Scott Aniol is the founder and Executive Director of Religious Affections Ministries. He is director of doctoral worship studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he teaches courses in ministry, worship, hymnology, aesthetics, culture, and philosophy. He is the author of Worship in Song: A Biblical Approach to Music and Worship, Sound Worship: A Guide to Making Musical Choices in a Noisy World, and By the Waters of Babylon: Worship in a Post-Christian Culture, and speaks around the country in churches and conferences. He is an elder in his church in Fort Worth, TX where he resides with his wife and four children. Views posted here are his own and not necessarily those of his employer.
We have already seen that the founders of the first Church used study of biblical principles and logical deduction to choose two possibilities as Judas’… Read More »The founders of the first church desired to seek the Lord’s direction in every decision
Little Lamb who made thee Dost thou know who made thee Gave thee life & bid thee feed. By the stream & o’er the mead;… Read More »The Lamb
Since I’m in the mood to highlight other important articles, I want to direct your attention to an important article that I linked to Wednesday… Read More »Music has not always been considered neutral
Tuesday I linked to an important article by Carl Trueman about the sufficiency of Scripture. I believe this article is so important that I’d like… Read More »How Scripture is Insufficient
Last week we discovered that the founders of the first church were characterized by united, fervent prayer. But prayer is not the only thing with which… Read More »The founders of the first church had a proper respect for Scripture
Dear refuge of my weary soul, On thee when sorrow rise; On thee, when waves of trouble roll, My fainting hope relies. While hope revives,… Read More »“Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul” by Anne Steel
It is fairly common in music debates for progressives to cite examples of music controversies throughout church history as proof that since the conflicts have… Read More »Do past music controversies prove that it’s just a matter of preference?
We have begun a series looking at characteristics of the founders of the first church that we should emulate in our churches today. The first… Read More »The founders of the first church were united in fervent prayer
After their Lord ascended into heaven, the disciples stared into the sky, having just have receiving instruction to remain in Jerusalem until they were immersed by… Read More »Characteristics of the founders of the first church
Regular readers of this blog know that I am a fervent defender of the Regulative Principle of Worship. However, today I’d like to set that debate… Read More »Four Commitments of the Infant Church
Imagine a church auditorium packed with people. Their eyes are fixed on the stage where skilled musicians play and a handsome man leads the congregation… Read More »Beyond contemporary vs. traditional
I defend a conservative philosophy of worship not because I want to protect old in the rejection of new, but because I believe “traditional” forms… Read More »On the flexibility of form in worship
Many professing believers today are asking, “Is it really necessary at all to be a member of a visible, local church? If I am a… Read More »Why join a church?
A few weeks ago I wrote about common straw man arguments that make their way into most debates about worship and music, and I cautioned against… Read More »What does race have to do with worship?
In this series I have been exploring the relationship between worship and the mission of God. I have already established that the mission of God… Read More »How does the church’s mission relate to worship?
Last week I suggested that differences of worship and music philosophy will sometimes necessitate withholding cooperation, but that depends upon (1) the particular difference and… Read More »What kinds of differences affect cooperation?
Straw Men in the Music/Worship Debate One of the most dangerous, yet easy pitfalls one can fall into when discussing music/worship issues is to misrepresent… Read More »I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow my imaginary argument down!
Recent kerfuffle over a Christian university changing its philosophy and practice of music has led to much discussion over whether disagreements over music and worship philosophy… Read More »Should differences over music philosophy hinder cooperation between Christians?
Last week I argued that a biblical understanding of both worship and evangelism will understand evangelism to be subservient to worship; the gospel creates worshipers.… Read More »The mission of God and the mission of the church
I have attempted in this series to provide a framework for evaluating the relationship between worship and mission. Using Jonathan Edwards’ categories of “Ends” helps… Read More »God’s Mission: Worship