I have commented several times here about the importance and impact of corporate worship. I am convinced this is a truth we need to recover. Eric Smith has written a moving account of how God rescued him at a significant crossroads in his life through the corporate singing of a local body. I commend his …
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Here is another interesting quote from Gaines Dobbins’ The Churchbook from 1951. The call for music which allows congregational participation, and particularly allows men to participate was timely then. From appearances it was not largely heeded. It is timely now as well. “Our church songbooks contain some splendid hymns, and also some which kill a …
In some of my work on Baptist theology and practice I came across this quote from Gaines Dobbins’, The churchbook: A treasury of materials and methods (Nashville, TN: Broadman, 1951), a standard text in the 1950’s. His point applies just as well today. “Children who have learned to worship at home will not find it …
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!” (Psalm 100:1) “What the singers undertake has to do with the world, and should their horizon be at all foreshortened, the happening would immediately decay into something else. Against all practicality or human expectation of being heard, they summon mankind … nor do they measure …
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!” ( Psalm 100:1-2) “This doxology needs to be understood not only as a literary assertion of trustful simplicity (which it is) but also as an action which reorients life. When the community praises, it …
Here is a great quote from Louis F. Benson, The Hymnody of the Christian Church (1927), preface, vi-vii: “A good Providence has committed to the hands of every pastor, for such use as he can make of them, the three arts that lie nearest the human heart, – speech, poetry and music. The mission of …
Eric Smith has posted today a great quote from Jack Collins’ notes on the Psalms in the ESV Study Bible and his own contemplation. I agree heartily. We need these inspired songs and prayers to teach us to worship appropriately. From “The Psalms as Scripture” in the introductory material about the Psalms in the ESV …
Last week James Grant, pastor of FBC Rossville, TN, spoke at Union as part of our Psalms Project. James’ title was “How I Introduced Psalm Singing to My Church…Without Getting Fired!”(link will take you to the audio). James knows more about Psalm singing than any other Baptist pastor I know and he did an excellent …
This past week my friend and co-pastor, Chad Davis sent me his versification of Psalm 29. Having heard Don Whitney teach about using the “Psalm of the day,” Chad was reading, meditating on and praying from Psalm 29 on April 29th. As he did so, Chad employed his poetic gifts to versify this psalm in …
Several weeks ago now Dr. Craig Blaising was in Union’s chapel as a part of our Psalms Project. He gave a wonderful address titled “The Psalms in Early Christian Worship.” Blaising basically demonstrated how the early church fathers sought to teach their people to pray from the Psalms. Drawing from his work on the recently …
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