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

Orderly Worship

Orderly Worship

As pastors and music directors, we have the responsibility of planning and leading the congregational worship services in our churches. Does it matter how those services are ordered? Some church leaders favor spontaneity and freedom in their worship. If someone has a testimony or favorite hymn they’d like to offer at the spur of the… Continue Reading

Endorsement for Worship in Song by Kurt Woetzel

Endorsement for Worship in Song by Kurt Woetzel

Scott Aniol has joined a growing chorus.  In so doing he has significantly raised the rhetoric to a new level of systematic and meticulous evaluation while allying himself with those concerned believers who question the mood, sensibility, and impact of current popular worship music. Worship in Song greatly assists the Lord’s servants who have the… Continue Reading

Endorsement for "Worship in Song" by Tim Fisher

Endorsement for "Worship in Song" by Tim Fisher

I am excited to recommend Worship in Song to anyone involved with the ministry of church music today.  Scott Aniol has given us a fresh, new approach to a timely and important issue.  In this easy-to-read volume we can recognize how Scott’s understanding of music, culture, and the Scripture come together to give the reader… Continue Reading

Pastors: Help Your Musicians Plan Orderly Worship

Pastors: Help Your Musicians Plan Orderly Worship

One great weakness in church worship today is that pastors have entirely given up the planning of services to musicians. This wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing if the musicians worked with the pastors, and there is certainly benefit to the input of musicians regarding the hymns and other music within a service. But without… Continue Reading

Endorsement for "Worship in Song" by Paul Jones

Endorsement for "Worship in Song" by Paul Jones

“Scott Aniol has contributed a reasoned, thoughtful, Scripture-infused, and theological approach to his subject. This book should prove to be a helpful volume to any serious worshiper.” Paul S. Jones, D.M. Organist and Music Director – Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia Author, Singing and Making Music Continue Reading

The Church Assembles for Worship, Part 3 by Ryan Martin

The Church Assembles for Worship, Part 3 by Ryan Martin

In this series, I have been attempting to show that the New Testament teaches that the church assembles for worship. Some deny this teaching because the New Testament no where specifically commands the church to gather for worship. I agree with this last observation, but I believe it to be poor theological method to insist… Continue Reading

The Church Assembles For Worship, Part 2 by Ryan Martin

The Church Assembles For Worship, Part 2 by Ryan Martin

Last week I offered an initial argument that believers gather for worship. In part 1, I discussed the significance of the phrase, “house of God” as applied to the church in the New Testament, that it points to assembled believers as the place of God’s special presence, the “new temple/tabernacle” for those in Christ Jesus.… Continue Reading

The Liberating Regulative Principle of Worship

The Liberating Regulative Principle of Worship

Uncertainty reigns today in churches over whether or not certain service elements are really helpful for congregational worship. What is acceptable? Sacred dance? Liturgical painting? Puppet shows? Drama? Some godly Christians, attempting to enhance their worship, believe they have freedom to anything to their worship that they think good. Other godly Christians are then constrained… Continue Reading

Romans 14 – What Does It Really Mean?

Romans 14 – What Does It Really Mean?

A passage that is often debated related to this issue of worship, and especially music, is Romans 14ff. Opinions abound as to what it really means and what kinds of applications can legitimately be drawn from it. I offer here two papers that might help to shed some light on the matter for those interested:… Continue Reading

The Church Assembles For Worship, Part 1 by Ryan Martin

The Church Assembles For Worship, Part 1 by Ryan Martin

For millennia, the church understood the purpose of its gathering to be for worship. Today some scholars argue that “Christians worship everywhere,” that there “was no chapter and verse” (so to speak) that indicated that the early church thought of its assembly as a time for worship. This should be a warning to us on… Continue Reading

Endorsement for "Worship in Song" by Ligon Duncan

Endorsement for "Worship in Song" by Ligon Duncan

Here we have a brief and thoughtful theology of the use and place of music in the gathered worship of the people of God. Aniol argues that our current confusions over music in public worship are at the root, theological. Consequently, we need to understand what worship is (biblically), how sanctification happens, the nature and… Continue Reading

Endorsement for "Worship in Song" by Ingrid Schlueter

Endorsement for "Worship in Song" by Ingrid Schlueter

In the 20 years I have been in Christian broadcasting, no single issue has been more explosive than the subject of Christian music in the church. Scott Aniol’s much-needed book takes on this issue in an incisive manner, and he rightly points to the foundational issue of religious affections that underlies the entire debate. Christians… Continue Reading

Worship That Is Acceptable To God

Worship That Is Acceptable To God

One of the most widely debated issues in churches today revolves around the subject of worship. What does worship that is acceptable to God look like? What is the substance of acceptable worship? What elements are included in acceptable worship? Can we use drama in worship? What about elaborate ceremonies and rituals? What kinds of… Continue Reading

New Hymn: Praise Our Savior, Jesus Christ

New Hymn: Praise Our Savior, Jesus Christ

Note: this hymn has been updated, so I am republishing this post. I am thrilled to recommend a new hymn collaboration between Pastor Chris Anderson and Dr. Paul Jones. This is truly a wonderful example of a modern hymn that continues in a long tradition of rich hymnody. The text is profound doctrinally, intentionally gospel-centered,… Continue Reading

Nothing More Than Feelings: The Affect of Art in Worship

Which of the following scenario is a more meaningful worship experience? The 100 member choir and 50 piece orchestra combine in a rousing performance of Bach’s Cantata No. 182, a piece composed for Palm Sunday. The stage is full with a professional band, complete with drums, electric guitars, and a praise team. As the music… Continue Reading

The Music of David Rasbach

The Music of David Rasbach

Speaking of good things coming out of SoundForth, I recently received a choral demo from them featuring the music of David Rasbach. First, and add it to your choral collection. It is excellent. It is only $6. It is professionally recorded, features the Bob Jones Academy Chorale (which Rasbach directs, and whose sounds is better… Continue Reading

When Cultures Collide

When Cultures Collide

I’ve taken pains on this site to explain the differences between high culture, folk culture, and pop culture. Last night my wife and I witnessed a very enlightening collision of all three types of culture. Some friends of ours invited us to join them for an evening at the Rockford Symphony (incidentally, we had front… Continue Reading

CD Review

CD Review

On March 19, SoundForth will release its latest choral recording, “The King of Love.” In anticipation of the release, Dan Forrest sent me a review copy and asked me to share some thoughts here. I do not pretend to be an expert in choral recordings, but here are some thoughts from my little corner of… Continue Reading