For hundreds of years, believers in the Bible have discussed the question of “the silence of the Scriptures.” Does silence indicate a lack of authority, and thus whatever is not specifically condemned is permissible? Or does silence mean there is no authority for whatever practice is under consideration, and therefore it is unscriptural?

These questions rose early in the church, as Tertullian (ca. 150-222) wrote of those who claimed that “the thing which is not forbidden is freely permitted.” Tertullian responded with, “I should rather say that what has not been freely allowed is forbidden.”

In the Reformation

There were differences in the approach to the Scriptures by the Reformists Martin Luther (1483-1546) and Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531). In his early reformist years, Luther wrote, “Whatever is without the word of God is, by that very fact, against God.” He based this upon Deuteronomy 4:2: “You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of Jehovah your God which I command you.” In later years Luther changed his view, stating, “What is not against Scripture is for Scripture, and Scripture for it.” The Swiss Zwingli taught that practices “not enjoined or taught in the New Testament should be unconditionally rejected.”

Luther’s view won the day, and his looser interpretation became the preferred practice as denominations developed and proliferated. If Zwingli’s view had been preferred, then the history of the religious world might be quite different. But Luther lived 15 years longer than Zwingli, and thus had a longer period of influence. Zwingli suffered an untimely death after a Protestant pastor was captured by a Catholic group, tried for heresy and sentenced to be burned. The Protestant Zurich government declared war against the Catholics, and in a subsequent battle, Zwingli was serving as a chaplain when he was wounded and died. It was October 10, 1531.

In the Restoration Movement

In the Restoration Movement of the early 1800s, Thomas and Alexander Campbell, Barton W. Stone and others were leaving denominations and seeking to restore the simple New Testament church. The question of “silence” came to the front again. For some decades, the singing in the church was a cappella, following the model of the early church. As musical instruments were later introduced, L. L. Pinkerton was a vocal proponent of the instruments, and based the whole matter on the fact that they were not forbidden. This attitude helped bring about a division in the body of Christ. Pinkerton introduced a melodeon in the worship at Midway, KY about 1859. He complained that the singing was so bad that it would “scare even the rats from worship.” J. S. Lamar argued that the instrument was “an inevitable consequence of growth and culture.” In reading about Pinkerton, it is obvious that he made no attempt to justify the instrument by Scripture. To him, it was merely an expedient. This attitude grew and ushered in many other practices, which resulted in the tragic division that brought about the Christian Church and churches of Christ groups. The view of “silence gives consent” is a very strong influence in virtually all denominations. But “what saith the Scriptures?”