoo."
The drum beats in rock music are the same beats we can find in the rites and rituals of the African tribes. Example of this is the African colony of slaves brought to Haiti that came from the tribes of Senegalese, Bambaras, Arades, Congos, Kangas, Fons and Fulas (they were taken from the coast of West Africa in the 15th century). Their ceremonies centered upon worship of the sanke god Damballa through singing, dancing, and spirit possession. Those ancient chants and tribal stomps evoke the evil spirit, the ultimate experience was to have their bodies possessed by that demon.
It is the drum beat which fuses a number of individuals into a single body, making them move as one, as if all of these singular bodies had become linked on the thread of a single beat of pulse--sending the body into a slow, twisting wave which begins at the shoulders, then the spine, hips, and legs.
The same thing happens in a modern rock concert. The actions you would see on the audience will give us the impression that some sort of possession has occurred. The nonstop, polyrhythms pounded out on cylindrical drums in a voodoo ritual is the catalyst of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and today's heavy metal.
The drum beat keeps up a remarkable thump which very easily takes possession of the sensibilities of the worshippers. Observers say that these drums themselves are able to bring a person to a place where it is easy for the deity (Ioa) to take possession of their bodies--the defenseless person is buffeted by each stroke as the drummer sets out to beat the Ioa (god) into his head: The person cringes with each accented beat as if the drum mallet descended upon his very skull; he ricochets about the place, clutching blindly at the arms extended to support him.
2. Drums are associated with "Shamanism."
Shamanism is a primitive religion of the Ural Altaic peoples of Northern Asia, based on a belief in controlling spirits who can only be influenced by a "shaman" (a priest with magical powers over diseases or evil spirits-World Book Dictionary)
In Siberia, drums are used in shamanic rituals to heal people. It is believed that the shaman can communicate witht the spirit world THROUGH DRUMMING. (Louise Tythacott, Musical Instruments, Thomas Learning:1995, p. 37)
"The shaman was draped in leather, dancing possessed to a rhythm banged out in a DRUM... To these people, communication with the gods was synonymous with DRUMS... the body can become the conduit for a deity, a deity not necessarily the same sex as the worshiper, and DRUMS are the catalyst for the whole process. The trance of the RHYTHM then begets the hysteria, which begets that Westerners simplistically call 'possession'" (Danny Sugerman, Appetite for Destruction, pp. 181, 208).
David Tame writes in The Secret Power of Music, page 199:
"Today's drummer differs but little from the shaman in his incessant beating out of a rhythm, and likewise often enters into a form of trance while performing." (to be continued)
THE MANIFESTO OF ISSUES AND CONCERNS AMONG BIBLE BAPTIST CHURCHES IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, ©2009 BY PASTOR ARCHIE ALVAREZ. Published by permission.
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