An interesting online discussion has emerged in the past few weeks about the issue of not singing a particular song in a service when that song expresses sentiments you do not believe to be true. The discussion began with Roger Olson, who argued that we should not sing a song when the doctrine does not… Continue Reading
I have been among those who committed the error of publicly reading a psalm and omitting to read the title. I reasoned that these titles probably belonged in the same category as the chapter and verse numbers of our Bibles: helpful, but by no means inspired. I’ve since been divested of that view, and now… Continue Reading
We have been looking at the history of Psalm 130 in music. project management assignment Last time, we looked at Bach’s treatment of the Psalm (Other installments: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4). This week, I want to highlight one other setting, suggest some conclusions, and provide several other settings… Continue Reading
We have been exploring settings of Psalm 130 throughout history. After an brief exposition of the psalm, we began with a look at ancient Jewish and Christian settings. Then we turned to Orlande de Lassus and Martin Luther, examples of Renaissance and early Reformation expressions. Last week’s post looked at the Genevan and Scottish Psalters,… Continue Reading
Our series on the history of Psalm 130 in music led us last week to the pinnacle of Renaissance polyphony (via Lassus) and the dawn of the Reformation (via Martin Luther). The Reformation rightly saw that singing needed to return to the hands of the congregation of saints. While this led to some innovations in… Continue Reading
Last week we heard what Psalm 130 might have sounded like in ancient Jewish settings, as well as the Gregorian chant version of it. As early as the 6th century, medieval Christians began grouping particular psalms together that all confessed sorrow over sin and pleaded for forgiveness from God. Augustine had originally identified four of… Continue Reading
This is a series looking at how Psalm 130 has been set to music by the people of God throughout history. In my first installment, I simply observed different characteristics of the psalm, which is one of lament for sin, holy fear, and hope for redemption. Of course, we are ultimately unsure of how Psalm… Continue Reading
In his Nature and Causes of Apostasy from the Gospel (contained in vol. 7 of the Banner Works), John Owen (1616-1683) spends a chapter briefly discussing the “apostasy from evangelical worship.” Owen is quite broad in this chapter, seeking, as he says, to discuss “only . . . such things as the generality of Christians,… Continue Reading
I appreciate Joel Beeke, the pastor of the Heritage Netherlands Reformed Congregation of Grand Rapids and the President and Professor of Systematic Theology and Homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, for his ability to combine sound theology with warm devotion, while not undermining the former or distorting the shape of the latter. If you have… Continue Reading
Anthony Bradley recently submitted a commentary for World magazine publicizing ‘holy hip hop.’ He writes, “If you are looking for theologically saturated Christian music that has the greatest potential for widespread appeal, your best option may be Christian hip-hop.” The first sentence gives away a great deal. First, he missteps in the first clause, for… Continue Reading
A missionary cannot properly evaluate the differences among cultural expressions until he has understood their universals. At the root of the most thoughtful defenses of contemporary worship today is an appeal based on a missions philosophy that stresses indigenous ministry. If, as the International Missionary Council asserted as far back 1938, an indigenous church is… Continue Reading
God’s people, and especially those who would stand before the Christian assembly and lead in singing praise, ought always to be thoughtful about what they are singing. This is often a challenge with familiar songs, and perhaps especially in the weeks leading up to Christmas. During the last month of the year, those who are… Continue Reading
At least nine times, Scripture directly refers to a “new song,” via both psalmist (Ps. 33:3; 40:3; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1) and prophet (Isa 42:10; Rev 5:9; 14:3). In some instances, the reference takes the form of an injunction: “Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things!” (Ps… Continue Reading
I continue to receive e-mails concerning seemingly more and more common explanations of Sola Scriptura that in effect strip it down to nothing more than what Kevin Bauder calls Nuda Scriptura. You can read a good explanation of the doctrine by Jason Parker here, along with links to more pertinent articles. Along the same lines,… Continue Reading
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
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
There has been a lot of talk in recent years on the internet and at conferences about why young people are rejecting fundamentalism and/or a conservative philosophy of worship. Everyone likes to play the blame game, but the issue that seems to get most often cited is music. Young people are being attracted to the… Continue Reading
No Googling or looking anything up. Just off of the top of your head, who said the following? The first to guess correctly will win a prize. Our music cannot be like the music of the world, because our God is not like their gods. Most of the world’s music reflects the world’s ways, the… Continue Reading
I have strong convictions about worship philosophy. I also have strong opinions about certain applications of that philosophy. But these are not the same thing. Neither are they equally important. Philosophical convictions are judgments based on clear, biblical principles. Notice that I did not say that the convictions themselves are necessarily clear, but they are… Continue Reading
Today we finally arrive at a discussion of the nature of rap itself. This post will be beneficial for you, however, only if you accept the following assertions on made on Monday: Man is completely depraved and thus cannot trust his own preferences implicitly. Music is a medium of human communication and thus must be… Continue Reading