July 1, 2000 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - Following are some of the replies I have received from readers about my article "Be Careful about Newer Patch the Pirate tapes." The concluding reply is a challenge that was recently sent to Majesty Music by a missionary:

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"We agree wholeheartedly with your analysis. We will not let our children listen to these new tapes anymore. I have seen my small children start to dance around in a sensual way with some of the upbeat songs in these new tapes. Unfortunately, many fundamentalists have put their trust in Ron Hamilton and think that anything he has produced must be safe for their children. Oh, how we need discernment in these days!"

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"We have a lot of Patch the Pirate tapes and the majority of them are good. However, I have noticed a slight change as noted in your article. One of the newest tapes, there is a song entitled, ‘Banana Man’ The beginning of the song is almost identical to a Latin style rock song I have heard. I don’t know the name, but the tune is almost identical."

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"Your article and reply to Majesty Music is right on target. I appreciate the straightforward, yet kind spirit in which you wrote it. As an American missionary, it grieves me to see so many independent Baptist churches that stand strong on many doctrines in these last days, yet they seem to have a real ‘blind-spot’ when it comes to discerning the ‘gradualism’ of worldly music creeping into the churches. Our family is planning a short furlough to the U.S. next year, and I know music in the churches will be one area I have to warn my children about. Our family has enjoyed much of Majesty Music’s ministry. But I fully agree with your advice to use caution concerning some of the more recent Patch the Pirate tapes. The break-beat and rumba rhythms, though subtle, are found in several songs on the ‘Calliope Caper’ tape. Though these songs are very tame compared to CCM, they fuzzy the lines instead of taking the high ground. Thank you for your warnings."

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"Your article about the new Patch tapes are exactly right. I play the guitar some, the piano some, and have had many hours in singing training. My wife has a master’s degree in music from Hyles/Anderson College, and we have both noticed the change in their music. One of my good friends went to the Peabody conservatory of music and was the youngest member of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Frank Zappa was one of his teachers there, and he has the best music training of anyone I have ever been around. He met with Ron Hamilton a few weeks ago concerning music, and he said he is using a lot of secular people to do his work and Bro. Carson said his music has slipped a lot."

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"I have a very strong position that is in opposition to ‘Patch’, but for reasons not mentioned in your article. ‘Patch’ is based on Non-Reality. This is a very dangerous foundation upon which to ‘minister’ to young people. Bible-believing Christianity is REAL, not fantasy as presented by ‘Patch’. Nowhere in the Bible do you find Bible truth presented in fantasy form. This false method of ‘evangelism’ or ‘teaching’ leads young people into a fantasy world, not into the reality of true Christianity. To add to this error, the hero ‘Patch’ is a pirate. I can find no pirate in all of history that is good. Is this calling ‘good’ ‘evil’? This type of ‘ministry’ is a bane on the church. Dobson does the same thing with his ‘Odyssey’ program. I would like to see someone research this and present it through your medium. I deeply appreciate your ministry. God bless you, my dear Brother."

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"I have to say that I do agree on your stand of erring on the side of caution -- and avoiding even the ‘appearance’ of evil. When it becomes difficult to tell where the line is then you have gotten too close -- and once being too close it is too easy to fuzz the lines and cross over too many times and get too comfortable in those ‘gray’ areas. I guess we seem to forget that we are in a war against Satan constantly. Music is very powerful. I use to be a professional rock ‘n roll musician. I am too aware of the pull/power of it. I will continue to pray for you and our brother and sisters on this issue. Keep up the good work, it is not going unnoticed."

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"Dear Majesty Music Staff,

"I want to take a moment to thank you for the wealth of edifying, uplifting, Christ-honoring that Majesty Music has produced over the years. We are independent Baptist missionaries, and your music has been a blessing to our family here on the mission field. We recently purchased some vocal and instrumental tapes/CDs, and are enjoying them very much.

"I do have a request, though, that I wish you would prayerfully consider. I have been concerned with the gradual change in music standards in the Patch the Pirate tapes. It seems that in recent years, more and more contemporary rhythms and styles have crept into the music. The early Patch the Pirate tapes had music that was clearly distinct from the world’s kind of music. But it seems that some of the music is changing to a more modern sound.

"For example, on the Misterslippi River Race, the song ‘Big Toe’, bears a close resemblance to the secular tune of years ago, ‘Big John’, sung by Jimmy Dean. Mild by comparison to today’s CCM, but nevertheless, moving in a direction more resembling the world’s music.

"On the Calliope Caper, the song ‘Hippocritter’ has a definite rumba rhythm in the verse. Even the innocent ‘I Want to Marry Daddy’ song has a subtle 8-to-the-bar boogie-woogie rhythm on the second verse.

"These things are not blatant, glaring shifts in music style; rather they are a very gradual slide toward a more modern sound. I am the first to admit that I could never create ONE good children’s tape of the high quality and caliber of the Patch the Pirate tapes and I praise God for the prolific music writing of the Garlocks and Hamiltons. I love so many of their songs. But I am concerned that in these last days Christians are being lulled to sleep and are unaware of the subtle and gradual ways Satan is slithering into Christian homes and churches, so slowly that it often goes unnoticed until we look back and realize how far we’ve drifted from our original position. Please don’t use the world’s ungodly, sensual rhythms and styles, no matter how ‘tamed down’, when producing music to exalt Christ. Skilled musicians like the Garlocks and Hamiltons know that certain rhythms (break beat, back beat, boogie, etc.) elicit a physical response in the body. I pray they will be cautious to steer clear of these in their future productions, as well as take steps to return to their original music standards.

"Again, I praise God for the overwhelming majority of good, godly music produced by Majesty Music, but we all know that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump, and it is the little foxes that spoil the vines.

"‘There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification.’ (I Cor. 14:10)

"‘Abstain from all appearance of evil’ (I Thess. 5:22)"

See "Reply to Majesty Music"