Triolets from 1 John
Since I’ve been working to improve my writing abilities using fixed forms, I decided my annual Valentine’s Day poem to my wife would be a… Read More »Triolets from 1 John
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Reforming Influences in 19th Century American Church Music
There were many composers, writers, and organizations during the nineteenth century that objected to the current condition of American church music and encouraged reform. Yet none had… Read More »Reforming Influences in 19th Century American Church Music
Some Things To Consider Including In Your Worship – Reiterations and Explanations of Hymns
In 1880 J.S. Curwen wrote Studies in Worship Music, an attempt to study the psalms and hymns sung throughout English churches of the time. The final… Read More »Some Things To Consider Including In Your Worship – Reiterations and Explanations of Hymns
Worship Wars and Warriors
Editor’s note: the following essay appears as the foreword to Scott Aniol’s book, Worship in Song: a Biblical Approach to Music and Worship. This highlights… Read More »Worship Wars and Warriors
Culture and Tradition
I argued in the last post that all cultural forms are built upon something that came before, and we call this “tradition.” The implication of… Read More »Culture and Tradition
He brought it up
This morning I was rifling through blog posts in Google reader and noticed a familiar looking image on my feed from the Gospel Coalition. The… Read More »He brought it up
Some Things to Consider Including in your Worship – Stand-alone Scripture Readings
I can’t imagine that readers of this blog attend churches where the Scriptures are never read during corporate worship. However, we may find that many attend… Read More »Some Things to Consider Including in your Worship – Stand-alone Scripture Readings
Knowing and Loving God
The free course being offered this June at Central Baptist Theological Seminary of Minneapolis should be of particular interest to readers of this blog. It… Read More »Knowing and Loving God
Truth and Tradition
I have argued thus far that successful preservation of the truth necessitates that what is preserved is the doctrinal affirmations and the proper imagination of such… Read More »Truth and Tradition
Samuel Rodigast, "Whate'er My God Ordains Is Right"
Samuel Rodigast, “Whate’er My God Ordains Is Right” This outstanding hymn was introduced to our church back in 2009, and after singing it for a… Read More »Samuel Rodigast, "Whate'er My God Ordains Is Right"
"Indigenous" vs "European" Music in 19th Century America
I have suggested that the 19th century in America was a time in which three forms of culture began to emerge distinct from one another:… Read More »"Indigenous" vs "European" Music in 19th Century America
Some Things to Consider Including in Your Worship – Silence
Our fathers had much to say about stillness, and by stillness they meant the absence of motion or the absence of noise or both. They… Read More »Some Things to Consider Including in Your Worship – Silence
Truth and Worship Forms
I have argued to this point that preserving the truth must include not only the preservation of right doctrine, but also the preservation of right imagination.… Read More »Truth and Worship Forms
Teaching children hymns: recommendations
Last week I argued that, if we are committed to conservative worship, it only follows that we should be committed to perpetuating conservative worship in… Read More »Teaching children hymns: recommendations
Tobias Clausnitzer, "Blessed Jesus, at Thy Word"
“Blessed Jesus, at Thy Word” makes an outstanding musical call to worship. The text is superb, and the tune LIEBSTER JESU is a good fit.… Read More »Tobias Clausnitzer, "Blessed Jesus, at Thy Word"
Cultivated, Commercial, and Communal Music
Church music in nineteenth century America can be summarized very simply with one word: reform. In many ways, the influential writers and composers of the nineteenth century… Read More »Cultivated, Commercial, and Communal Music
Some Things to Consider Including in Your Worship – Singing the Psalms
The singing of psalms has all but disappeared from many congregations, unless you count the “As the Deer” chorus as a singing of a psalm.… Read More »Some Things to Consider Including in Your Worship – Singing the Psalms
The Sola Scriptura trump card
Some recent internet discussions, some sprung from Ken Brown’s very fair review of my book, have once again led to all sorts of folks slapping… Read More »The Sola Scriptura trump card
Review of Worship in Song in Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal
I just noticed a helpful review of my book, Worship in Song, in the most recent edition of the Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary journal, written… Read More »Review of Worship in Song in Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal
Truth and the Moral Imagination
If, as I argued in the last post, truth is more than factual correspondence—if it has an aesthetic aspect to it—then both the apprehension and the… Read More »Truth and the Moral Imagination