An enduring moral order
First, the conservative believes that there exists an enduring moral order. This is the foundational principle of conservatism; as a Christian conservative, I would modify it… Read More »An enduring moral order
Featured
Worship That God Has Not Prescribed
One of the key passages in Scripture that illustrates deviant worship is found in Exodus 32:1-10: When the people saw that Moses delayed to come… Read More »Worship That God Has Not Prescribed
Isaac Watts was kind enough to write me a letter (with a postscript)
I received this letter from Isaac Watts a couple years ago, and published it on my blog. Watts gave me permission to publish it so… Read More »Isaac Watts was kind enough to write me a letter (with a postscript)
Hymnody of Quiet Trust in Trials
We sang several songs in our Sunday morning service which emphasized the believer’s quiet and confident trust in God in the midst of the trying… Read More »Hymnody of Quiet Trust in Trials
Toward Conservative Christian Churches
A few weeks ago, I posted my opinion that the form of Christianity which omits certain distinctives is a truncated and emaciated Christianity. Conservative Christianity,… Read More »Toward Conservative Christian Churches
Learning to Worship is Like Learning a Foreign Language
My four-year-old son has been learning French recently. Well, sort of. We’ve checked out some children’s French DVDs from our local library, and each day… Read More »Learning to Worship is Like Learning a Foreign Language
On the suggestion that ‘holy hip hop’ is the new Baroque
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… Read More »On the suggestion that ‘holy hip hop’ is the new Baroque
Easter Hymnody
As a general rule, each month I teach one new or more unfamiliar hymn (or occasionally two) to our congregation. (In March, it was a… Read More »Easter Hymnody
Does “Slow Fade” really communicate God’s truth to His people?
I recently listened to a message delivered by a music pastor at a pastor’s conference on the subject of song selection. He touched on issues… Read More »Does “Slow Fade” really communicate God’s truth to His people?
Conservatism Beyond Music: Introduction
The central concern of this blog dictates that discussions of conservatism almost inevitably reduce to discussions of musical conservatism. This is not, in itself, a… Read More »Conservatism Beyond Music: Introduction
The Relationship between Cultural Conservatism and Theological Conservatism
What I have described in this series is nothing more than historic conservative Christianity—Christianity that aims at conserving God’s truth both doctrinally and aesthetically. It is popular… Read More »The Relationship between Cultural Conservatism and Theological Conservatism
Doth not the mind often leave them before the Lord?
A couple weeks ago, I commented on how important it is for Christians in an age of Internet and media distractions to learn to wean… Read More »Doth not the mind often leave them before the Lord?
Some Things To Consider Including in Your Worship – Planned Prayers
In the free worship tradition, almost nothing is as frowned upon as the idea of prayers that are read or planned. These are seen as… Read More »Some Things To Consider Including in Your Worship – Planned Prayers
Transmitting Imagination to our Children
I have suggested in this series that in order to preserve the truth in our worship, we must be concerned about how we are shaping… Read More »Transmitting Imagination to our Children
Corrupt affections are the soil of heresy
Christian discipleship tends to be taught as a linear process: we fill the head with right doctrine, and people should learn to live lives consistent… Read More »Corrupt affections are the soil of heresy
A question concerning the authority of Scripture and expositional preaching
The other day I was listening to a conversation among some ministers and seminary educators. Among them, there was an assumption of sorts that expository… Read More »A question concerning the authority of Scripture and expositional preaching
T. David Gordon: “It’s like reaching the rich young ruler by throwing money at him.”
“It’s like reaching the rich young ruler by throwing money at him,” is the apt comparison of T. David Gordon in response to whether or not… Read More »T. David Gordon: “It’s like reaching the rich young ruler by throwing money at him.”
The Judeo-Christian Worship Tradition
I argued in the last essay that if we intend to preserve the truth handed down to us, we must never reject tradition outright. Instead, if… Read More »The Judeo-Christian Worship Tradition
The Internet, Short Attention Spans, and Preaching
Our attention spans are shrinking. This is not news, and perhaps I’ve already lost you. Thoughtful people have said that the impressive array of media… Read More »The Internet, Short Attention Spans, and Preaching
Hymns on Pardon
A few Sundays back, I structured our congregational singing around the theme of God’s pardon of guilty sinners on the basis of Christ’s death. There… Read More »Hymns on Pardon