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

A potential danger in writing hymns in an age of mass media

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There seem to be a lot of hymns being written today, and a lot of them are really pretty good. One of the reasons for that seems to be that pastors are beginning again to write hymn texts instead of just musicians or publishers. There is one relevant potential pitfall into which hymn writers today could easily… Continue Reading

Accessible vs. Immediate

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I’ve heard a lot of teaching recently on what makes a good sacred congregational song, and among qualities listed, “accessibility” is inevitably among them. I wholeheartedly agree with this point: for a hymn to be congregational, it has to be, well, congregational! The congregation has to be able to sing it. In other words, there… Continue Reading

Is worship like riding a roller coaster?

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Joy. What exactly is joy? I can say that I experienced the emotion of joy while riding a roller coaster. It’s this thrilling enthusiasm that sends tingles all up and down my spine. It’s an exhilaration that permeates my whole body. I can also say that I experienced the emotion of joy while worshiping. But is it the same… Continue Reading

New study guide for Worship in Song prepared by Dr. Gary Reimers

New study guide for Worship in Song prepared by Dr. Gary Reimers

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Every Bob Jones Seminary student takes a class called “Issues in Christian Ministry” during their first year. The class, directed by Dr. Gary Reimers, discusses, well, issues in Christian ministry including the bible version debate, the use of alcohol, divorce and remarriage, and worship/music philosophy. Last year I had the opportunity of lecturing twice to… Continue Reading

A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols

A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols

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Conservative churches that want to do a special service around Christmas time often have a hard time finding cialis price quality “pre-packaged” programs. So what are other alternatives? One of the best and most flexible options, in my opinion, is “A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols.” I used this service all but one of… Continue Reading

Book Review: Christ-Centered Worship by Bryan Chapell

Book Review: Christ-Centered Worship by Bryan Chapell

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Christ-Centered Worship: Letting the Gospel Shape Our Practice, by Bryan Chapell. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2009. 307 pp. $24.99. “Structures tell stories.” So opens Bryan Chapell’s recent volume, Christ-Centered Worship: Letting the Gospel Shape Our Practice, published by Baker Academic. Chapell, noted homiletician, theologian, and author of the popular volume, Christ-Centered Preaching, is president of… Continue Reading

"Ebenezer" – biblical literacy and singing hymns

"Ebenezer" – biblical literacy and singing hymns

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Before pastors discredit lines of hymns because they are “archaic” or “don’t make any sense today,” perhaps they should make sure that what they are complaining about isn’t a direct biblical allusion. I’ve recently heard several pastors — with theology degrees, leading large churches — complain about the word “Ebenezer” in the hymn “Come, Thou… Continue Reading

Browse the most important content on this site

Browse the most important content on this site

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You may have noticed that we recently added an “Editor’s Picks” section for this site. You can browse through what we consider the most significant content on this site by viewing the essay titles in the right sidebar of the site or by clicking the “Editor’s Picks” button in the menu above. Here are the… Continue Reading

Musical Relativism is Pelagian

Musical Relativism is Pelagian

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So says John Makujina in this lecture given at the Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary Rice Lecture Series in 2005 and in this paper presented at the East Region Annual Conference of the Evangelical Theological Society in 2004. This is just one of several arguments he presents in support of a challenge to center the music debate,… Continue Reading

"CCM's theology of music should be ranked among the theological aberrations of modern evangelicalism…"

"CCM's theology of music should be ranked among the theological aberrations of modern evangelicalism…"

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I just listened to three lectures given by John Makujina at the William R. Rice Lecture Series at Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary in 2005. They are outstanding. A must-listen, especially if you question whether. You can download them here. Here’s a critical highlight: Traditionally, this controversy has been contested under the rubrics of orthopraxy rather than… Continue Reading

Musical Universality, Ethnodoxology, and Associations

Musical Universality, Ethnodoxology, and Associations

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We must evaluate both the intrinsic meaning within music and the potentially negative associations of a song before we adopt it into Christian worship. The theme of the latest issue of “Worship Notes,” written by Ron Man, is “Making Musical Choices.” Man writes, The most consistently asked question of me in my international teaching is… Continue Reading

Punting to "Association Problems" may be a cop out.

Punting to "Association Problems" may be a cop out.

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In my post on associations, I made it very clear that I do think we must at least wrestle through association issues, so I do think associations can be significant enough to render even a good song unusable for a time. But as I’ve considered common discussions of association problems in some circles, I have… Continue Reading

Issues of the Heart for August, 2009

Issues of the Heart for August, 2009

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Issues of the Heart (formerly Shema!) is a quarterly periodical for average laymen full of articles, book reviews, and other pertinent resources in that relate to the believer?s heart and mind. It is published in a convenient “bulletin insert” format and e-mailed to subscribers. Click here to download the August issue of Issues of the… Continue Reading

Musical Fruit

Musical Fruit

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Chris Anderson asked recently for recommendations of “knock-your-socks-off-gorgeous instrumental music.” I’m always a bit wary of a steady diet of “knock-your-socks-of-gorgeous” music, but there certainly is a place for some lighter music now and then in between regular meals! So here’s what I offered. Actually, most of this is what I would consider fruit: very… Continue Reading

Your turn: What have you done to teach children how to worship?

Your turn: What have you done to teach children how to worship?

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We’ve been discussing the topic of teaching children to worship here for some time, and now I’d like to get your feedback. I’ve offered suggestions and examples of things I’ve done both at home and in our church to encourage God-centered worship among children, particularly with helping them learn and love classic hymns. What are… Continue Reading

More on teaching children hymns

More on teaching children hymns

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I’ve just finished a week of vacation with family, so I’m getting caught up on e-mails, comments, etc. There were some good questions and comments on my post on teaching children hymns, so I thought I’d follow up here a bit. First, I stumbled across the philosophy paper that I distributed to all of our… Continue Reading