When I was a little guy, my parents would take me to the Protestant chapel at whatever army post to which my father was assigned, and I would sit through an hour of the most boring part of my week. It was worse than watching paint dry because I had to “be still.” This went […]
This is the first half of a chapter in Sing a New Song, a new book that covers the topics of psalm singing in history, psalm singing in Scripture, and psalm singing and the twenty-first-century church. Among the contributors are W. Robert Godfrey (foreword), Joel R. Beeke, Terry Johnson, D. G. Hart, Derek Thomas, and […]
I had the privilege of being a delegate to the 2010 URCNA Synod in London, Ontario. Cornerstone URC is to be commended for providing synod with facilities that were very accommodating to the needs of the delegates and with volunteers that kept the gears of synod moving. So often overlooked are the men and women […]
This is the second half of a chapter in Sing a New Song, a new book that covers the topics of psalm singing in history, psalm singing in Scripture, and psalm singing and the twenty-first-century church. Among the contributors are W. Robert Godfrey (foreword), Joel R. Beeke, Terry Johnson, D. G. Hart, Derek Thomas, and […]
Christians do not believe in change just for the sake of change. We accept change when it is beneficial, but do not make it our goal. We believe in God. He is the eternal unchanging God Who is forever faithful to His Word, to His children and especially to His church. Therefore, we must be […]
In this third article of the series analyzing the Hymn Proposal [HP], I will look at some of the hymns of the blue Psalter [PH] that have been drastically changed in the HP. The title of the cover page of the HP is: “The Hymn Proposal presented by The Psalter Hymnal Revision Committee of the […]
Recently a URC minister shared with me some fascinating comments on a cappella worship. On the way home from synod he had visited a congregation that sings psalms exclusively and without musical accompaniment. Comparing it with the norm of organ- or piano-accompanied singing across our own federation, he observed that the non-accompanied congregational singing at […]
What Every Elder Needs to Know About Congregational Singing One of the most prominent aspects of our worship is singing and music. So how can we help guarantee that ruling elders are qualified to deal thoughtfully, biblically, and practically with these matters? It is rare for sessions or consistories to have among their ranks professionally-trained […]