Martin Luther, the great reformer once said: “I pray you leave my name alone. Do not call yourselves Lutherans, but Christians.” John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist church once said, “I wish the name Methodist might never be mentioned again but lost in eternal oblivion.” Charles Spurgeon, the great Baptist preacher once said: “I say of the Baptist name, let it perish, but let Christ’s own name last forever. I look forward with pleasure to the day when there will not be a Baptist living.” As Christians, we are all aware that all praise, honor and glory is due to God alone. So the question: “Is it okay to clap after a special song is sung or a piece of music rendered in worship? Or for that matter when a sermon is preached? What do you think? Respond with your thought or theology if you can. The common saying is, “The man who sings his own praises always gets the wrong pitch.” And the word of God says: “Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.”

On this special day, I take the opportunity to wish all of you: “A Happy Indian Republic Day,” and remember with gratitude the great sacrifices of the freedom fighters.

Shalom, Shalom!

Pastor Franklin David