Shall We Please God or (Certain Kinds of) People? or The Regulative Principle of Worship (1)

One of the most powerful winds blowing through the Reformed and Presbyterian churches today is the hurricane of "liturgical renewal," or "progressive worship." The service of public worship as the Reformed have conducted it for hundreds of years is summarily scrapped as "traditional" ("traditional" being uttered with scorn or with sorrow, as though describing a service that was either foolish or useless). The traditional service is replaced with a service of bands and singing troops; banners;...