{"id":115480,"date":"2013-12-27T16:00:17","date_gmt":"2013-12-27T21:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/getreligion\/?p=115480"},"modified":"2014-02-10T12:09:17","modified_gmt":"2014-02-10T17:09:17","slug":"say-what-organ-music-at-duck-dynasty-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/getreligion\/2013\/12\/say-what-organ-music-at-duck-dynasty-church\/","title":{"rendered":"Say what?!? Organ music at ‘Duck Dynasty’ church?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/iframe>\n<\/p>The White\u2019s Ferry Road Church of Christ in West Monroe, La., is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?oq=white's+ferry+r&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=white's+ferry+road+church+of+christ#q=white's+ferry+road+church+of+christ&tbm=nws\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">making headlines<\/a> these days as the home congregation of the Robertson family of \u201cDuck Dynasty\u201d fame.<\/p>\nFor me, mention of the White\u2019s Ferry Road church brings back fond memories totally unrelated to duck hunting or reality television. That\u2019s because \u2014 for two years during my early childhood \u2014 the Ouachita River community of West Monroe was my hometown and the White\u2019s Ferry Road church my home congregation, as I <a href=\"http:\/\/www.christianchronicle.org\/article\/duck-dynasty-trip-conjures-precious-boyhood-memories\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">shared in a 2012 column.<\/a><\/p>\nIn light of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/getreligion\/?s=duck+dynasty\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">the controversy<\/a> over \u201cDuck Dynasty\u201d patriarch Phil Robertson\u2019s comments on homosexuality, The Associated Press sent a reporter to cover Sunday services at the Louisiana church this past weekend.<\/p>\nThe top of <a href=\"http:\/\/tv.yahoo.com\/news\/folks-louisiana-town-stand-reality-tv-family-235836146.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">the story:<\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote>WEST MONROE, La.<\/strong> (AP) \u2014<\/strong> \u201cFaith. Family. Ducks.\u201d It\u2019s the unofficial motto for the family featured in the TV reality show Duck Dynasty and that homespun philosophy permeates nearly everything in this small north Louisiana town.<\/p>\nIt\u2019s perhaps most on display at the White\u2019s Ferry Road Church of Christ in West Monroe, where the Robertson family prays and preaches most Sunday mornings.<\/p>\nThe family \u2014 including patriarch Phil Robertson, who ignited a controversy last week when he told a magazine reporter that gays are sinners and African-Americans were happy under Jim Crow laws \u2014 were in a front pew this past Sunday. And standing by beliefs they say are deeply rooted in their reading of the Bible.<\/p>\nThe rest of the flock, decked out in Duck Dynasty hats and bandannas, stood by the family and the sentiments Phil Robertson expressed.<\/p>\nAlan, Robertson\u2019s eldest son, helped deliver a Christmas-themed sermon. He started off by referring to last week\u2019s controversy.<\/p>\n\u201cHope your week went well,\u201d he dead-panned. \u201cOurs was kinda\u2019 slow.\u201d He was referring, of course, to Phil\u2019s forced hiatus: TV network A&E suspended Phil last week after remarks about blacks and gays caused a public uproar.<\/p><\/blockquote>\nSo far, so good.<\/p>\nBut then came this spit-out-out-your-Diet-Coke transition, if you happen to be a part of this particular branch of the Christian faith:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<blockquote>But the controversy barely resonated above the organ music at White\u2019s Ferry Road Church. Son Willie \u2014 the CEO of the multimillion dollar Duck Commander duck call and decoy enterprise that inspired reality show producers to give the family a show \u2014 put on camouflage wader overalls and baptized three people, including one man with cancer.<\/p>\n\u201cWho\u2019s going to be the lord of your life?\u201d he asked, before dipping the man back into the baptismal pool at the front of the church.<\/p><\/blockquote>\nNow, the baptisms weren\u2019t surprising. Churches of Christ generally believe that baptism for the forgiveness of sins at the \u201cage of accountability\u201d is an integral part of the salvation process. That\u2019s a different view of baptism than many evangelicals, which explains this reference in a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.russellmoore.com\/2013\/12\/18\/duck-dynasty\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cDuck Dynasty\u201d column<\/a> recently by Russell Moore:<\/p>\n<blockquote>If I don\u2019t like that he goes to a church with a different view of baptism than mine, then I can go on the Internet and say why I think he\u2019s wrong. And if you don\u2019t like his religious views on sexuality (views held also by Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and evangelicals as well as by many Orthodox Jews, Muslims, and the Dalai Lama), you\u2019re free to say why you think he\u2019s wrong. And you\u2019re free to change the channel.<\/p><\/blockquote>\nBut the first part of the paragraph did surprise me.<\/p>\nOrgan music!?! Forget the \u201cDuck Dynasty\u201d wars! Now we\u2019re talking about a controversial issue.<\/p>\nThe <a href=\"http:\/\/www.christianchronicle.org\/article\/at-100-year-anniversary-of-split-ministers-exchange-bibles-at-convention\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Restoration Movement fellowship<\/a> to which the White\u2019s Ferry Road church belongs typically emphasizes <a href=\"http:\/\/www.christianchronicle.org\/article\/pepperdine-aims-to-renew-refresh-a-cappella-singing\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">a cappella singing<\/a> (read: non-instrumental). A few Churches of Christ have <a href=\"http:\/\/www.christianchronicle.org\/article\/nations-largest-church-of-christ-adding-instrumental-service\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">added instrumental worship<\/a> in recent years, but the trend is controversial.<\/p>\nTo the best of my knowledge, the White\u2019s Ferry Road church had not added an organ to its worship assemblies, so the AP reference caught me off guard.<\/p>\nI messaged the congregation\u2019s minister to ask if the \u201corgan music\u201d note was accurate. He replied that it was not. However, the church played a video at its Sunday service titled <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sermonspice.com\/product\/51995\/the-christmas-scale\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cThe Christmas Scale.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0The video<\/em> includes an organ. Still, the AP wording seems strange given that the story deals with an a cappella church.<\/p>\nI\u2019m curious whether the reporter included that reference or if perhaps an editor unaware of the church\u2019s a cappella music tradition added an awkward transition.<\/p>\nDoes this issue really matter? Trust me on this one. It does.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The White\u2019s Ferry Road Church of Christ in West Monroe, La., is making headlines these days as the home congregation of the Robertson family of \u201cDuck Dynasty\u201d fame. For me, mention of the White\u2019s Ferry Road church brings back fond memories totally unrelated to duck hunting or reality television. That\u2019s because \u2014 for two years […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":597,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,46,6,7,12,106,49],"tags":[1570,1126,242,2756,1130,2757],"class_list":["post-115480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-evangelicals","category-first-person","category-godbeat","category-journalism","category-religion","category-religious-liberty","category-sex","tag-churches-of-christ","tag-duck-dynasty","tag-gay-rights","tag-instrumental-music","tag-phil-robertson","tag-whites-ferry-road-church-of-christ"],"yoast_head":"\n<title>Say what?!? 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