June 18, 2000 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) -- On June 14 I published an article titled "Be Careful about Newer Patch the Pirate Tapes." It was a gentle warning in which I expressed my growing concern with some of the newer Patch tapes.

One of the subscribers to the Fundamental Baptist Information Service sent a copy of the article to Majesty Music, and the following reply was received from Mr. John Leupp, Manager of Operations:

"Customer Service" info@majestymusic.com
Thu, 15 Jun 2000 15:53:01 -0500

Dear Mr. and Mrs. -----,

Thank you for alerting us to the comments David Cloud has posted on his web site. I am familiar with some of the statements Dr. Spence and Don Jasmin have made, but we have never made a public response to them. The basic charge that Majesty Music is moving in a contemporary direction is so obviously false that we have just let the truth speak for itself and ignored them. They are both Christian brothers, and we are willing to turn the other cheek as long as we can.

David Cloud is the first person we have ever heard object to Lazy Bones in the nearly five years since it was released. He has quite an imagination if Lazy Bones easily conjures up "unwholesome images as that of a saucy woman sauntering across a stage." All that is necessary is to listen to the song to know how silly this charge really is.

Majesty Music, under the leadership of men like Dr. Frank Garlock and Ron Hamilton, has always taken a stand for music that is pleasing to the Lord and against the worldly music, both secular and CCM, of our day. Dr. Garlock has not just been fighting the battle for Biblical standards in Christian music--he has been leading the fight from the beginning. We have never changed from that original position.

Thank you again for your letter and your concern. We appreciate your continued prayers.

On Eagle's Wings,

John Leupp
Manager of Operations

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REPLY TO MAJESTY MUSIC BY BRO. CLOUD

Hello, Mr. Leupp. I am sorry that my first personal communication with you cannot be made under more pleasant circumstances.

I am aware that one of the subscribers to my Fundamental Baptist Information Service forwarded to you the small critique I published about the direction of some of the newer Patch the Pirate tapes. Your reply was forwarded to me, and I want to answer you personally.

Please understand that I have supported and promoted Majesty Music as long as I can recall since I was saved in 1973 at age 23. I still do. Majesty Music is listed in the "Helpful Music Resources" report that I maintain at my web site. Majesty Music is also listed in the back of my 1999 book Contemporary Christian Music Under the Spotlight. I have also frequently recommended Majesty Music to the readers of my monthly magazine, O Timothy. I am sure Majesty Music has received many orders through my free advertising. I have also advertised Dr. Garlock’s excellent book Music in the Balance and have personally purchased and given away copies of it; and in fact, a few years ago I obtained from him permission to include that book in our electronic Fundamental Baptist CD-ROM Library.

I say all of that to help you understand that I am not some enemy taking cheap shots at a ministry for which I have no personal concern.

Further, I do know enough to write on the subject of Christian music. I have a multi-faceted background in music; I lived in the rock and roll culture as a hitch-hiking, drug-abusing, Hindu-meditating hippy; and I have published one of the most extensive reports of the errors of CCM in print.

I felt that your reply was condescending toward me in the extreme. I tried to present my observations in a careful, fair, and balanced manner. I don’t believe your reply was in the same spirit. You basically dismissed me out of hand. It reminded me of the letters I have received from New Evangelical leaders justifying their various philosophies and activities. They commonly take a condescending stance that they are above reproach because they are sincerely serving the Lord, that it is unspiritual and foolish even to critique them, that the one doing the critique is a nobody who obviously represents an extreme minority, and rarely do they reply directly to the charges in question.

In my report I tried to express a simple concern about the direction of some of the Patch the Pirate songs. I realize that many other people will disagree with my assessment, but I have every right and responsibility before God to make such critiques (1 Thess. 5:21, etc.) and to give warning when I believe it is due (2 Tim. 4:2).

I stated that it would be wise for Majesty Music to avoid things that are questionable, to draw the line of music in the very safest place, to refuse to introduce anything that even hints of worldliness. I repeat that challenge. The very fact that many godly men with a knowledge of music are concerned about some of the Patch songs proves my point. It is not merely Dr. Jasmin and Dr. Spence and me who have a problem with some of the newer Patch songs. I personally know many godly pastors and evangelists, many of whom have a background in music, who have the same concern; and I am sure Dr. Jasmin and Dr. Spence could say the same regarding their perspective spheres of influence (which are considerable). If you are indeed drawing the line at the very safest point, this large number of godly men would not be concerned.

Let me refresh your memory with exactly what I said in the article:

"Some will doubtless protest that I have no right to judge Majesty Music by my own opinion of what is or is not worldly, that they themselves see absolutely nothing wrong with the new Patch tapes. I readily admit that there is much that is subjective about music, and that it is sometimes difficult to nail down precisely what is and is not wholesome. This being the case, isn’t the wisest approach to avoid all appearance of evil, to be certain that we offend in nothing? Instead of taking this wise path of avoiding every semblance of worldliness and maintaining only the most unquestionable standard for music, though, Majesty Music is pushing the musical boundaries for the fundamentalist and Bible-believing Baptist churches that use the Patch tapes, subtly and gradually moving them into the CCM sphere" (D. Cloud, "Be Careful about Newer Patch the Pirate Tapes, June 14, 2000).

Is that a wild-eyed, silly, unreasonable challenge?

My concerns are very personal and began with my own family, Mr Leupp. I have four children. The oldest is a missionary. Two are still at home. The youngest, 16, is an adopted daughter who is educationally delayed. She operates on roughly a 10-year-old level. I have purchased several of the Patch tapes for her, and she loves them (though some of them we have had to reject). On one of my recent preaching trips I obtained the Mr. Zion Marathon tape for her from a church bookstore, and a few days ago I walked past her bedroom and heard "Lazy Bones" playing. She was singing along as she does with all the Patch songs. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I took the tape from her and played the song for my godly wife. She agreed with my concern. I then played the song for some godly, experienced pastors. They, too, shared my concern. It was this incident that motivated me to publish the article in question. Majesty Music is responsible for the influence of their music. If they are helping create an appetite for worldly music in the hearts of a generation of children, even in a minor way; if they are gradually moving the line of demarcation from worldly music, as I believe they are beginning to do, everyone concerned at Majesty Music will answer to God for it. One of the greatest problems among Bible-believing churches today is the phenomenon of gradualism. Worldliness and ecumenical philosophies and charismatic music and many other injurious things are gradually making inroads into fundamentalist churches. This makes the problem difficult to detect and even more difficult to correct. With all of my heart, I believe Majesty Music’s Patch the Pirate tapes are beginning to be on the problem side of gradualism in the area of music.

You might think that it is "silly" to say that the underlying music is fit for a nightclub, but I don’t believe there is anything silly about it. To my great shame, I lived a very wicked and worldly life before I was saved, and I know as much about worldly music which is fitting for wicked environments as any other man.

In your reply you spoke of "turning the other cheek." You are confusing persecution with correction and reproof. Dr. Jasmin nor Dr. Spence nor me nor any other person who has expressed concern about some Majesty Music song has persecuted you or tried to injure you (or any one else at Majesty) in any way whatsoever. Godly reproof is a mark of Christian charity. It is one of the most difficult things to give, because it is so frequently misconstrued and so commonly despised. Many times, though, the Bible commands Christians to reprove one another when we perceive there are spiritual problems and to judge all things by the Word of God, and that is precisely what we are doing. Nothing more nor less. Again, your reply reminds me of the hundreds I have received from CCM supporters. Many of them, too, perceive correction and reproof as persecution.

I stand by the article. If I was wrong about Dr. Garlock not being directly connected with Majesty Music today, I will be glad to correct that if you will tell me what his current position is.

The Lord’s blessing and grace be with you and with those who make decisions at Majesty Music.

A concerned friend in Christ.

David Cloud
Director, Way of Life Literature

See "Replies from Readers about Patch the Pirate Tapes"