Torah for the Heart
Living in a wicked world presents challenges for people attempting to walk the way of righteousness. We are constantly bombarded with competing images of the… Read More »Torah for the Heart
Articles on Music
Imagination Formed by Scripture’s Music
The way that you live will be controlled ultimately by your image of the good life—what it means to really flourish and prosper, And, in… Read More »Imagination Formed by Scripture’s Music
Aesthetic Correspondence
For a couple weeks I have been developing the idea that in order to disciple people through corporate worship, our corporate worship must be shaped… Read More »Aesthetic Correspondence
Scripture-Formed Music
Last week I mentioned the fact that there has been a resurgence of sorts in recent times of emphasis on the disciple-forming power of gospel-shaped… Read More »Scripture-Formed Music
Music That Is Intrinsically Good
The “worship wars” have now ceased, and many people are mostly happy about the cessation. Some of us are less happy, however, because those wars—like… Read More »Music That Is Intrinsically Good
A new book from Calvin Johansson
I’ve always appreciated Calvin Johansson’s books on church music, Music and Ministry: A Biblical Counterpoint and Discipling Music Ministry: Twenty-First Century Directions. I especially find helpful… Read More »A new book from Calvin Johansson
Secular Culture
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
Psalm 130 in the Hands of the Great Composers
I recently walked through Psalm 130 with the congregation I pastor. Psalm 130 My Soul Waits for the Lord A Song of Ascents. [1] Out… Read More »Psalm 130 in the Hands of the Great Composers
Why equating culture with ethnicity is inherently racist
Despite my many protestations (including a whole book addressing the topic), it is still quite common within Evangelical circles to equate culture and ethnicity. I… Read More »Why equating culture with ethnicity is inherently racist
The Unproven Premise Strikes Again
The Gospel Coalition recently published an excerpt from a new book by Brett McCracken in which he makes a very common argument about music in… Read More »The Unproven Premise Strikes Again
Using Song to Shape Hearts of Repentence
Up to this point in our study of Psalm 130, we have talked only about the poetic part of a song, but Psalm 130 wasn’t… Read More »Using Song to Shape Hearts of Repentence
Pastors – Become Literate in Christian Culture
When the topic of music and worship comes up, a favorite slap-down argument against thoughtful discrimination of music is that pastors need not study music… Read More »Pastors – Become Literate in Christian Culture
Fittingness
Last week I argued that if we believe in verbal-plenary inspiration, then the meaning of the aesthetic forms we employ in our contemporary worship must accurately… Read More »Fittingness
Loud Clanging Cymbals
In the last issue, I wrote about a speaker who deviated from his topic to deliver certain remarks—apparently extemporaneously—in defense of contemporized worship. I am… Read More »Loud Clanging Cymbals
A New Song?
It is possible to disagree with people whom we respect. I had that experience earlier this year when I heard a speaker try to defend… Read More »A New Song?
Calvin Johansson’s Foreword to Measuring the Music
As I write this foreword we are halfway through the last year of the last century of the second millennium A.D. Far from being a… Read More »Calvin Johansson’s Foreword to Measuring the Music
Why music should be central in your homeschool
My goal in this essay is to convince you that it is important that music be a part of your homeschool. My goal is to persuade you… Read More »Why music should be central in your homeschool
Do origins matter?
One common argument used today in defense of using pop music styles for Christian purposes is that origins and associations don’t matter. Christians can redeem… Read More »Do origins matter?
The Culture of Humanity
One of the cornerstones of arguments in favor of musical relativism is that musical interpretation is culturally conditioned and therefore subjective—one may not expect someone else… Read More »The Culture of Humanity
How Music Naturally Carries Meaning
It is important in any discussions about music to understand how music carries meaning naturally. I highly recommend Stephen Davies’ Musical Meaning and Expression, which clearly articulates… Read More »How Music Naturally Carries Meaning