When the Reformed Journal zeroes in on some problem it really blows up a storm—and of this its concentration on the matter of the church at worship is a concrete case! And the language employed is hardly an example of restraint and moderation: “It is no secret that many of the reflective young people who […]
From the very dawn of history God ordained praise, or worship for himself. All creation sang of his glory and the people worshiped him. Worship is the soul of religion. It is the “breathing of the spirit after God. In the Christian’s act of worship two goals are achieved. God is glorified and man is […]
When I think about the making music by man in his home, his school, or his church, I inevitably find my thoughts wandering to the other great, mysterious creatures of God’s world who also make music, music which is continuous and which is great. The music of the angels, we are told, is devoted to the […]
In the “Reformation Day” issue of Church and Nation we find some pointed remarks on the need for continual reformation. Especially the preaching of God’s Word, which is the dominant feature of worship in the Reformed churches, demands attention. In a brief but pointed article the Rev. F. Guillaume makes mention of this. “Unless we make […]
We are living today in a highly critical age. People no longer are afraid of attacking anything or anyone. Even the Lord of heaven and earth is openly criticized and blasphemed as if He were mere man. And surely if they fear not God, they have lost all respect for the Word and the service of the […]
Several readers of my introductory article to this series on the problems of Calvinism and church music have questioned the need for reverting to the days of John Calvin in our discussion of music in the Calvinistic church. This writer is convinced that the very vague sense of direction which we Calvinists have regarding church music […]
If you’ve ever visited an art museum with family members or friends, you know the experience well. You want to pause and admire the realistic works of Rembrandt; you’re impressed with his use of light and shadow, but others in your group eagerly urge you on to another wing of the museum. They’ve come especially […]
In response to the invitation given by God. through the apostle Paul to “Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord…” (Eph. 5:19b), the Christian church has set the Psalms to music and developed a hymnody known and loved around the world. For the next few months, […]
Music like all artistic expression is a gift of God to humankind. And like any of God’s gifts, music can be put to good use or to bad use; it can be used in holy ways or in unholy ways; it can be a power for virtue or for vice. […]
A former editor of a church periodical once referred to church music as the “War Department” of the church. He was writing about something most of us have experienced personally: disputes about “good” and “bad” church music. In some congregations these disputes center upon the tastes of a choir director or an organist. In the most […]