It Tasted Good To Me

To Europeans, American chocolate tastes like vomit. And they are not wrong. Now don’t misunderstand, I like American chocolate but maybe it is because I don’t know better.

. In 1893, successful confection Milton Hershey made a trip to the Chicago World's Fair. There he discovered the rich, elegant taste of German chocolate and realized he needed to add it to his offerings. So, the next year he introduced what we know call the Hershey bar and it became more popular than all his other products. With European chocolate still unknown to the American masses, the Hershey bar became the iconic definition of what a chocolate bar should taste like throughout the United States.

His method for making the chocolate was different than the Europeans however. His process created creates something called butyric acid, also found in Parmesan cheese and the spit-up of babies. It helped to increase the shelf life of the candy but it also gave the candy a tangy taste. Since most Americans at the time had never tasted chocolate without butyric acid, they didn't know that chocolate didn't have to taste that way. As a result, they came to expect chocolate bars to taste the way Hershey bars tasted, baby puke and all. American chocolatiers all copied Hershey and now we expect the distinctive aftertaste, even if it kind of tastes like vomit.

There is something similar in modern worship. Most folks think musical instruments in worship is correct theology because they have always known it. The truth is however they have only been added recently. The phrase acappella, which we use to describe singing without musical accompaniment, is Italian for "in the manner of the church. For thousands of years, the practice was unknown. When musical instruments were added at various times religious figures like Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesly, Charles Spurgeon, Adam Clark and Augustine all condemned their use. What many think is normal is really the aberration.

Yet this addition may be doing more than leaving a bad taste in one’s mouth. When we add to or change a command of God we are going beyond his will. Going beyond is going without God (2^nd John 1:9) Paul wanted the Corinthians to “..learn not to exceed what is written” (1 Corinthians 4:6).

Just because we have gotten used to something doesn’t mean it is right. In all things, a Christians should make sure his worship doesn’t have anything added that might make it impure.

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