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

Early Church Hymns

Early Church Hymns

| 0 Comments
This entry is part 9 of 14 in the series The Hymnody of the Christian Church You can read more posts from the series by using the Contents in the right sidebar.

The hymnody of the early church was naturally an extension of Hebrew hymnody.1 Therefore, we can expect the hymnody of the early church to have the same general characteristics of Hebrew hymns: Early church hymns were word-centered, modest, and distinct, and they continued to nurture the forms they inherited from Jewish worship. The only change would… Continue Reading

Hymnody in the Judeo-Christian Tradition

| 0 Comments
This entry is part 8 of 14 in the series The Hymnody of the Christian Church You can read more posts from the series by using the Contents in the right sidebar.

The Beginning The first mention of music in the Bible is in Genesis 4. Verses 17—22 list Cain’s descendants, and specifically those who began the development of various cultural and social skills. Jabal was “the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock,” Tubal-cain was “the forger of all instruments of bronze and… Continue Reading

Subscribe to our Free eNewsletter

Subscribe to our Free eNewsletter

| 0 Comments

Even if you are a regular reader of this site, you may not know about our free monthly eNewsletter. Whenever I speak in a church, folks have the opportunity to sign up for our free eNewsletter, so we’ve grown to about 800 people who regularly receive it every month. But perhaps you are just a… Continue Reading

The Cultivation of Form

The Cultivation of Form

| 0 Comments
This entry is part 7 of 14 in the series The Hymnody of the Christian Church You can read more posts from the series by using the Contents in the right sidebar.

On the wall in my study I have three portraits. All three are portraits of theologians who were also heavily involved with music. They are Martin Luther, J.S. Bach, and Isaac Watts. All three men fought their battles in defense of high standards for worship music. All three had their share of controversy. And all… Continue Reading

The Importance of Music Ministry in Missions

| 0 Comments

In Titus 1:5, Paul explains that the reason he sent Titus to Crete was to “straighten out” the churches. The churches themselves had already been planted, yet there were still matters to be set in order so that the churches would be strong. Appointing elders is the specific issue mentioned in the text, but no… Continue Reading

Why Johnny Can't Sing Hymns

| 0 Comments

I don’t have time to do a full-fledged review of this new book by T. David Gordon (author of Why Johnny Can’t Preach), but I do want to highly recommend it to you. I couldn’t agree more with Gordon’s approach, underlying assumptions, and conclusions in this book. Gordon argues that pop culture has so changed… Continue Reading

Musical Form in Christian Hymnody

| 0 Comments
This entry is part 5 of 14 in the series The Hymnody of the Christian Church You can read more posts from the series by using the Contents in the right sidebar.

Musical form shapes content in very similar ways to poetic form, yet it is a bit more abstract and thus considerably more difficult to readily recognize. But because music communicates by mimicking natural human expression, anyone can discern the basic meaning of music by simply listening closely and asking a few penetrating questions. Music contains… Continue Reading

Poetic Meter in Christian Hymnody

Poetic Meter in Christian Hymnody

| 0 Comments
This entry is part 4 of 14 in the series The Hymnody of the Christian Church You can read more posts from the series by using the Contents in the right sidebar.

The next level of form is poetic meter and rhyme scheme. A poetic meter is basically how many syllables are in each line of the poem, and where the naturally stresses are. Consider this example: A – MAZ – ing GRACE! How SWEET the SOUND That SAVED a WRETCH like ME! I ONCE was LOST,… Continue Reading

Word and Phrase Choice in Christian Hymnody

Word and Phrase Choice in Christian Hymnody

| 0 Comments
This entry is part 3 of 14 in the series The Hymnody of the Christian Church You can read more posts from the series by using the Contents in the right sidebar.

Word/Phrase Choice There are several different ways that content can be shaped within a hymn. The first is simply with what words are chosen to communicate the message. Words are important. How we put them together into phrases is important. Words and phrases are important because different words and phrases have different connotations—different “feelings” attached… Continue Reading

The Anatomy of a Hymn

The Anatomy of a Hymn

| 0 Comments

For many people a hymn is nothing more than some truth made pretty. But such an understanding would be like viewing a person as a soul with some pretty skin. Yet just as a human has a whole anatomy working together to make him what he is, so a hymn has many components that help… Continue Reading

The Purpose and Power of Christian Hymnody

The Purpose and Power of Christian Hymnody

| 0 Comments
This entry is part 2 of 14 in the series The Hymnody of the Christian Church You can read more posts from the series by using the Contents in the right sidebar.

Last time we observed the fact that we sing because the Bible commands us to sing. But let’s get a little bit deeper than simply singing because we’re told. Why, exactly, has God told us to sing in worship? We can certainly recognize why he commands things like preaching and praying and reading the Scriptures.… Continue Reading

How do you treat Independence Day in your Church?

How do you treat Independence Day in your Church?

| 0 Comments

A music pastor recently asked me the question, “How do you treat holidays like the 4th of July in your church?” Great question; here are some short thoughts: We can’t ignore that the 4th of July is the day of our country’s birth (especially when it falls on a Lord’s Day), but neither should we… Continue Reading

The Biblical Mandate to Sing

The Biblical Mandate to Sing

| 0 Comments
This entry is part 1 of 14 in the series The Hymnody of the Christian Church You can read more posts from the series by using the Contents in the right sidebar.

When Christians discuss worship, they often focus on one primary element of worship above others—music. The church’s songs are without question the most controversial aspect of Christian worship. I am convinced, however, that some careful thinking about what Scripture has to say about our hymns, adequate understand of the purpose of power of Christian hymnody,… Continue Reading

Godly men are sometimes wrong

Godly men are sometimes wrong

| 0 Comments

The Bible encourages Christians to look for and respect godly examples. Hebrews 11 includes a list of faithful saints whom believers should imitate (Hebrews 6:12). Paul articulates the appropriateness of imitating godly people (1 Thessalonians 1:6, 2:14; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-7; ). He even commands believers to imitate him (1 Corinthians 4:16, 11:1). It is certainly… Continue Reading

How Can We Conserve Biblical Worship? Full Series

How Can We Conserve Biblical Worship? Full Series

| 0 Comments

I have received several e-mails asking if parts or all custom writing paper of this series may be used in church newsletters, bulletin inserts, etc. You may feed free to use and reproduce anything on this site as long as nothing is changed and proper attribution is given! Full Paper (PDF) Part 1 – Introduction… Continue Reading

How Can We Conserve Biblical Worship? Part 6

How Can We Conserve Biblical Worship? Part 6

| 0 Comments

How can we conserve biblical worship? We can conserve biblical worship by regulating our worship by God’s Word, by learning to distinguish between ordinate affection and appetite and choosing worship forms that foster those affections for God, by cultivating those worship forms that have been nurtured within the community of faith, and by proactively transmitting… Continue Reading

How Can We Conserve Biblical Worship? Part 5

How Can We Conserve Biblical Worship? Part 5

| 0 Comments

Conservative Christians will be committed to transmitting these worship forms to future generations. This leads to my final point of discussion. If our goal as conservative Christians is to conserve biblical worship and continue to cultivate worship forms that best foster ordinate affection for God, then we must be committed to transmitting these worship forms… Continue Reading

Sound Worship Digital Edition now available for free!

Sound Worship Digital Edition now available for free!

| 0 Comments

I am pleased to announce that the PDF version of Sound Worship: A Guide to Making Musical Choices in a Noisy World is now available to you for free! No gimmicks; no registration; no strings attached. The book is free with just one click. Enjoy. The book is also available for free viewing and downloading on Google… Continue Reading