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.
Many factors coalesced in the wake of the Protestant Reformation to produce what we now might call “Evangelical worship.” The first was German Pietism. Pietism… Read More »Roots of Evangelical Worship: German Pietism
Over the past several weeks I have been tracing how western culture was impacted in eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by the rise of secularism. An… Read More »How Christians Have Responded to the Secularization of Culture
I have posted episode 6 of my new podcast, “By the Waters of Babylon.” You can listen here. In this episode, I trace the pattern… Read More »Episode 6 of “By the Waters of Babylon” Podcast Now Available: “The Theo-Logic of Biblical Worship”
In blog posts over the last several weeks, I have been trying to help us understand what kinds of influences and values have converged to… Read More »Secular Culture
As we Christians seek to live Christianly in the culture in which we find ourselves, it is important that we recognize how values contrary to… Read More »Secular Worldview
I have posted episode 4 of my new podcast, “By the Waters of Babylon.” You can listen here. In this episode, I first explore three… Read More »Episode 5 of “By the Waters of Babylon” Podcast Now Available: “Christians in Culture”
Last week I highlighted the fact that the Enlightenment essentially created a Worldview without God, elevating reason over faith. The elevation of reason over faith in… Read More »Reason and Faith
Many factors gradually led to the end of the close church/state union of Christendom in the West. Several of these, ironically, actually came as a… Read More »Worldview without God
I have posted episode 4 of my new podcast, “By the Waters of Babylon.” You can listen here. In this episode, I discuss the New… Read More »Episode 4 of “By the Waters of Babylon” podcast is now available: “Work that Serves Christ”
While the New Testament does not contain any examples or prescriptions of particular liturgies, Paul does address the matter of service order in 1 Corinthians… Read More »Orderly Worship
In the book of Revelation, God granted the apostle John a look into the temple of heaven. As with Isaiah during the reign of King… Read More »The Theo-logic of Heavenly Worship
The legalization of Christianity by Roman Emperor Constantine I (272–337) in 313 with his Edict of Milan marked the beginning of a period lasting up… Read More »The Good and Bad of Christendom
I have posted episode 2 of my new podcast, “By the Waters of Babylon.” You can listen here. In this episode, I continue my discussion… Read More »Episode 2 of “By the Waters of Babylon” podcast is available: “Singing the Lord’s Song in a Pagan Culture”
What is he doing? The servant stared with bewilderment as his master girded up his garment and bent down to the bowl of water. He… Read More »He will dress himself for service.
I am pleased to announce the launch of a new podcast: “By the Waters of Babylon with Scott Aniol.” For years I have posted a… Read More »New Podcast: By the Waters of Babylon with Scott Aniol
He spewed the water from his mouth. Disgusting! He had recently come from his home in Colossae. There he regularly enjoyed cool, refreshing water from… Read More »Lukewarm
Like ancient Israel, early Christians considered worship on the Lord’s Day to be sacred—set apart from the regular, mundane activities of life, and therefore what… Read More »What Does “Sacrament” Mean?
There was commotion at the windows. What are they doing here? he thought. He had not expected to meet this famed teacher, let alone dine… Read More »Tax Collectors and Sinners
After the close of the New Testament Scriptures, details concerning how, exactly, Christians worshiped are somewhat difficult to determine. However, several early documents do help… Read More »Sources for Discerning Early Church Worship
It was a strong vine, surging with health and life. The vine dresser moved along the length of the vine, carefully fingering each branch. He… Read More »Abide