Scott Aniol

Scott Aniol is the founder and Executive Director of Religious Affections Ministries. He is Chair of the Worship Ministry Department 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.

Author Archives: Scott Aniol

Why do we think new is better?

Why do we think new is better?

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New and improved! Fresh! The latest! Exciting! You don’t have to go far in our society today to witness claims of having the newest, latest product. One would not think of buying something old, stale, and “so yesterday.” This applies to commercial products that are marketed by clever advertisers, but, unfortunately, it also often applies… Continue Reading

What was Cain’s problem?

What was Cain’s problem?

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I’ve often said that from creation to consummation, people have had problems with proper worship. The first sins were ones of false worship, and so will the last be. The same is true for the first murder. Cain’s brutal slaying of his brother stemmed from his anger over his offering of worship not being acceptable… Continue Reading

Worldly Worship

Worldly Worship

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This entry is part 4 of 4 in the series Faulty Worship You can read more posts from the series by using the Contents in the right sidebar.

Because the Bible tells us that we must worship God acceptably (Hebrews 12:28), there is by necessity the possibility of worshipping God in an unacceptable, or faulty, way. Faulty worship occurs in different ways. Worship can be faulty because of a lack of heart in the worship, because it is focused on the wrong object,… Continue Reading

Worship euphoria?

Worship euphoria?

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Matt Costella notes here a recent study that finds megachurch worship to create similar physiological responses to that of drug use: The University of Washington just released a fascinating study which concludes that megachurches provide the same biological “high” and euphoria as that produced by sporting events and concerts. The only difference? Those who get “high” from the emotional… Continue Reading

Improper Worship

Improper Worship

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This entry is part 3 of 4 in the series Faulty Worship You can read more posts from the series by using the Contents in the right sidebar.

Faulty worship is not often a topic of discussion in today’s Christianity. Many Christians seem to think that God is only concerned that our hearts are sincere in our worship of Him. However, from a biblical perspective, that is just not correct. Don’t misunderstand me; God is concerned about the heart of worship. Isaiah 1… Continue Reading

Why should we study the history of Christian worship?

Why should we study the history of Christian worship?

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Tomorrow I begin another semester teaching a graduate class in the history and theology of worship. The class is largely a survey of the historical, theological, and philosophical events and ideas that have shaped worship today, and one of the first tasksI tackle on the first day of class is to answer the question, “Why?”… Continue Reading

Godless Worship

Godless Worship

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This entry is part 2 of 4 in the series Faulty Worship You can read more posts from the series by using the Contents in the right sidebar.

In part one of this series, we investigated what Isaiah describes as heartless worship. God was not pleased with that worship, nor did He accept it as true worship. God demands to be worshipped in a manner which gives Him true glory and honor, not in ways that simply salve our consciences. In addition to… Continue Reading

Heartless Worship

Heartless Worship

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This entry is part 1 of 4 in the series Faulty Worship You can read more posts from the series by using the Contents in the right sidebar.

Does God care about how His people worship Him? Some would argue that God does not care how we worship Him as long as we seek to worship Him out of a heart of love. If the heart is sincere, anything and everything else is acceptable. However, is that really the case? If God put… Continue Reading

The Sanctificationist Approach to Culture

The Sanctificationist Approach to Culture

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This entry is part 20 of 20 in the series Christ the Sanctifier of Behavior You can read more posts from the series by using the Contents in the right sidebar.

What is clear from this exploration is that each of the three primary post-Christendom approaches to culture have strengths and weaknesses when compared to the NT’s understanding of culture as behavior. The separatist approach rightly recognizes the fundamental antithesis between belief and unbelief, but it fails to also recognize commonality that exists due to common… Continue Reading

The Relationship Between Holy Culture and Unholy Culture Should be One of Witness

The Relationship Between Holy Culture and Unholy Culture Should be One of Witness

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This entry is part 18 of 20 in the series Christ the Sanctifier of Behavior You can read more posts from the series by using the Contents in the right sidebar.

The sixth conclusion drawn from the idea that culture is behavior is that the relationship between holy culture essay order and unholy culture should be one of witness. The separatist sees the relationship between the church and “unholy” culture as one of complete separation. Two-kingdom advocates also see the two as completely distinct but encourage… Continue Reading

The Word of God alone Governs the Behavior of the Church

The Word of God alone Governs the Behavior of the Church

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This entry is part 19 of 20 in the series Christ the Sanctifier of Behavior You can read more posts from the series by using the Contents in the right sidebar.

The fifth principle derived from the fact that culture is behavior is that  the Word of God alone governs the behavior of the church as an institution. The danger VanDrunen expressed regarding describing behaviors in the civic sphere as “Christian” is that when everything becomes Christian, nothing is Christian. In this concern he is right, especially in… Continue Reading

Holy Values Ought to Affect Every Aspect of a Christian’s Culture

Holy Values Ought to Affect Every Aspect of a Christian’s Culture

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This entry is part 16 of 20 in the series Christ the Sanctifier of Behavior You can read more posts from the series by using the Contents in the right sidebar.

The fourth conclusion coming out of the idea that culture is behavior is that  holy values ought to affect every aspect of a Christian’s behavior. The Bible is clear with regard to the behavior of Christians—it is to be holy. James says of a Christian, “by his good conduct (ἀναστροφῆς) let him show his works”… Continue Reading

Unbelievers’ Culture Can Be Good

Unbelievers’ Culture Can Be Good

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This entry is part 17 of 20 in the series Christ the Sanctifier of Behavior You can read more posts from the series by using the Contents in the right sidebar.

The third principle that emerges from the idea of culture as behavior is that fundamental antithesis exists between the values of Christians and unbelievers, but not always between their behaviors. Up to this point antithesis has been emphasized to the degree that the separatism of the Radical Reformers may seem the most biblical approach to… Continue Reading

Christians are Redeemed from Unholy Culture

Christians are Redeemed from Unholy Culture

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This entry is part 14 of 20 in the series Christ the Sanctifier of Behavior You can read more posts from the series by using the Contents in the right sidebar.

The second conclusion that emerges from the idea that the New Testament concept of “culture” is behavior is that Christians are redeemed from unholy culture. Paul says that even believers “once lived (ἀνεστράφημέν) in the passions of [their] flesh” (Eph 2:3), but through Christ, God has raised believers out of such unholy behavior (vv. 5-6).… Continue Reading

Unholy Culture Exists

Unholy Culture Exists

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This entry is part 13 of 20 in the series Christ the Sanctifier of Behavior You can read more posts from the series by using the Contents in the right sidebar.

If the idea of “culture” in the NT is essentially “behavior,” then the biblical approach to culture becomes more apparent. From the NT discussions of ἀναστροφή, several important realities emerge. First, unholy culture exists. The Bible is clear that mankind, left to himself, is utterly corrupt. Even though God created all things good and even… Continue Reading

The New Testament Approach to Culture

The New Testament Approach to Culture

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This entry is part 15 of 20 in the series Christ the Sanctifier of Behavior You can read more posts from the series by using the Contents in the right sidebar.

Niebuhr’s classic categories have often been critiqued for the fact that few people fit neatly into any one of them, and for good reason. As the survey I have given in this series illustrates, there is much in common among the typical approaches as well as considerable overlap. Furthermore, Niebuhr has also been criticized on… Continue Reading

The Missional Approach to Culture

The Missional Approach to Culture

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This entry is part 11 of 20 in the series Christ the Sanctifier of Behavior You can read more posts from the series by using the Contents in the right sidebar.

The missional church movement is certainly not a monolithic group; yet characteristics of this movement are strikingly similar to characteristics of the transformationalist approach to culture.1 Several authors have suggest that the missional church movement is essentially transformationalist including Michael Goheen and2 Mark Snoeberger.3 Like transformationalists, missional authors recognize anthesis between the church and its surrounding culture; but… Continue Reading

The Transformationalist Approach to Culture

The Transformationalist Approach to Culture

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This entry is part 12 of 20 in the series Christ the Sanctifier of Behavior You can read more posts from the series by using the Contents in the right sidebar.

The third post-Christendom approach to culture is the one kingdom, or transformationalist, posture. This position appeals to the redemption motif in Scripture, namely that God desires to redeem all of his creation and that the church is already involved in that process through cultural redemption. This, they argue, is a continuation of the creation mandate1 that… Continue Reading

The Two-Kingdoms Approach to Culture

The Two-Kingdoms Approach to Culture

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This entry is part 9 of 20 in the series Christ the Sanctifier of Behavior You can read more posts from the series by using the Contents in the right sidebar.

The two-kingdom approach is essentially built upon two ideas: natural law and a clear distinction between redemptive and non-redemptive social spheres. The first idea is built on passages like Romans 2:14-15 and the assumption that moral norms are inscribed on the hearts of all men. These norms are the basis for common society of which both… Continue Reading