A STUDY OF WORSHIP PART 3COMPILED AND EDITED BY GLENN PEASE

F. MUSIC IN WORSHIP

MUSIC IN WORSHIPThe Bible is brimming with music, song, chant, refrains, and

commemoration. The Hebrew poetry of the Prophets and Writings lends

itself to being sung. The Psalms are really worship lyrics. Embedded

in the histories are several songs, including those of Miriam and

Hannah. One of the great heroes of the Jewish tradition is David, who

was not only a King, but a good musician and songwriter (something

said of no other ancient Jewish hero). The most natural setting for

most of these Biblical lyrics is in worship. Also, Paul's letters have

several small liturgical verses in them, which may have been chanted.

The Bible records that God's worshippers stood up in song (2 Chr

20:19), clapped their hands (Ps 47:1), lifted or raised their hands

(Ps 63:4; 134:2; 1 Tm 2:8), and spoke and sung loud praises (Ps 34:1;

103:1; Ac 4:24). There were many different kinds of songs, used for

many different worship purposes (Ep 5:18:19; Col 3:16). A wide array

of musical instruments were used (Ps 150:3-5; Rv 14:2). Indeed, it

appears that Jewish worship in ancient times, and Christian worship to

this day, has been a prime generator of musical styles and forms and

instruments. These new kinds of music worked their way into the world

at large, giving it great joy, expressing deep sadness, touching

people in a way that can only be described as 'spiritual'.

The most common Christian statement of praise is "hallelujah!". It

translates roughly to 'Praise YHWH'. Its Hebrew root word halal is best caught as 'to resound' or 'to make noise'. A Hebrew word which

more precisely means 'praise' is zamar , which according to the Writings includes the playing of instruments.

Not all Christians have supported the use of instruments. The early

church leader Clement, in his *Protreptikos*, argued against

instruments and in favor of the use of the human voice, and for the

mystical music of the art of one's living. Philip Pfatteicher

paraphrases Clement, in *The School Of the Church*, p.61 : "The Lord

made humanity a beautiful breathing instrument after his own image,

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God's harp by reason of the music, God's pipe by reason of the breath

of the Spirit, God's temple by reason of the Word, so that the music

should resound, the Spirit inspire, and the temple receive its Lord."

In the Reconstructionist tradition of the Churches of Christ, and in

parts of other Southern US traditions, many congregations forbid the

use of instruments and 'fancy' choirs, favoring simplicity and

directness in worship. White Baptist churches often come down harshly

on anything that smacks of a dance rhythm.

I very much love to see instruments in worship music, as a way to

express some things that words don't, to help us remember praises for

God throughout the week, and as a way for artists to offer their arts

before the Lord. But then again, I am a big fan of acappella

<http://www.casa.org/> singing of all kinds. Clement's approach led in

its way to the great Gregorian Chants

<http://silvertone.princeton.edu/chant_html/>, which have a kind of

aural purity that even the totally worldly can get swept into. Some of

the non-instrumental and no-dance churches were big supporters of

sacred small group singing, which itself led to so many of the sacred

and popular music singing groups that nearly all people have come to

enjoy. Some (including myself) would argue that restrictions on

musical styles in worship are wrong. However, the Spirit has never let

these rules stop the music; creative musical or related dramatic forms

of expressing faith in Christ will develop around the edges. In a way,

that's the best proof of all that the Spirit is at work in music to

bear witness to Christ.

Christians can worship using any style of music, but there are still

some limits. Good worship music is not about the worshipper, but about

the Worshipped One. Thus, it is wrong for the music to be done mostly

to entertain those present, or to be saying all the right and expected

things that allow people to stay in spiritual slumber, or to be

tricked-up love songs done in karioke. The lyrics matter, because the

words are the Spirit's normal means of striking that special chord

within us, or teaching us the lesson we need to repeat till it sinks

in.

MUSIC IN WORSHIP "The primary functions of music in worship are to

facilitate the dialogue and to contribute to that dialogue. Though

aesthetic delight, personal enjoyment, and opportunity for a performer

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to share a talent may be by-products of the use of music in worship,

none of these should be a primary purpose. Unless music can make a

meaningful contribution to the dialogue of worship, it should be

omitted. It would be better for music to be absent than for it to be

an interruption or distraction." -- Gary A. Furr and Milburn Price in

THE DIALOGUE OF WORSHIP: CREATING SPACE FOR REVELATION AND RESPONSE,

Smyth & Helwys, 1998.

The first and most solid conclusion which (for me) emerges is that

both musical parties, the High Brows and the Low, assume far too

easily the spiritual value of the music they want. Neither the

greatest excellence of a trained performance from the choir, nor the

heartiest and most enthusiastic bellowing from the pews, must be taken

to signify that any specifically religious activity is going on. It

may be so, or it may not. C. S. Lewis, in "On Church Music," from

CHRISTIAN REFLECTIONS, Eerdmans, 1967. ============ [Lewis, a non-

singer, is obviously pushing the point that true worship is from the

heart. See the first chapter of Isaiah to see what God thinks of

religious observance without appropriate heart attitude.

1. MUSIC IN THE BIBLE

Music and Worship in the Bibleby R. C. Leonard

Music has a powerful effect on human experience. Students of

religious phenomena have long recognized that music transcends our

understanding and appeals to our intuitive nature. It is not

surprising, then, that music played an important part in the worship

of biblical communities, as a way of approaching the mystery of God

and of expressing the joy of his presence. This article discusses the

role of music in the worship of Israel and of the early church, by way

of establishing a biblical foundation for music in theChristian

worship of today.

Music in Israelite Worship Israelite prophets were musicians. During the exodus Miriam the prophetess, taking her

tambourine, led the women in song and dance, celebrating the Lord's

triumph over the Egyptians (Exod. 15:20-21). Saul encountered a band

of sanctuary prophets who prophesied accompanied by instruments (1

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Sam. 10:5). Isaiah composed songs, including one celebrating the

Lord's deliverance of those who trust in him (Isa. 26:1-6). The public

regarded Ezekiel as "one who has a beautiful voice and plays well on

an instrument" (33:32). David, a musician as well as a warrior,

established the place of music in the worship of the Lord. Even before

the sacrifices had been moved to Jerusalem, he instructed the

Levitical musicians to celebrate the ark's journey to Zion (1 Chron.

15:16-24), and appointed Asaph as chief musician in charge of

continual thanksgiving and praise (1 Chron. 16:1-7). The description

of this activity (1 Chron. 25:1-7) suggests that these musicians led

in a spontaneous and overwhelming outpouring of worship, especially at

high moments like the dedication of Solomon's temple (2 Chron

5:11-14). This may be the "new song" to which the Psalms refer (33:3,

40:3, 96:1, 144:9, 149:1). Many Psalms perhaps originated in this pre-

temple Davidic worship centering around the ark of the covenant. In

the temple, music functioned as a "sacrifice of praise," an offering

of song to accompany the offering of sacrifice. Under the Judean

rulers, the performance of music became regulated and standardized.

The titles of 55 Psalms refer to the music director, with instructions

for performance on various instruments or using certain tunes. This

psalmody remained a feature of Israelite and Jewish worship. After the

exile, Ezra recruited more than 200 Levites for service in the

sanctuary (Ezra 8:18-20). First-century Jewish sources indicate that

the choir of Herod's temple consisted of at least twelve adult male

singers, with no upper limit. Singers served between the ages of

thirty and fifty, after a five-year training period. The sources also

describe the instruments in use at that time. After the Babylonian

exile, most Jews lived in the Dispersion (areas outside of Palestine)

and could not participate in temple worship. Therefore the synagogue

arose for prayer and the study of the Scriptures. The Psalms continued

to be sung, and other portions of the Scriptures as well as prayers

were chanted according to a developing system of "modes." Such Jewish

music influenced the worship of the early church. Israelite worship

music was both vocal and instrumental; the sanctuary orchestra

contributed to the celebration of Israel's covenant with the Lord. Its

instruments fall into the same general classes with which we are

familiar -- percussion, winds (pipes) and strings. Horns, trumpets,

cymbals, harps and lyres were used when the ark was brought to Mount

Zion, and their continued use is reflected in their mention in the

Psalms. The sanctuary instruments were not solo instruments, but

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sounded simultaneously to call the assembly to worship (Ps 98:6).

Strings and pipes, if used, probably played the modalities (tune

elements) in the psalm being sung, with perhaps distinctive patterns

of ornamentation. Horns, trumpets and cymbals added to the festive joy

by creating a larger sound. The selah of the Psalms may have been an

instrumental interlude, or a "lifting up" of sound by both singers and

instrumentalists. Tambourines, usually played by women, are mentioned

in connection with dancing at Israelite festivals (Psa. 68:25), but

were not used in the sanctuary where only men served as priests and

musicians.

What did the music of Israel's worship sound like? While we cannot

know today exactly how it sounded, recent research has confirmed the

similarity between Hebraic music and ancient forms of Christian chant.

Biblical music incorporated several characteristic features:

Monophony, the use of an unharmonized melodic line -- although

ornamentation and instrumental accompaniment could create a primitive

form of harmony. Modality refers to the use of various musical motifs

within a certain scale, each with its own function. Ornamentation,the use of enhancements suited to the skill of the performer.

Rhythm -- Semitic music does not use the regular beat of modern

Western music but has a more complex pattern of time structuring.

Scale -- Semitic music follows a generally diatonic melody, but with

some use of quarter-tone intervals as well as whole or half tones.

Improvisation, the practice of composing the music in the process of

performing it using skills acquired through a long period of training.

Antiphony -- In antiphonal music, groups of performers answer one

another in statement and response. Examples in biblical worship may be

found in the Psalms (Pss. 24, 118) and the "Holy, holy, holy" of

Isaiah's seraphim (Isa. 6:3), in a vision no doubt influenced in its

expression by the chanting of priestly choirs. This last feature

suggests that the congregation, as well as trained musicians, may have

been involved in the musical responses of the service.

Worship Music in the New Testament The worship of the emerging Christian movement did not produce new forms of music,

but shared the characteristics described above, many of which are

still found in the music of historic liturgies. Clearly, the worship

life of the early church included psalms and other forms of song. The

New Testament mentions worship music in several places. The gospel

story begins with a hymn of praise on the lips of the heavenly host,

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"Glory to God in the highest" (Luke 2:14). Reading the lesson from

Isaiah in the synagogue of Nazareth (Luke 4:16-20), Jesus probably

intoned it according to the custom of the time. The Gospels record

that Jesus and his disciples sang a hymn after the Last Supper (Matt.

26:30; Mark 14:26), probably the "Great Hallel" (Psalms 113-118) of

the Passover tradition. Luke records that Paul and Silas were singing

hymns in prison at Philippi when an earthquake occurred (Acts 16:25).

Paul urges the Christians of Ephesus and Colossae to give thanks to

God in "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs" (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16).

Describing the assembly of the church of Corinth, he remarks that

"everyone has a psalm" (1 Cor. 14:26) which must blend with the

contributions of other worshipers in an orderly service. Perhaps

"psalms" were the biblical psalms, while "hymns" could have been

Christian music in praise of Christ and "spiritual songs" more

spontaneous worship expressions. Luke quotes several hymns in the

beginning chapters of his Gospel. In addition to the Gloria in Excelsis mentioned above, he includes the Magnificat or Song of Mary

(1:46-55), the Benedictus or Song of Zechariah (1:67-79) and the Nunc Dimittis or Song of Simeon (2:29-32). Although spoken by several

figures in the story of Jesus' birth, these hymns came to be used in

Christian worship at an early period. Paul quotes what may have been

another song, "Awake, O sleeper," in Eph. 5:14. Scholars have

suggested that other passages in Paul's letters are based on primitive

Christian hymns in praise of Christ, such as Philippians 2:6-11,

Colossians 1:15-20 and 1 Timothy 3:16. Such hymns may have been

composed to reinforce Christian teaching about the nature of Jesus'

Messiahship. The Hosanna hymn of the crowds at Jesus' entry into

Jerusalem (Mark 11:9, based on Psa. 118:26) became part of the

historic Christian eucharistic celebration. Musical expression of

Christian worship reaches its New Testament climax in the hymns of the

Revelation to John. In John's vision, acts of praise before God's

throne accompany the dramatic unfolding of events on earth. These

hymns glorify the Creator (4:11), proclaim the worth of the Lamb

(5:9-10; 5:12), extol both the Father and the Son (5:13; 7:10; 7:12),

celebrate God's triumph over the enemies of his people (11:16;

11:17-18; 12:10-12; 19:1-3; 19:6-8), and proclaim his justice (15:3-4;

16:5-7). Additional songs celebrate the defeat of the unfaithful city,

persecutor of the saints (chapter 18). This pageant of praise is

initiated by four living creatures drawn from the vision of Ezekiel,

singing words derived from Isaiah's vision in the temple (Rev. 4:8).

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It expands to include the elders of the covenant people, the hosts of

heaven, and eventually every creature. Perhaps these hymns reflect the

actual worship practice of the church near the end of the first

century. If so, the Revelation offers a window not only into the

judgments of God in the earth but also into the development of

Christian liturgy and hymnody. The New Testament does not supply

enough detail to reconstruct the exact musical content of developing

Christian worship. We should avoid the temptation to project the

practices of later centuries back into Bible times. One question is

the degree to which Israelite musical practices, including the use of

instruments, offer a clue to what was thought appropriate in the New

Testament church. Since the Hebrew Scriptures were still the authority

for teaching and practice (1 Tim. 3:16-17), their broad principles

regarding music must have remained the norm. The young church was a

community under persecution, and could not apply the full resources of

biblical celebration to its worship assemblies. Nevertheless, the

evidence shows that music played a vital role in the worship of the

emerging Christian community. ©1997 by Laudemont Ministries

2.CONTEMPORARY MUSICTop of Form 1

Bottom of Form 1

A Delirious New Soundby Clive Price

Their sound is fresh. Their passion for God is raw and vulnerable. The

British band Delirious is setting a new standard for worship in the

future.

When the British rock band Delirious hit the stage recently for a

performance at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, the eagerness

that blanketed the Christian audience was as thick as the humidity in

the subtropical air. Staying cool on this hot September night would be

no option, but that was of little concern to the 250 or so young

people elbowing for position near the stage. For them, "cool" would

come in the form of Delirious themselves, a five-piece Christian band

that's hopping cultures, denominations and international boundaries

with a music and stage presence that communicates unabashed passion

for Jesus.

Lead singer Martin Smith, 29--dressed black-on-black in the esprit de

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corps color of cool--paced the stage and took in the scene with a

magnetic gaze. Backed by a shuddering burst of volume, the quintet of

lads from England's south coast plunged into their set with intense

abandon. Smith's signature accent came through cleanly as he belted

out the opening song, "I'm Not Ashamed," an elevating rock anthem of

dedication to Jesus.

"I'm not ashamed of the gospel! / I'm not ashamed of the One I love! /

I'm not ashamed anymore / 'Cause I've felt the oil pour down over me /

And there's a fire that's burning stronger now / It's burning

stronger, much stronger for You / Only for You."

Guitarist Stuart Garrard, 36, hammered the point home with molar-

rattling volume, distortion and reverb. While Smith stomped across the

stage, the rhythm section of drummer Stewart Smith, 32, and bassist

Jon Thatcher, 23, got their money's worth from the P.A. system and

pounded the breath from the collective chest of an engrossed audience.

For the next 50 minutes, it was the kind of night ear plugs were made

for. But it also was a night to glimpse a band that personifies a

sound that is shaking the foundations of worship music in American

churches, redefining the corporate worship experience and turning the

ears of many to the sounds of international revival.

Music to Get Delirious With

Walking a precarious yet artful line between the energy of rock and

the passion of praise, Delirious has a popular appeal that makes it

one of the hottest properties in worldwide Christian music. The U.K.'s

main music and culture magazine, Q, has heralded them as "the hottest

thing in Christian rock" and described their faith as "forceful rather

than force-fed."

When their reflective songs--usually driven by strong hook lines--are

played live, the response is an ocean of arms raised heavenward. On

the heavily electric-guitar numbers, crowds of believers and

unbelievers alike dance with wild abandon. As one non-Christian told

them once: "I'm not into your religion, but I love your music."

Some people claim to have profound spiritual experiences at their

gigs, such as miraculous healings or salvation. In more simple yet

equally profound moments, others find new hope.

"We have letters every week that say, 'You sung one line, a phrase,

and I'd been depressed for ages and contemplated suicide, but your

words changed my life,'" Stewart Smith told Charisma. "We're in faith

for all sorts of things to happen [in concert]," Martin Smith adds.

Perhaps because of their overtly modern sound, worship leaders in

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almost every flash point of Western revival--from Great Britain to

Canada to Argentina to the United States--constantly include a handful

of Delirious songs in their repertoires: "Did You Feel the Mountains

Tremble?" "I Could Sing of Your Love Forever," "Deeper," "The Happy

Song" and "Find Me in the River" to name a few. In some circles,

theirs has become the sound of renewal.

The band's diverse musical influences--from heavy, psychedelic, folk

and glam rock to alternative music, disco, electronica and punk--all

bleed through their sound and have excited a popular shift in focus

from status-quo worship music to the sight, sound and spirit of a new

generation of God-lovers.

While they've had a loyal following in England since 1992, only last

year did U.S. fans start playing catch-up after the group's first

three U.K. records released stateside from Sparrow Records. The

grassroots support has hand-delivered to record executives a band that

is more or less prepared already for popular appeal.

Their new experimental album, Mezzamorphis, which released in June,

has been critically accepted, though criticized somewhat by fans who

say it's too different from the first three Delirious records. Still,

Martin Smith calls it a "worship" album. Garrard defends the record

and told Christian Musician magazine that Delirious creates songs that

come "from a place of worship within us."

"We have a vertical relationship with God," he said. "We definitely

think that worship is a lifestyle that affects everything you do,

rather than just a style of music. Obviously some songs are easier to

sing in church, but this album wasn't written to be that way. But on

the other hand, we didn't think people would be singing [older songs]

'Mountains' or 'History Maker' in church--and they are."

This quintet--who started as a worship band in the "Bible belt" of

southern England--say the Holy Spirit is still a full partner as they

continue to move from the safety of church youth groups into the wild

world of pop music. During a trip from the leafy lanes of their home

county, West Sussex, to MTV studios in London for a taping of a

Christian program, Delirious discussed the way they convey timeless

truth amid a music industry that displays a thin veneer of fad and

fashion.

"After being inside studios for a year [to record Mezzamorphis] you

wonder: Have things moved on? Have we lost it? Is anyone actually

going to turn up?" says Thatcher. "But to get on stage again and

realize the X-factor is still there...."

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The "X-factor" is what the band calls "that indescribable touch of

God." It showed up at Brixton Academy, a rock venue in London. In true

Delirious fashion, amid raging rock numbers were songs such as "Kiss

Your Feet."

As Smith sang quietly about God, "Isn't He beautiful / Isn't He

beautiful," a hush descended on the crowd. One concertgoer could no

longer hold back and cried out to Jesus. It became a moment of pure

worship.

Delirious views such experiences as "a mark of what we do," says

Garrard.

"I think it's part of the Delirious live experience coming from days

when we would specifically lead congregational worship.

"It's nice to see that still happening. We don't always consciously

try and make it happen. When it does, it's spontaneous, and it's

great. And I think we're still hearing the Holy Spirit and flowing

with Him on that."

Leaving the Cutting Edge

It is the "Delirious live experience"--primarily its worship facet--

that roots the band most closely to its early days. The group started

in 1992 as a youth worship band at Arun Community Church, a

charismatic congregation on England's south coast. In those days their

audiences averaged about 70 in the drama studio of a local high

school.

They called themselves Cutting Edge, a spinoff from the title of a

hard-hitting documentary series on British television at the time. The

name helped to lend a sense of the radical, perhaps even the

controversial, to the group's image.

"Young people in our church were just hungry for worship," says Tim

Jupp, 33, the band's keyboardist and occasional trumpeter. "They were

finding through worship that there was a dramatic way of meeting God.

That's what kicked it all off, and I think that's still fundamental.

"There's a deep root there that runs through all we do," he adds.

"Whether 'anointing' is the word or not, I think it has been on the

songs and is further highlighted when as a team we come together to

play those songs."

Their well-known worship songs, such as "I Could Sing of Your Love

Forever" or "The Happy Song," which now are sung and played in

churches around the world, helped turn Cutting Edge events into a

highly popular Sunday nightspot venue for young people across southern

England. The group's overall compositions, which leaned more toward an

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REM songbook than a church hymnal, also helped set the contemporary

worship agenda for much of the 1990s.

"I've Found Jesus" has become a theme song at Teen Mania conferences.

"Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble?" went worldwide after falling

into the spotlight at the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship, source

of the Toronto Blessing. The song's crescendo-like chorus became a

favorite.

"Did you feel the mountains tremble? / Did you hear the oceans roar/

When the people rose to sing of Jesus Christ, the Risen One? / Did you

feel the people tremble? / Did you hear the singers roar/ When the

lost began to sing of Jesus Christ, the Saving One? / Open up the

doors and let the music play / Let the streets resound with singing /

Songs that bring Your hope / Songs that bring Your joy / Dancers who

dance upon injustice."

When renewal spread from Toronto, masses of British Christian youth

were impacted. Cutting Edge events became a place where they could

worship with abandon as they expressed God's new work in their lives.

As word of these dynamic worship experiences spread, the band found

themselves in increased demand at Christian festivals and conferences

across England. They produced their own low-priced mini-albums so fans

could afford to take something of this new music experience home with

them. The result was the birth of an underground worship movement that

now is being felt in grassroots arenas across the United States.

During the Christian music festivals in the United States this summer,

a greater hunger for worship music surfaced among young people.

Festival director Bill Graening, whose Alive '99 event in Canal

Fulton, Ohio, saw close to a 20 percent attendance increase over 1998,

told The CCM Update that "there was absolutely [a greater emphasis on

praise and worship]."

"This year, we had a worship team in a huge circus-type tent, and that

was packed in the mornings," he said. "I think all the other

festivals, too, are sensing that there is a real call to worship and a

call for serious commitment."

Unconventional Praise

Now that Delirious has become a globe-trotting band whose albums are

carried by Sparrow and Virgin record companies, can the group still be

spontaneous when the songs have to fit in with sophisticated stage

lighting and visual displays? Can they stay true to their calling?

"When we're talking about the flow of the Holy Spirit, we don't want

to be caught in the trap that it's manifested in just being

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'spontaneous,'" says Martin Smith. He believes Delirious can "flow in

the Spirit" while working hard at presenting a good concert complete

with dynamic special effects.

"We believe that technology has just as much a way of evoking a

spiritual reaction and is just as soaked in the Holy Spirit as what we

are doing," Stewart Smith explains. "They're not two separate things.

Hopefully it's all working as one."

However, things work differently for the band when they're in the

United States. Multimedia shows are replaced by more overt displays of

softer music and passionate worship accompanied by spiritual gifts.

"I think that's a reflection on culture and also where we are," Martin

Smith says. "We want to give the audiences something of what we've

experienced here in England, and we don't just go in with a full-on

rock thing.

"But I think it's a little bit more relaxed in the U.S. There's no

interference from the mainstream media, and it just feels like a bit

more of a safer environment. Here in Britain you could give a word of

knowledge at Brixton, and it might be misconstrued when the media gets

hold of it. But in America you can do different things in different

arenas."

In some ways, however, they have found it challenging to worship

freely in U.S. churches.

"There's a lot of dualism in the United States, and a lot of

religion," Martin Smith adds. "It's OK to go mad at a football game,

but there's not a lot of emotion allowed in church. So I think that

we've maybe provided an environment where kids can worship. This is an

all-consuming experience, and I think maybe we've opened the door for

that in the States and given people permission to enjoy themselves in

church."

Thatcher notes a "great divide" between secular and church cultures in

America.

"That's one big difference between England and America," he says. "In

England, Christians are trying to blend the lines by getting DJs

playing in church and all that kind of thing.

"But in America, DJs are for clubs. The attitude is, 'That's where

they should stay; we've been saved from that.' Yet in England we're

trying to get them back into our churches."

Thatcher believes Christians need to be "influencing the influencers,"

which for them now means daring to take on the secular music industry.

Other believers have tried the same. When Christian rock pioneer Larry

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Norman tried it, he ended up being labeled "too rock 'n' roll for the

religious people; too religious for the rock 'n' roll people."

Delirious faces similar criticism. But amid cries of "selling out" the

band stays focused on their strategy.

"We've received a lot of letters lately criticizing where we're going

or why there isn't so much 'anointing' around," says Martin Smith.

"But we believe we're in the right place. And we believe that when you

come to see us, it's still the same thing flowing that flowed on day

one.

"I think there's always going to be a scenario--because of our

history--where people don't think there's enough of what they used to

feel.

"But I think they're looking at it in the wrong frame of mind. They're

seeing it from only one aspect. What we're trying to do is create a

more holistic view of it. We can almost create church without people

knowing it."

The Plot Hasn't Changed

For those who know them, Delirious remains just a band of regular guys

who, with energetic devotion, are raising the bar of worship music to

a new level while taking the gospel to a generation hungry for the

power of God. Whether they are soft-rocking a church sanctuary with

familiar forms of praise music or pile-driving an outdoor amphitheater

at Walt Disney World with all the machinery of rock music, they say

they are conveying the gospel message in the same way that ignited the

fire in British youth seven years ago.

"We're all trying to walk the Christian life as passionately as we

know how, with as much integrity as we know how. I think we're still

that little worship band that we were seven years ago," Martin Smith

reflects. "When we're in private we're still talking about those very

same things that motivated us back then.

"What we're about is the challenge to communicate that in a way that

does truly communicate to folk outside of the church. To get it across

in a way that isn't just limited to language. I think we're getting

there." *

Clive Price is the U.K. correspondent for Charisma and regularly

contributes to Christian magazines in Great Britain. He has followed

the career and ministry of Delirious from the start. Managing editor

Jimmy Stewart did additional reporting for this story.

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By Melissa Riddle There is a vast ocean, people say, between the music of the

church and the music of Christian youth. Much of what sails up the charts in

contemporary Christian music has little in common with music for worship. And

much of the music for worship is so far removed from the language and culture of

youth that they cannot find ownership in it. It doesn't express what they feel about

God.

Two weeks before this issue of Worship Leader was going to press, we received the

news of Rich Mullins' tragic death in a car accident. Out of a life of worship, Mullins,

whose song "Awesome God" has become one of the most popular worship choruses

in America today, gave voice to a generation of kids who had not yet found a song

of their own. He painted them a picture of God's infinite bigness, the frailty of

humanness, and the "reckless, raging fury" of God's love.

I never really knew Rich personally, but I'll never forget the moment when I knew

just how important his music was and would be for the church. I was teaching an art

class at a summer day camp, surrounded by 15 4-year-olds, stringing brightly

colored beads for a bracelet. I did my best to wax eloquently about God's gift of

color and nature, but they were otherwise preoccupied, too engrossed in the

stringing to hear me.

A few seconds after I gave up, it started. One little girl, joyfully oblivious to the fact

that she was alone in a group of her peers, began singing. Then one voice at a time

joined in until all of them were singing as only 4-year-olds can-"Our God is an

awesome God / He reigns from heaven above / with wisdom, power and love / Our

God is an awesome God." I tried not to breathe too hard, fearing they would stop.

They sang it loud and long, eventually looking around with eyes that asked, "Isn't

this the coolest song you ever heard?" When the singing finally turned to giggles, I

found a scrap of paper and scribbled in green crayon, "There is hope for the

church."

It was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard.

Two years ago at the Gospel Music Association's convention opening service, I

heard that song again. Many big names in contemporary Christian music industry

were at the Ryman to present an evening of worship. One by one, as the lights

came up, they came out dressed in black, offering their best. But then, much to the

lighting guys' surprise, Rich Mullins began to play the prelude to what has become

his signature song. The choir behind him seemed a little confused that he had

started so soon. Wearing scruffy old jeans, a flannel shirt and a way past five

o'clock shadow, Mullins was alone with his God in that room full of people. He rarely

looked up from the piano, and as far as I could tell, he never opened his eyes. And I

heard "Awesome God" sung with all the intimacy that penned it. Then he slipped off

the stage and out of sight. I remember thinking later that night, "There is hope for

14

this industry."

It was the most powerful thing I had ever heard.

Like the psalmist David, Mullins didn't write songs for the church. He didn't write

songs hoping for a hit. He wrote the truth out of his hunger to know God. And

everywhere he went - in youth camps, in churches, or on a Navajo reservation in

Arizona - he lived the ragamuffin gospel and sang to those who needed to be sung

to.

Rich Mullins' gift to the church goes beyond the greatness of one song. In fact,

"Awesome God" was only the giftcard. His true gift was his example of the faith.

The hope and the impact of both lives on, as does he.

Melissa Riddle is Editor of Worship Leader.

The Irony of the Divine Name

by Ron AllenIn my last two columns, I wrote about the ways in which the musicians

of ancient Israel used and adapted musical instruments and musical

forms of their neighbors for the sublime purpose of bringing praise to

the Lord (Yahweh) in temple worship in Jerusalem.

These ideas may be disturbing to some readers. Many Christians have

been led to believe, or have simply assumed, that since there is

something so distinct in the content and purpose of sacred music, it

must also be distinct in form and manner from other music as well.

Yet, as the Christian who writes edifying books draws from the same

broad word stock and uses the same grammatical conventions as the

writer of "worldly" literature, and as the Christian who paints

religious themes draws from the same knowledge of form and texture and

uses the same media as the painter of "secular" themes, so the

Christian who composes spiritual music does not first have to invent

"Christian instruments" or develop a "Christian theory of musical

scales and harmonies."

Since this seems to be self-evident, why do so many "older" Christians

(i.e., people my age and upward!) tend to have a resistance to

contemporary Christian music?

I think that one reason has to do with associations we may have made

in our growing up. When I was a boy growing up in the 1950's, there

was very little that compares to the making of contemporary Christian

music as we experience it today. If songs of faith in God were to be

given much play on the radio, they might have had to be fairly bland

15

and sweetly sentimental. In those days, songs of faith had to compete

for airtime on the same programs that played the records of Nat "King"

Cole and Johnny Ray. To be successful, they had to compete with other

songs on the "Hit Parade." My own father, Barclay Allen (whose story I

tell in my book "Lord of Song: The Messiah Revealed in the Psalms"

(Multnomah, 1985), had to fight to keep the name Jesus in his

testimony song, "I Found a Friend" (written in 1953, and still sung in

every Billy Graham crusade by George Beverly Shea!).

More common in those days were songs like "I Believe," which suggested

a vague faith in God, but did so in the context of sentimentality

(faith that a flower grows for every rain drop that falls). Such songs

led a generation of spiritually minded people to speak disparagingly

of popular contemporary Christian music as compromising and inane.

Those were the days when John Peterson's songs were "on the edge" and

when Ralph Carmichael's work was "beyond the pale." (Only worldly

music has the stress on the second and fourth beat, a friend

reported.) Such a thing as "Christian rock" was still a long ways off,

but would be indescribably shocking to many when it would appear.

Sadly, many who formed the sacred opinions in the 1950's "slept

through the revolution" in popular Christian music.

And many who hold these opinions are the pastors and the "main guard"

in older, established churches. For them, all new music is suspect.

It appears to me that the best approach for all of us is to focus a

new on the music. To paraphrase an ad for an old-time breakfast

cereal, we need to hear it again, for the first time.

When we listen, we should listen not just to the (passing) convention

of musical expression, but to the words, to their meaning, and their

significance.

Are the words significant, or mere sentimentality? Are the words

biblical or banal? Does the message of the song speak clearly a needed

and necessary truth about the Triune God of Scripture, about

ourselves, or our relationships and duties as believing people?

Then we may also ask questions concerning suitability and purpose.

Music that appeals to today's teenagers may not work for Sunday

morning worship services in a retirement community. But deeply

spiritual young people may also have something to say about some of

the songs their parents and grandparents like. Frankly, some of "our"

music may only be comfortable, yet not deeply significant. There is a

lot of "I Believe"-type music that still is regarded as the "real

thing" by folks who have not examined the texts as rigorously as they

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might.

One thing we do know from the psalms of Israel. Whatever the music

forms of a given age may be (and they continue to change), there may

be something in music that is offered in integrity as true worship to

the Lord that is more than just a pleasing thing to a passing

generation. The true music of the worship of God is regarded by Him as

good, pleasant, and beautiful.

Praise the Lord!

For it is good to sing praises to our God;

For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful."

--Psalm 147:1 (NKJV)

In the best sense, our music to the Lord is not so much an issue of

human sentimentality, as it is a matter of divine sentiment.

RONALD B. ALLEN is professor of Hebrew Scripture at Western Baptist

Seminary, Portland, Oregon. This article was originally published in

Worship Leader magazine. Copyright 1992 by CCM Communications,

Nashville, Tenn., U.S.A. All rights reserved.

THE DEVIL'S INSTRUMENTS HAVE A LONG HISTORY OF

SACRED USAGE

by Ron Allen

The player was youngish. His hair was a little long, and there seemed

to be something shiny hanging from one of his ear lobes. He was about

to play an offertory on his tenor saxophone. Just as he raised his

instrument to his lips, several people heard a woman whisper a bit too

loudly from her pew, "That's the devil's instrument."

It doesn't have to be a saxophone or a young man with an earring to

elicit this response. For many well-intentioned Christians in

"traditional churches" (however that phrase may be defined!), there is

the sense that some musical instruments do not belong in the church,

because they belong to the devil.

But here is an interesting question: "What is a 'Christian'--that is,

an appropriate--instrument?"

Before you answer too quickly with "the organ," let me make an

observation from the Book of Psalms. So far as we are able to

17

determine, the instruments that the priests and musicians of ancient

Israel used in their worship of God were not instruments of their own

invention. None of their instruments was.

THE NAME GAME

Have you ever noticed that there is something unusual about the names

of musical instruments? They usually retain the names they had in

their cultures of origin. The Italians have given us many modern

instruments, as well as their names: the piano (forte) and the

celesta, as well as the strings: the violin, the viola, the cello,

etc. The sitar is east Indian, and the names of many drums (bongos,

timbales) show their origin and development in the Latin (Hispanic)

cultures of South America. Ah, yes, the Saxophone and the Sousaphone

are American instruments whose names betray their creators.

Similarly, the instruments of the Bible have their names, and these

often betray their origin. Perhaps the sh'phar, or ram's horn, is the

most well-known instrument associated with ancient Israel. Scholars

have traced the Hebrew name for this instrument back to an Akkadian

word (the language of ancient Babylon), and in turn to an even more

ancient Sumerian word (the non-Semitic precursors to the Semites in

Mesopotamia). Animal horns have been played by many peoples in

islands, jungles, and other regions the world over. This was an

instrument that Israel also learned to play, and it became associated

with the holiest convocation of all, the Day of Atonement (Yom

Kippur). Here was a "devil's instrument" that was used in the most

holy worship of Yahweh.

Another instrument that is associated with David is the lyre or harp

(Hebrew kinn'kinn™rr). But here again, this is not an invention of Israel. The word kinn'r (or forms of it) have been found in texts from the mid-third millennium B.C. at ancient Ebla, as well as among the Canaanites (attested at Ugarit) and the Babylonians (Akkadian again). "David's harp" has a long history of (mis)use in pagan circles before it became so dearly associated with the making of music to the Lord in ancient Israel. Similarly, the Hebrew words for cymbals and tambourines, for drums and flutes, for oboes and clarinets, are found in literatures (and in some cases in illustrations) in nations from Egypt to Ethiopia, from Nubia to Greece. Each of these became "the Lord's instruments" as they were used by the people of God in His holy worship.My point is that Israel was not an innovator in the fashioning of instruments, nor, necessarily, have been the musicians of the church. They, and we, do not need to be the inventors of an instrument to make it a "sacred horn." It is the use to which the instrument is placed that marks it out. The same model of saxophone that is played in a jazz band, a sleazy strip joint, or a symphony orchestra may also be used in the worship of God.

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We may paraphrase a well-known saying that has been attributed to the great theologian and musician Martin Luther. He (or someone) is reported to have argued, when challenged on certain types of music used in the worship of God, "Why should the devil have all the good tunes?" We may add, "Why should the devil have all the good instruments?" So what makes an instrument an instrument of the devil? The fact that a Christian has not yet learned to play it in praise of God! So, to the lady in the pew, forget the shiny thing in the young man's ear and the unusual curve of the instrument in his hands. Listen to the fellow play. Then ask, Was it for the Lord? If so, the devil has lost another horn!

Praise the LORD with the harp;Make melody to Him with a saxophone! --Psalm 33:2 (amended)

3. THE SPIRITUAL SONG.

The Spiritual Song: It's

Biblical Foundation and Practical

Application by Robert A. Johnson

One of the signs of renewal evidenced in congregational worship is the occurrence of some type of extemporaneous congregational

song. This music is often unaccompanied, but sometimes it will

be accompanied by anything from a single guitar or piano up to a

"full orchestra", and occasionally a single singer will be heard

lifting their voice in a spontaneous song. These improvised

songs of praise have often been called "singing in the spirit",

citing St. Paul's exhortation to the Corinthian church to sing

with the spirit as well as with the mind (1 Cor. 14.15). Since

this passage deals specifically with speaking and singing in

tongues, it can be used to explain a part of what we experience

during these times of extemporaneous worship, but is not a broad

enough term to encompass all music in our services which is

"improvised" under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.It is clear

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from both scripture and history that there has been a tradition

of ecstatic music within both Jewish and Christian worship. The

spontaneous songs of praise that we hear springing from the

renewed church today are a part of this ancient

tradition.Several terms have been used to describe this type of

music. In addition to "Singing in the Spirit", the phrases

"Prophetic Song", "New Song", "Song of the Lord" and "Free

Worship" are popularly used to label this type of expression.

The New Testament term "Spiritual Song" is not heard used as

often to describe this type of worship, but I believe it is a

good one, since it is generic enough to encompass singing in the

vernacular as well as tongues, as well as different types of

lyrics (to God, to each other, from God) and varying performing

forces (vocal, instrumental, solo, group and corporate).In

addition, Paul's use of the phrase "Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual

Songs" tells us that the spiritual song is as much a part of

normal, New Testament worship as our prepared psalms and hymns.

If the spiritual song is to become a regular part of our worship

services, then the same attention needs to be given to

developing it that we give to preparing our hymns, choruses,

canticles and anthems. There is a great need within our worship

for that which is fresh and spontaneous, and the spiritual song

fills a part of that need. However, if worship leaders and

congregations do not develop both spiritually and musically in

the spiritual song, this part of the service can become even

more predictable and redundant than the rest of the service once

the novelty of it's "newness" fades.In order to avoid getting

into a musical and spiritual "rut" with the spiritual song, it

will be helpful to examine some scriptures that deal with this

type of expression in both the Old and New Testaments.

I. Spiritual Songs, along with Psalms and Hymns, are

the normal expressions of a congregation filled with

the Spirit and the Word of God.

"...be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything,

in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5.18-20 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and counsel one

another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and

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spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."

Colossians 3.16 A. Be filled with the Spirit

B. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly

C. Sing and make music in your heart to the LordSing...with gratitude

in your hearts to God

D. Speak to one another...Teach and counsel one another

E. Definitions

1. Psalms - Greek: PSALMOS - primarily denoting a

striking or twitching with the fingers (on musical

strings); then, a sacred song, sung to musical

accompaniment, a psalm.

2. Hymns - Greek: HUMNOS - denotes a song of praise addressed to God

.3. Spiritual Songs - Greek: ODES PNEUMATIKOS - ODES is the generic

word for an ode or song; PNEUMATIKOS is an expansion of the word for spirit, PNEUMA, which primarily denotes the wind; also breath; then, especially the spirit, which like the wind is invisible, immaterial

and powerful.

(Definitions taken from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words)F. As is true with many of the elements of early Christian worship, the Spiritual Song is

a continuation of a practice that has its roots in Jewish

worship.

A Paradigm for the Church of the Future by Gerrit Gustafson All of us have

personal preferences. Some prefer blue over green. Some prefer a trip to the beach

over a trip to the mountains. Some favor grits over hash browns, country music

over rock, and almost everyone favors the home team over the visitors.

But whereas we smile at some of our preferences, our religious preferences are

often quite a different matter. For some reason, our own special religious traditions

and experiences tend to concretize our ideas of what God's preferences are and

aren't. Nowhere is this more true than in the area of worship styles. How quickly our

preferences become biases. And how easily our biases become walls which keep us

from the larger Body of Christ and from fuller expressions of worship.

The sum total of these distinctives and preferences is termed culture. Every

individual and group is part of a culture. Worship and culture are very closely

related. It is interesting that the root word for culture is cult, which is simply a

system of worship or devotion. You could say our culture reflects our worship. We

should neither despise nor deny our culture for it helps to give us the initial

parameters for personal identity, but we must thoughtfully evaluate all our ways in

21

light of God's ways. When God says that His ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah

55:9), He is saying that His divine culture is higher than our human culture. The

Lausanne Covenant of 1974 appeals for churches to be "deeply rooted in Christ

and closely related to their culture. Culture must always be tested and judged by

Scripture.... The gospel does not presuppose the superiority of any culture to

another, but evaluates all cultures according to its own criteria of truth and

righteousness.... Churches have sometimes been in bondage to culture rather than

to the Scripture."

Denominations within the church are usually cultural divisions before they are

theological. They have to do with conflicting folkways. A Presbyterian pastor made

this observation: "Part of the problem in coming into unity is that we have recruited

people into the personality distinctives of our own congregations and traditions,

rather than into Christ. As a result, their loyalties are more to these distinctives

than to Christ's Kingdom." In the spirit of Lausanne, we need to evaluate our

traditions of worship - whether historic traditions or more recent renewal

traditions - in light of Scripture to see if we are adherents of an approach to Christ

or of Christ himself.

Toward Understanding Divine Preferences

Music powerfully communicates culture. That's why the church's music is so vital in

communicating its life. Even the effects of a vibrant sermon can be canceled out by

lifeless music. Some would observe that the music more accurately reflects the life

of the congregation than the words spoken.

What are we communicating culturally? Are our cultural preferences the same as

God's? What kinds of songs should we be singing? Does God even care what we do

musically in the church? If so, what are the parameters of Biblical worship? Do our

biases keep us from a fuller expression of worship? The easy answer to these kinds

of questions is incomplete: God is only concerned with the attitude of our hearts,

not the forms of our expressions. Granted, the heart's disposition is primary, but

should we not allow God to transform and enlarge our forms as well as our hearts?

It's not that our worship traditions are intrinsically wrong, just incomplete.

Consider these three statements as beginning points in this discussion of Biblical

patterns of worship:

True worship is both spiritual and intellectual. True worshipers will worship the

Father in spirit and truth (John 4:24).

Heavenly worshipers worship the God of the past, present and future. Day and night

they never stop saying: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is,

and is to come (Rev. 4:8; see also Rev. 1:4,8).

In the New Testament, God endorses three primary song forms: psalms, hymns and

spiritual songs. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you sing psalms, hymns

and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God (Col. 3:16; see also Eph.

22

5:19, 20).

Spiritual and Intellectual

Today some segments of the church specialize primarily in Spirit. Favorite teaching

topics in the Spirit churches are "Hearing God" and "Being Led by the Spirit."

Leaders encourage followers to develop intuitive skills. Worship is generally

spontaneous and Spirit-led.

Other segments of the church specialize primarily in truth. Among these groups,

Biblical scholarship and critical thinking are held in high esteem. Here worship is

more orderly and structured.

Each tradition is suspicious of the other and often reinforces its own uniquenesses

to justify its existence. Facing these tendencies are very difficult but very

necessary.

Jesus said that true worshipers must worship in spirit and truth, not one or the

other. If we love to "flow in the Spirit" but are impatient with the process of making

careful observations, we are not yet the kind of worshipers God is looking for. If we

are diligent students and yet we can't make room for someone to base a claim on

revelation, we are not yet worshipers that please God.

If the worship in our congregation only attracts the critical thinkers, it's time to do

some critical thinking about our own cultural preferences. If our congregation is

attracting only the intuiters or feelers, it's time to ask the Spirit to lead us into all

truth. Biblical worship is to be spiritual and thoughtful.1

Past, Present and Future

Some of us are more familiar with what God is saying than what God has said, to

the point that we disdain any reference to history. I have heard this referred to as

the Cult of Contemporaneity. Someone asked me to evaluate a prophecy born out

of a time of prayer. One part of it quoted God as saying that He was not the God of

the past, but rather the God of the now. I suggested that maybe God was saying He

was not only the God of the past, but the God of the present as well. After all, if

God is not the God of the past, who is?

Others are well-versed in what has gone on before us and yet out of touch with

what is going on now. One pastor confidently told me that nothing of any

significance has happened in the church in the last 250 years. Most likely the

church he pastors will be populated with those who are friendly to that point of

view.

A third sub-standard alternative is to be so future-oriented that we fail to worship

the God of the past and the present. We must not try to confine God's kingdom

exclusively to past, present or future reality. Each are only partial containers of

God's magnificent glory.

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs

Some charismatic churches tend to sing choruses to the exclusion of hymns. Some

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traditional churches sing hymns to the exclusion of choruses. And a very small

percentage of churches have any significant experience with spiritual songs. In

contrast God's Word invites us all to express our gratitude through all three song

forms.

To sing a psalm is not necessarily the equivalent of singing from the book of Psalms.

A psalm is a song. The term psalm, like song, can be used in a general or a specific

sense. In the general usage it could include hymns, just as there are hymns included

in the book of Psalms. A hymn is certainly a song.

In the specific sense however, a psalm would contrast with a hymn. Similar to what

we today call choruses, a psalm, or song, is generally simpler, shorter, more

testimonial and less theological than a hymn. A hymn would usually carry a greater

sense of history; a psalm, or chorus, would be more personal. The psalm is also

more contemporary and has a shorter life span. The spiritual song is even more a

song-of-the-moment than a psalm. The spiritual song, which consists of

spontaneous melodies and words, inspired by the Holy Spirit and sung around a

chord or slowly moving chord progression, has been referred to as the song of

angels because of its mystical, other-worldly quality.2 Even as the Spirit is the

believer's down payment of the future age,3 the spiritual song must be a foretaste

of heavenly worship itself.

The genius of these three song forms is that each is uniquely appropriate to

express a dimension of God's nature, and each will speak for a different kind of

personality, as well as to the different facets of the individual. The hymn will satisfy

our hunger for truth and depth of understanding; the psalm will speak to our need

for encounter and experience; and the spiritual song will stimulate the visionary in

us.

The command to employ psalms, hymns and spiritual songs requires a greater

cultural flexibility than we have had so we can enjoy the variety of worship

expressions. For instance, the youth of the church will probably prefer a more

contemporary style of worship than the older ones. The common solution to this

cultural problem is to segregate the youth church from the adult church. The

psalms-hymns-and-spiritual-songs paradigm begs for a different solution: unity

within diversity. This new paradigm allows the contemporary and the historic to

stand side by side and challenges our hearts to greater love. We don't have to

choose between being reverent or celebrative. Be reverent and celebrative! Be

objective and subjective! Structured and spontaneous! Testimonial and theological!

Instead of affirming our own strengths and acknowledging the limitations of other

traditions, we must begin to recognize the limitations of our own traditions and

affirm the strengths of the others. The result will be that our own preferences will

be enjoyed by others, as well as enlarged by others. Like an onion in the stew, we

will both flavor the other ingredients and be flavored by them. All the while, we

24

remain an onion.

Paradigm for the Future

The church of the future must become transcultural. The evangelical church must

learn to sing spiritual songs; the charismatic church must rediscover hymns; and the

traditional church must begin to sing a new psalm. The young church must respect

the older church and vice versa. Bridges of cooperation and counsel must be built

between the black and white churches. The stagnating pools of our cultural

prejudices must be flooded by the river of His divine purposes. Accepting and

practicing God's standard of psalms, hymns and spiritual songs in our worship is a

simple but challenging exercise designed to break us loose from our idols of

ethnocentrism. Where will all of this lead us? To the most exciting celebration

imaginable: the international, interdenominational, multilingual, multiethnic

celebration of Christ Jesus, the Son of God!

After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could

count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and

in front of the Lamb. Revelation 7:9.

Dare we look upon what John saw: representatives from every nation, tribe, people

and language, declaring their praises together with a loud voice... overwhelmed with

gratitude for this majestic King who had made them into a united kingdom!4 If we

can see that, we can see our destination. The heavenly vision is that of worshipers

of many different stripes who are more conscious of the greatness of Christ Jesus

than of their cultural distinctions.

If worship styles have been the source of divisions among us, let's turn the tables

and allow God's design for worship to be a source of unity among us. Let's pray that

heaven's worship will overtake earth's as we sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.

Notes

These two components are implied in Romans 12:1 in the phrase "logikos

latreia," which is translated in the NIV as either "spiritual act of worship" or

(in the margin) "reasonable act of worship."

Although spiritual songs are generally not written down, some have suggested that

the Gregorian chant is a codification of early spiritual songs.

II Corinthians 1:22 and Hebrews 6:4,5.

Revelation 5:9,10.

Gerrit Gustafson is the founder and president of WholeHearted Worship in Mobile,

Alabama.

4. MUSIC IN REVIVAL.

NEW SONG: THE SOUND OF SPIRITUAL 25

AWAKENINGby Chuck Fromm

A Study of Music in Revival

Paper Presented to the Oxford Reading & Research Conference

July 1983

PART 1--INTRODUCTION/NEW SONG FOUNDATIONSI waited patiently for the Lord

And He inclined to me,

And heard my cry.

He also brought me out of a horrible pit,

Out of miry clay

And set my feet upon a rock

And established my steps.

He has put a new song in my mouth.

Praise to our God;

Many will see it and fear,

And will trust in the Lord. (Psalm 40:1-3)

Throughout history, music has been a primary means of expression for

people whose lives have been touched and changed at the deepest

levels. Its astonishing power as a tool for teaching, testifying and,

most importantly, transformation, resists all efforts to

institutionalize and codify. Despite the best efforts of theologians

and musicologists, the enduring power of music remains largely a

mystery. Its role in revival is indispensable and, in any true

spiritual awakening, evidence of what King David in Psalm 40 called

the "New Song" will be found.

New Song may be calm or ecstatic, shouted or spoken in the silence of

the heart, but it will always convey a potent spiritual vitality,

always create for itself new forms of relevant expression.

In Psalm 40, as elsewhere in scripture, we see a distinct pattern for

the New Song emerge--a biblical prototype that repeats itself

throughout history. The spirit responds to an encounter with God; man

is delivered, renewed and set on a high place. A fresh expression of

spontaneous praise and worship celebrates the deliverance. The

experience of salvation becomes the substance of song. God is

glorified, faith is revitalized, and the community is blessed.

The purpose of our study is threefold: first, to survey the

26

individuals, movements, and events historically relating to New Song;

second, to examine the influence of and response to New Song; and

third, to study the relationship over the past fifteen years between

New Song and the Jesus Movement.

What, then, is New Song? Where does it come from and what does it

sound like? For the purposes of this paper, we may define New Song as

any music motivated by faith, celebrating the work of God, and often

expressing itself in popular idioms.

A review of the literature related to the role of music in revival

reveals the need for familiarity in several disciplines in order to

fully grasp the breadth of the subject.

Commenting on this dilemma, one scholar stated: For too long church

musicians have failed to admit to the theological presuppositions

which determined their musical practice as they have also failed to

accept the pastoral implications for their musical presuppositions.

(Williamson, 1967, p. 10.)

Although the very nature of our subject defies analysis, interesting

and revealing studies have nevertheless emerged. Many center on the

personalities involved in the music of revival--Calvin, Watts, and

Hastings, to name a few. A dissertation on John Calvin by James

Miller, for example, is particularly illuminating. So also is Paul

Kaatrud's comprehensive work on American revival music from 1830-60,

Revivalism and the Popular Spiritual Song. Francis Williamson's The

Lord's Song and the Church is a definitive theological work on music

ministry. While George Stansbury gives an excellent overview of

music's role in Billy Graham's organization, there is nevertheless a

notable lack of material on contemporary new song, particularly in its

relation to modern communication tools. This study is divided into

three sections. The first is foundational, discussing biblical

references, cultural influences, and the historical record. Section II

explores the role of New Song in specific American awakenings,

highlighting selected events and personalities. Section m examines the

advent of New Song in the Jesus Movement, with our vantage point being

that of a participant/observer from the year 1969 until the present

day.

The role of New Song has special relevance to many of those who trace

their Christian roots to the Jesus Movement. Music generally has

played a more important role in the lives of this generation than

perhaps any other group in history. For Christians, it has served as a

great unifier, being used for exhortation, instruction and evangelism

27

and creating a potent and emotional lingua franca for the age.

It is hoped that this paper might clarify the importance and impact of

New Song on spiritual awakening.

This study is divided into three sections. The first is foundational,

discussing biblical references, cultural influences, and the

historical record. Section II explores the role of New Song in

specific American awakenings, highlighting selected events and

personalities. Section m examines the advent of New Song in the Jesus

Movement, with our vantage point being that of a participant/observer

from the year 1969 until the present day.

The role of New Song has special relevance to many of those who trace

their Christian roots to the Jesus Movement. Music generally has

played a more important role in the lives of this generation than

perhaps any other group in history. For Christians, it has served as a

great unifier, being used for exhortation, instruction and evangelism

and creating a potent and emotional lingua franca for the age.

It is hoped that this paper might clarify the importance and impact of

New Song on spiritual awakening.

Music also played a vital role in the development of the New Testament

church. Fragments of first century hymnody are scattered throughout

the letters of Paul, as well as in the works of other church fathers.

Such hymn forms were valuable for evangelistic and didactic purposes

as well as for worship. The Psalms were a rich source of inspiration

for New Testament writers. Of the estimated 287 Old Testament

quotations found in the New Testament, 116 are from the Psalter.

Music was a vital part of the functional life of New Testament

believers. At informal assemblies, the brethren were encouraged to

celebrate in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Pliny the Younger in

the year 112, reports that Christians gathered at dawn to sing "to

Christ as to God." Yet this emerging tradition was not formed wholly

by early Christian practice and Hebraic models. The abstract,

theoretical understanding of the Greeks also played an important role.

Music in Hellenistic culture had developed as an applied science, a

science that has effects how music is played and heard even to this

day. Hellenistic thought informed church leaders as Augustine and

Calvin, creating the foundation for some of the most significant

musical advances of western civilization. At the same time, there was

a tendency among the Greeks to remove music from its place in the

fabric of life, establishing it as art for its own sake. The morality

of music no longer hinged on its reflection of the truth, but on the

28

beauty of its execution.

According to Pythagorus, Plato and Aristotle, music unerringly mirrors

the emotional state of men, imparting to the listener its own

emotional complexion. The qualities of gentleness, anger, courage,

passion and their opposites, could all be expressed musically.

Additionally, music had a moral quality in and of itself--a force for

either good or evil effects. Around these doctrines of imitation and

ethos, the early church constructed an entire philosophy of music. Its

power needed to be controlled. Much of the spontaneous nature of the

Hebraic musical model was indeed tamed when from the first to eighth

centuries, oral traditions gave way to written notations. In this and

other ways, the forms and functions of music were tailored to meet the

requirements of a growing church authority. There is, of course, more

to godly music than proper construction and execution. While skillful

playing is encouraged in the Bible, yet scripture constantly centers

on a more significant consideration; the motive of the individual's

heart. As the heterogeneous, democratic framework of the apostolic age

yielded to hierarchical systems headed by western popes and eastern

patriarchs, the didactic function of music quickly became evident.

Some of the earliest examples of Christian hymnody were written to

counteract Gnostic and Arian heresies: Chrysostom sought to overcome

the perverting influence of Arian hymnology with solemn doxologies.

Hilary of Poitiers, the first hymn writer of the Latin church,

composed orthodox hymns to oppose the spread of the popular Arian

hymns.

Ephraim, leader of the Syrian church, introduced to public worship a

body of poetry that countered the heretical poetry of the Gnostic

Bardesanes.

St. Ambrose, the father of Latin church song, who clashed with the

Arians in 386, is quoted as saying, ". . . some claim that I have

ensnared people by the melodies of my hymns. I do not deny it." As the

fourth century Bishop of Milan, Ambrose's compositions, which made use

of popular Greek melodies, facilitated spiritual awakenings, as well

as combating heresy. Augustine recorded that he was deeply moved by

the hymn singing in Milan.

Yet, even in the earliest days of the church, ritualistic tendencies

began to formalize the use of song in worship making little allowance

for creativity and spontaneity. "Besides the appointed singers who

mount the ambo and sing from the book, others shall not sing in the

church," declared the Council of Laodicea in the fourth century.

29

In marked contrast to such developing church formalism were the

Montanist, a charismatic movement first noted about the middle of the

second century. Montanus, the founder of the sect, compared a man in

the ecstasy of spiritual prophesy to "a musical instrument on which

the Holy Spirit plays his melodies." The young church's revulsion at

the abysmal public displays in Roman theaters, circuses and arenas

where musical instruments contributed to the general debauchery

resulted in a ban on musical accompaniment. The misuse of musical

instruments has been a source of continuing controversy even to this

day. Eusebius, bishop of Caesar in Palestine, eloquently stated, "Our

instrument is the entire body by whose movement and action the soul

sings a fitting hymn to God . . . Our ten string psaltery is the

veneration of the Holy Spirit by the five senses of the body and the

five virtues of the spirit." Who could argue with that? Certainly not

the common man who by this time was helplessly witnessing the

elevation of sacred song to realms far beyond his understanding. The

congregation found its role shifted from active participant to passive

spectator, ceasing to share in the vital act of worship. Singing

became the domain of choral groups drawn from the clergy and a tightly

prescribed body of cha nts became the liturgical substance of worship

for the next thousand years.

The results were, without question, aesthetically magnificent.

Specialized Christian music was developed around an exclusive vocal

art. Proclaimed as the exemplary ideal of all music, the Gregorian

Chant was based entirely on melody, rejecting totally the alarming

possibility of rhythm to inflame and incite. The Gregorian Chant is

also one of the great treasures of western civilization. It embodies

beautifully the attitude of devotion; the sentiments of humility, awe,

and hope; and the transcendental nature of worship.

The only problem was, the people could not sing it. They were

required, instead, to stand by and listen as the clergy performed

exquisite musical prayers on their behalf. It is little wonder then,

that the meaning of what was being done was quickly lost. A strict

music form had been needed that could be propagated and controlled by

the church with the help of the state. The Gregorian chants

brilliantly fit the need.

It was against this formidable and forbidding backdrop that new forms

of music struggled to express a hunger for God by the religiously

disenfranchised. Throughout the Middle Ages, up to the very threshold

of the reformation, small brushfires of prototype revival flared up

30

across Europe, each with its distinctive use of music.

Little is known of what was occurring beyond church walls in this

period, aside from the certain fact that God acted then, as elsewhere

in history, outside the realms of high culture to move directly among

His people. It seems apparent, from the scant evidence available, that

while priests intoned chants and muttered litanies in Latin for no

one's benefit other than their own, music was serving an important

function in popular religious movements. Medieval monks (the Puritans,

pietists and evangelicals of their day) didn't hesitate to use new

forms of music in their missions. An exemplar of this monastic model

was St. Bernard (1090-1153). He was a hymn writer held in high regard

by Luther, who said of him, "He loved Jesus as much as anyone can." It

was Bernard, founder and abbot of the Convent of Clairveaux, who wrote

the timeless hymn:

Jesus, thou joy of loving hearts

Thou fount of life,

thou light of men

From the best bliss which earth imparts

We turn unfilled to thee again.

St. Bernard is only one example of an early reformer, moving among the

common people, preaching, singing, and performing signs and wonders in

open fields and town squares.

Another light of the age was the German prophetess Hildegard

(1098-1179) who is said to have given concerts in the spirit. A

recognized healer and severe critic of the established church,

Hildegard composed words and music for 63 popular hymns.

Singing was such an important part of the mission of St. Francis of

Assisi (1182-1226) that he once proclaimed himself to be "God's

gleeman." He is known to have improvised many of his hymns of praise

and devotion, which flourished for six hundred years in the informal

religious life of the Italians and formed a foundation for enduring

folk music forms among them. The founder of the Franciscans is perhaps

best known in musical circles for composing the famous "Canticle of

the Sun," but as a revivalist who employed music to spread the gospel,

he was simply one of the few at that time unafraid to use what so well

suited his purpose.

So it was also with John Huss in 1410, founder of a revival movement

known as The Hussites. Meeting in marketplaces, fields, and meadows,

they sang simple hymns with folk characteristics, many written by Huss

in his native Czech to encourage worship in the vernacular. As did

31

many of the Bohemian reformers, Huss based his hymnology on the

Psalms, using also ancient Latin hymns, traditional folk songs with

religious content, and melodies derived from both sacred and secular

sources. He and others set about improving existing texts and

establishing new hymns in place of old, doctrinally objectionable

material. When Huss was burned at the stake as a heretic, he sang,

"Christ, thou Son of the Living God, have mercy upon me."

Another revival movement contemporary to the Hussites and which also

fell afoul of the clergy was the Lollards. Poor preachers under the

direction of John Wycliff, they taught and sang the word of God in the

language of the common man throughout Europe.

It was the Flagellants, however, who seemed to make the most extensive

use of music, especially within the context of their penitential

crusades. They are generally credited with having revived the use of

popular religious songs at several distinct points throughout the

Middle Ages, despite relentless persecution by the church. They sang

hymns employing popular melodies, but filled with thoughts of death,

the woes of humanity, and abundant allegorical references to Mary.

Song, for the Flagellants, served many functions, including a means of

unification within the sect, an exercise drill for their bizarre rites

of penitence and a means of teaching doctrine to the benighted,

plague-ridden populace.

The musical legacy of the Middle Ages left the Reformation fathers

with a variety of musical traditions, both ecclesiastical and popular,

from which to work. While the dominant force in church music continued

to be the professional performance of the

Gregorian Chant, hymns of adoration, prophetic and worship music and

spiritual song utilizing secular melodies were all being heard outside

the church. It was inevitable, in this time of extreme religious

polarization, when the rites of the priesthood were so far removed

from the needs of the people, that radical expressions of dissent and

revival were inevitable.

In the great light of the Reformation new potentials for music were

illuminated. One important innovation of the period which aided in

music's dramatic impact on ordinary lives was the printing press.

Gutenbergs gift to humanity created new audiences, as well as new

patrons for the musical art, broadening the traditional support base

for music. As in so many areas of endeavor, the press facilitated

cooperation across political, social, and cultural boundaries.

Composers rapidly absorbed from each others' technical and artistic

32

advances. Most importantly, distribution of printed material,

resulting in widespread availability of song and liturgy, increased

the level of involvement in all forms of music among the populace.

A revolution in spiritual song was underway as early as 1501 when the

first Protestant hymn books were printed by the Bohemian brethren. By

re-introducing public worship, the reformers displaced virtually

overnight a thousand years of high church ritual. The Reformation

fathers condemned the Gregorian Chant for some very telling reasons,

revealing along the way their own evolving concepts of music. They

objected to the distractions of elaborate vocal and instrumental

music, the dangers of overly theatrical performances, the unwarranted

expense of elaborate ceremonies and enormous pipe organs and the

uselessness of text unintelligible to the common man.

Contrasting the high church's entrenched musical traditions was the

simple and pragmatic approach of men like Martin Luther. One of

Luther's stated goals was the restoration of true worship. He

understood the tremendous benefit resulting from hearing the word of

God and then uniting as a congregation to offer thanksgiving in song.

This stress on congregational participation in worship became a

lynchpin of the Reformation. In 1523, Thomas Muntzer was the first to

replace the clerical choir with congregational singing, using

virtually the same music. He translated the text into the vernacular--

a true beginning of the restoration of biblical psalm singing among

the people.

It was in Strausburg, however, in 1524 that Bucer instituted the first

singing of hymns, although the text of the material was still

rigorously scriptural. In 1526 congregational hymns appeared as part

of Luther's liturgical innovations, earning for him the title "father

of congregational singing." So effective were Luther's musical reforms

(built in part out of the text of Gregorian Chants, Latin hymns and

secular melodies) that one outraged Jesuit churchman remarked, "The

hymns of Luther have killed more souls than his sermons." Luther's

love of music is evident by its abundance in his own life. As a singer

and lute player, he often participated in musicals held in his home.

Luther said, I am not ashamed to confess publicly that after theology,

there is no art which can equal music."

The musical views of another Reformation giant, John Calvin, were

distinctly different from those of Luther. Calvin is sometimes

portrayed as having a negative influence on church music and accused,

quite unfairly, of throwing out the choir and organ music of his day.

33

In fact, the opposite is true. When Calvin first arrived in Geneva in

1536, the first stages of reformation had already been completed under

the auspices of Zwingli, a man whose views on music were so

doctrinaire as to exclude singing or any other forms of external

worship in the church. "Those who praise the singing of the choir so

highly are either foolish or childish," Zwingli flatly stated, no

doubt partly in reaction to the deplorable state of music at the time.

It was against this backdrop that Calvin began to introduce his

concept of psalm singing. He paved the way in practice and theory by

proclaiming, "We desire the psalms to be sung in spirit. We have seen

the example of the ancient church and the witness of St. Paul who

said, 'It is good to sing in a congregation with a mouth and heart'."

Calvin unquestionably possessed both. Calvin was convinced that psalm

singing was of vital importance to the Reformation, a view that put

him at odds with the Genevan church and contributed to his exile from

that city. Upon his return in 1540, one of his first priorities was to

compose the Geneva Psalter, a work that took twenty years to complete.

"It will be a good thing to introduce church song," he said, adding,

on perhaps a wry note, "As a beginning we shall teach the little

children. With time all the church can follow. In his work on the

Psalter, Calvin employed the services of two poets, Theodore Beza an

Clement Marot (who was a popular secular author), as well as the

composer Bourgois who developed simple melodies for the psalms.

Practical, hard-headed and courageous, Calvin held strong views on the

place of music in the spiritual lives of his flock. He was known to

quote Plato's maxim that "there is scarcely anything in this world

which can more powerfully turn or influence the manners of man than

music.'' He wrote that through song a doctrine might be better known

than if it were simply taught, with sound and rhythm aiding the

memory.

Calvin eventually promulgated a complex theory of music that drew

heavily on his concept of the sovereignty of God. At its core was the

certainty that the Almighty can use the inherent power of music to

work His will. What is more than a little surprising, considering the

tenor of the times, was Calvin's belief that the same central truth

applied to dancing. He held that old Testament precedents established

dance as a an acceptable form of worship, so long as it was done in

service to God. He stated, "The Israelites had their dances through

which they used to sing the praises of God; and that was a decent and

chaste rejoicing, indeed, even holy as long as it was part of the

34

service of God."

Such ideas affirmed one of the great contributions of Reformation

thought: dancing, singing, instrumental music, and other human

expressions were not evil in themselves, but rather had become tools

of evil through misuse. The pleasures of such good things, according

to Calvin, had to be used to the common benefit of society, tempered

with the fear of God. While he showed a real concern for the ethical

influence of song, recognizing its corrupting power especially among

the young, he nevertheless insisted that the redeemed could reclaim

music as an avenue of fellowship with God by the action of the Holy

Spirit.

The singing of psalms--Calvin's enduring musical legacy--became so

much a part of the work of reform theology that it was eventually to

symbolize the insurrection itself. "To know them (the Psalms) by heart

is among them a mark of their communion," remarked a Jesuit observer,

"to our great shame in those towns where they are in great number, one

hears them resounding from the mouth of the artisans, and in the

country, from the mouth of the laborer, while the Catholics are either

mute or singing some disreputable song." To be a Protestant and to

sing psalms was virtually the same, and many a martyr proved the point

by going to his death singing. The popularity and spiritual efficacy

of this form of worship proved Calvin's contention that psalmody was

an expression and affirmation of the priesthood of all believers. At

the same time, he rejected "hymns of human composure" asserting that

the psalms of David were the perfect models of Christian prayer. His

insistence that the music of wors hip be comprehensible to the

humblest member of the body (that it seek, in essence, the lowest

common denominator) represented a far more radical reformation in

spiritual song than that put forward by Luther and others. The

liberating effect of the Reformation on worship music was accomplished

through the vision, insight and bravery of many men. Each added to the

cumulative understanding that a new song was expressing the dynamic of

revitalization for their age. These men spoke on the subject of music

with an intellectual depth and clarity never heard before or, it could

be argued, since. They dealt with this topic as they did all other

vital issues of the day--seeking biblical underpinnings and practical

applications. In the process, they accomplished the formidable task of

wrenching worship from the hands of the priests and returning it to

the people. This, undoubtedly, was one of the crowning achievements of

the Reformation.

35

PART 2--NEW SONG IN AMERICAN REVIVALSIn the Great Awakening of 1740 it was inevitable that a New Song would

have to emerge as fresh spiritual impulses began to be felt. Such

impulses were given voice in the work of a remarkable English poet and

congregational minister, Isaac Watts, who stands alone in his

contributions to the field of hymnology. It was Watts who bridged the

gap between the stale, song service of his time and the exuberant hymn

singing of the Awakening.

Watts, an accomplished man in a great many disciplines, knew exactly

what he wanted to achieve in his hymnody and psalm writing. "There are

times and seasons when we should abstain from liberty," he said,

echoing the sentiments of John Calvin in his desire that worship music

be made accessible to the common man. Sinking his art, as Watts termed

it, was a strategy that acknowledged the need for singing with

understanding and for a uniformity of interpretation within the

congregation. "Songs are generally expressions of our own experience,"

observed the author of such standards as "Joy to the World" and "When

I Survey the Wondrous Cross." Watts continues, "There ought to be some

terms of expression that make it look at least like (our) own

(present) meditation." Watts' compositions (collected in two books

entitled Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs) were widely in use

throughout the Great Awakening of 1740.3 Prior to that time, a stern

musical tradition held sway, focusing on the psalms of Calvin.

Downey, writing on the music of American revivalism, summarizes the

musical heritage brought to New England by the Puritans: "Calvanistic

in nature, with little scope for development beyond a methodical

vocalization of the Psalms; there was little evidence of free

expression ...evangelical hymnody had to wait for a theological re-

orientation.[4]

Worship had become a duty, rarely a joy. It was the forceful preaching

of the Awakening leaders, typified by George Whitefield, that brought

new life to the act of worship in mid-eighteenth century. Whitefield,

an Anglican priest, was the most enthusiastic promoter of Watts in the

colonies. For his part, Watts reserved judgment. In an account of a

meeting between the two, shortly before Whitefield left on his second

voyage to Americas, Watts is quoted as saying, "I...warned him of the

danger of delusion, irregularity and imprudence that youth and zeal

might lead him into." Apparently Watts was more than a little

concerned about the enthusiastic methods of the American revival,

36

especially as pertaining to the evangelistic use of his music.

As early as 1713, however, Watts' influence was being felt in the

colonies. In that year, Cotton Mather completed a sermon by driving

his point home with a hymn by Watts. It is really meaningful," wrote

another of the revival's leading figures, Jonathan Edwards, in 1742,

"that we should have some other songs besides the psalms of David." In

marked contrast to the conservative musical tradition of colonial

urban centers, a whole host of traveling exhorters, Baptist

farmer/preachers roamed the countryside, utilizing revival music in a

variety of ways, including singing in the streets. By encouraging the

recently saved to express their new found assurance in song, they

helped to crystallize the opposition of anti-revivalist parties, such

as the venerable Reverend Ebenesar Turell who condemned the singing of

hymns of human composure in the streets and on ferry boats late at

night. Would the reverend prefer to hear the cursing and profane songs

normally emanating from such places, queried a spokesman for the

revivalists? Lower class contingents of the awakening, such as the

Separatists, would help to usher in a golden age of new folk hymnody,

eloquently expressing the exuberance and fervor of the renewal. James

Downey stated, "The most vigorous musical activity resulting from the

revival of 1740 existed among the Separatists and Baptists.'' The folk

hymn forms of this period (marked by repetition in text and musical

improvisation) surfaced again, sixty years later, in the popular camp

meeting movement of the early nineteenth century.

The rising spiritual tide at the end of the eighteenth century, dubbed

the Second Awakening, was marked in 1792 by "a revival of great power"

according to Edward Griffen, reporting from his church in New Salem,

Massachusetts. Again we see the tremendous creative potential of

revival being realized in a proliferation of fresh and innovative

music, such as the pocket hymnals of the Methodist circuit riders,

circa 1788. Alongside such startling advances was the distinct

polarization of urban and rural factions, with credit for spontaneity

and informality going distinctly to the countryfolk. In 1799 the all-

sufficiency of Watts was being supplanted by such urban innovations as

The Hartford Selection, a hymnal developed outside ecclesiastical

sanction. By the early nineteenth century, it was clear that the hymns

of Watts had failed to weather the shifting theological currents of

revival. His rigorously Calvinistic thought, centered on awe and

devotion and reflected in the content of his hymns, could not meet the

needs of the Second Awakening. The expressive, emotive and

37

evangelistic hymnody of Charles Wesley (fitting the emerging Armenian

thought of the time) did, however.

Wesley's music had been forged in the early Methodist revivals of the

mideighteenth century. Over the course of the next seventy-five years,

the musical contributions of Wesley, combined with established

American folk hymnody (exemplified in the camp meeting phenomenon),

resulted in the birth of a hybrid musical form, the gospel song. In

successive revivals throughout the era, this form underwent a number

of marked stages, each keyed to meet the individual needs of specific

awakenings.

In the aforementioned camp meeting movement, which was initiated in

1800, spontaneous, improvised music played a vital role. Camp meetings

spread rapidly across the expanding western frontier and were marked

by emotionalism, powerful preaching, and days filled with song.

Worship songs better suited to the style of urban believers were first

collected by such compilers as Ashel Nettleton, an early professional

evangelist in New England. His popular hymnal Village Hymns contained

songs reflecting the new spirit of evangelical hymnody.

Timothy Dwight, leader of the Yale revival, assembled over 200 hymns

under the title Psalms of David. Such efforts reflected a keen

interest among revival leaders in the music of their time. While

acknowledging that many revival tunes were irregular and grotesque,

Congregationalist Pastor Lyman Beecher, exalted them because they

appealed to the imagination of the common people. Beecher's music

director was Lowell Mason who worked closely with another urban

musical progressive, Thomas Hastings, to produce Spiritual Songs for

Social Worship.

Hastings was, in turn, associated with evangelist Charles Finney, who

promoted Spiritual Songs for Social Worship at his meetings. Finny

took a conservative view of music, observing that "a singing revival

could never amount to much, because singing dissipated a deep feeling

that was necessary for conversion." Rejoicing in song with young

converts," he remarked, "often consumed too much time in prayer

meetings."

The millennial concerns of Mason and Hastings were reflected in their

advanced musical tastes. They viewed the music of rural revival as

distinctly inferior, insisting on original and scientifically accurate

music with no unholy associations. They condemned the use in revival

of the "refuse of secular music which even the devil had abandoned,"

characterizing it as "being whistled by every chimney sweep and roared

38

by every drunken sailor as he reeled home from the circus or brothel."

Despite such prejudices, Mason and Hastings made immeasurable

contributions to American revival hymnody. Their association with the

evangelistic leaders of their time helped to spread those

contributions. In direct contrast to the progressivism of Mason and

Hastings was the pragmatic Joshua Leavitt who compiled the popular

hymnal The Christian Lyre. Leavitt, who was not a professional

musician, greatly admired Charles Finney and produced his hymnal to

meet the needs of Finneys revival.

Finney, however, did not reciprocate, choosing instead the

Mason/Hastings compilation. Leavitt spoke for the common people in

their disregard for those "music masters, writers and organists who

denounced revival music as unscientific." Widening schisms between the

established church and the revival community were evidenced in musical

spheres. Joshua Leavitt stated, "Every person conversant with revivals

must have observed that whenever meetings for prayers and conference

consume a special interest there is a desire for hymns and music of a

different character from those ordinarily heard in church." In other

words, the shift in the function of spiritual song during the

nineteenth century reflected the revivalists' emphasis on an appeal,

to the heart of the common man, accentuating that quality of God which

invited fellowship as opposed to that of an Almighty judge, breathing

fire and brimstone.

This point of reference emphasis was enriched by the work of a whole

crop of American and English writers. Kaatrud quotes William Hunter, a

Methodist hymn writer, as saying, "Popular hearts at religious

meetings need texts that are warm, animated, energetic, stirring,

sentimental, thrilling and filled with enlivening fervor." And that,

from all available evidence, is exactly what they got in secular tunes

that were known by all classes of people and sparked by potent new

spiritual texts. "Any popular song or negro melody," asserted William

Bradbury, nineteenth century leader in the reformation of Sunday

School music, "may be introduced into the Sabbath school and, house of

prayer even with perfect propriety by merely substituting sacred

words...." One scholar has observed that music during this period

served a number of functions: it aroused Christian workers, inspired

holiness, created intimacy within the religious community, aroused

interest and excitement at mass meetings and was used as a persuasive

tool of conversion. It was an era marked both by the contributions of

many outstanding individuals (such as the blind poetess Fanny Crosby

39

who wrote over 8,000 hymns and lived among the poor of New York City)

and the rise of commercialism in gospel song.

Revivals created an appetite for published songs, with composers and

compilers rushing to meet the need. One man who resisted the tempting

commercial lure of the day was pioneer gospel soloist Philip P. Bliss

who would accept no money for his contributions to the popular hymnal

Gospel Hymns and Spiritual Songs. It was the interdenominational

prayer meetings of 1857-58 that marked the beginning of the Fourth

Awakening. Commenting on the prayer meetings, George S. Stevens,

Methodist minister and historian, said, "the singing was so spirited

as to have banished the idea that organs and choirs were

indispensable." The prayer meetings were to lead to the international

evangelistic ministry of D. L. Moody and Ira Sankey. Ira Sankey

provided a musical model adopted by hundreds of imitators in the

coming century. "Sankey's songs are true folk music of the people,"

remarked one observer. By 1899, Sankey had sold over twenty million

copies of his hymn books, with all profits and royalties funneled to

religious programs and not a penny going to the composer. It was a

practice future musical ministers might have done well to follow. The

Moody/Sankey model set the stage for subsequent editions of the

preacher/music minister teams that peppered American revival history,

including Rubin Torry/Charles Alexander, Billy Sunday/Homer

Rhodeheaver and Billy Graham/Cliff Barrows. The twentieth century

inherited the well-oiled religious machinery of revival constructed by

the preceding generations. Rubin Torry was among the earliest of the

classic American evangelists to follow Moody, leading his first

worldwide crusade in 1901. Charlie Alexander was Torry's musical man

of the hour. An innovator who introduced the piano to revival meeting,

Alexander acted as the crusade's master of ceremonies with all the

vivaciousness of a community song-fest leader. Apparently less than

discreet in his business affairs, which included the administration of

substantial publishing interests, Alexander earned Torry's ire when he

hired his own personal publicist for their crusades. Alexander, in

turn, served as a model for Billy Sunday's chorister, Homer

Rodeheaver, who carried the show business potential of revivalism to

its extreme. Joining Billy Sunday in 1910, Rodeheaver like Alexander

before him formed his own publishing firm, The Rodeheaver Company,

which became one of the largest gospel music enterprises in America.

Rodeheaver's crowd pleasing warmed up revival gatherings. He urged the

eager congregation to compete with the choir for spectacular musical

40

special effects. "Whenever I go around to churches I tell people

there's no use in sitting around like a lot of sour crabapples scaring

people away," enthused Rodeheaver who was once called "the most expert

master in crowd psychology in the country." "We Christians have the

right to be happy n exclaimed Rodeheaver. "So come on! Make this world

a better and brighter place. Such bland boosterism of homespun

philosophy made Rodeheaver, whose publicity handouts referred to him

unabashedly as "the world's greatest songleader," tremendously

popular. According to one contemporary account, he set people to

laughing first and then singing and then praying and then thinking

about their souls. Significantly, he was also one of the first to

recognize the potential in rising communications technologies,

recording Christians records as early as 1910. In the Awakening of

1905, the famed Azusa Street meetings in Los Angeles, California gave

birth to the Pentecostal movement. A study of the musical practices of

the Assembly of God denomination provides an interesting look at

musical forms in modern revival. Their services were characterized by

fervent singing undirected and often unaccompanied. Sometimes,

however, the lively congregational chorus would be joined by the beat

of drums and tambourines, the strumming of guitars, along with

violins, and the blare of trombones and coronets in the manner of a

Salvation Army street band. Initially, the Azusa Street awakening held

firmly to the musical worship they felt was characterized by the early

days of Pentecost. They eschewed formalism and structure, only later

succumbing to an official hymnal. It seems evident in a study of

revivals from 1930-50 that the music of these periods had no genuine

awakening with which to attach itself. The issue was further clouded

by the encroachment of such modern variables as mass communication and

the advent of entertainment values into the revival equation. Sharp

eyed social commentators like Sinclair Lewis made literary hay from

the confusion and duplicity that had marred 80 much religious activity

since the early decades of this century. Whether or not his creation

Elmer Gantry was a purposeful distortion of actual evangelical abuses,

Lewis found an audience ready to believe the worst of the Bible-

pounding preachers with their good time musical cohorts. It was a

spiritual revitalization in the late 1940's that birthed the Billy

Graham organization. Creating a national publicity stir, the revival

was credited with the con version of several pop culture luminaries.

Over 700 churches in the Los Angeles area alone cooperated with

Graham's efforts resulting In thousands of recorded decisions for

41

Christ. Cliff Barrows commenting on the music of the Graham Crusade

said, "Some of the best singing was that which took place before the

service actually began, as the people sat together thinking and

praying. They just naturally burst into songs such as 'Shall We Gather

at the River' and There's a Land That is Fairer Than Day." The Graham

revival was concurrent with other, lesser, awakenings around the

country including the Texas Youth Revival Movement of the late

forties. One participant of the Baylor University campus revival was

Jarrell McCracken, a future far-sighted entrepreneur in Christian

communications. McCracken relates that in early mee tings of the

Baylor revival, he was inspired by "worshipful emotion and a

challenging dedication to Jesus. But it was music that brought it all

together. McKracken went on to found the most successful of Christian

record labels, Word Records. The arrival of such magnetic media

personalities as Alexander and Rodeheaver, coincided with religious

music's continued drift out of the hands of pastors and church leaders

and into the increasingly powerful grip of publishers, promoters and

shadowy parachurch organizations. Increasingly sophisticated marketing

and merchandising techniques blurred the distinctions between a

genuine work of God's Spirit and the manipulating efforts of men whose

motives were as questionable as their methods. The overriding criteria

of any new spiritual song was no longer its impact on the human spirit

but its survivability in the marketplace, on radio and records and as

a sheet of printed music. The inevitable conclusion was that between

1930 and 1950 revival music had no real revival with which to attach

itself. By the time Billy Graham began his work in the early fifties,

the music of spiritual awakening had once again found purpose,

although it is interesting to note that Graham and his music collabo

rator Cliff Barrows depended heavily on tried and true standards such

as the Graham crusade standard Just As I Am," a song with a century of

respectable tradition behind it. There was a notable lack of

innovation following the debilitating excesses of the thirties and

forties. Perhaps the most significant contribution to spiritual song

up until 1968 was the introduction of then-popular folk music forms to

Sunday evening evangelistic services. Against this backdrop, the

revolution of the late sixties and early seventies exploded. record

companies such as Word Records, resulting in part from the

communications revolution of the second half o- the twentieth century,

had a dramatic Impact on the listening habits and appetites of the

American people. The advent of radio, phonograph, magnetic tape and

42

transistors brought with it staggering innovations-an electronic age

offering unique and creative challenges. Evangelical and revival

leaders and strategists were quick to recognize the incredible

potential that the nourishing new media's held for their work. They

were perhaps less quick to realize the impact of the medium on the

gospel message, especially as It pertained to music. The mushrooming

new market for religious music (over the radio, on records, and h

sheet music) created completely new and utterly baffling problems and

tensions. The voracious markets created in the opening years of the

fifties imposed unsettling demands on the writers and performers of

Christian music. They found thousands competing not only against the

world, the flesh and the devil but among themselves. Success, in the

fickle and mercurial marketplace, required adapting to each and every

changing musical fashion. Nothing was constant but change itself. The

twentieth century new song, for better or worse, was tied to the

breathless pace of the communications revolution. For almost sixty

years, from the early twenties, the most successful use of media

innovations were under the auspices of pioneering parachurch

organizations. Men like Charles P. Fuller on radio programs such as

"The Old Fashion Revival Hour" yielded incredible results while the

established church struggled to simply understand. It was a struggle

that exacted its toll, in an increasing alienation between the church

and a media-saturated world. Each time modern musical artists were

condemned from the pulpit as "uncircumcised Philistines," corrupting

youth with their devilish, sensuous sounds, the church was seen, in

the world's eyes as proportionately backward, stale and unaware of

what was happening under its nose. As music gained increasing control

of the methods and means of gospel music production, the church

languished for want of genuine spiritual revitalization, singing

century-old songs and resolutely resisting the onslaught of new

styles, forms and practices. By the mid-sixties, it was generally

acknowledged that if God had ever spoken at all through music, it had

only been in the cherished hymns and psalms of the forefathers; that

all things musically modern were, at best, tainted and unprofitable;

and that spiritual song was best left safely locked up in the sanctity

of ceremony. There were minor innovations, during this time. As early

as 1956, the British composer Geoffrey Beaumont, dismayed at the lack

of what could properly be called a folk mass, responded by writing one

of his own in the popular idiom. Later, in the early sixties,

evangelical churches formed traveling pop music groups known for their

43

"progressive" musical style, including Thurlow Spurs and the Spurlows,

the World Action Singers and several Youth for Christ ensembles. In

1962, the Papal Bull allowing mass to be said in the vernacular

spawned the creation of several Catholic folk masses. Among Protestant

evangelicals, a significant development occurred with "The Restless

One," a film by the Billy Graham organizaton, featuring a soundtrack

with electric bass guitar and drums. The film also included the tune

"He Is Everything to Me" still popular today. In 1967, a group of

Baptist music directors composed the musical called "GoodNews" which

was performed the following year at the Southern Baptist Convention in

Houston, Texas. It set a precedent for a number of similar musicals

espousing the Christian message, including "Natural High" and "Tell It

Like It Is," standard youth program fare for years to come in

progressive evangelical churches. Despite their titles, however, such

efforts didn't always "tell it like it was." It was not considered

kosher in our songwriting to use the name of Jesus in the lyrics,"

recalls a composer of one such religious pop musical. "That's why we

would use pronouns like 'Him,"He,' or 'the One' to refer to God."

Other popular "spiritual" hits of the period from I've Got that Joy in

My Heart" to "Kum Ba Yah" bear out the contention.

PART 3--NEW SONG AND THE JESUS MOVEMENTIt was into this vacuum then that a remarkable new musical tradition

exploded, one keyed to the age, and making perhaps the most effective

use of music in this century. To understand the extraordinary events

in New Song beginning in 1968, it is helpful to recall the turbulence,

excitement, and danger that characterized the decade. "Choose your

apocalypse," quipped one writer of the period, "ecological, political,

thermonuclear, social, famine, overpopulation, natural disaster. The

experts say it's all going to happen." And indeed, by 1968, much of

it, if not all, had happened. Assassinations, political

disillusionment, rising drug use, campus chaos, and the Vietnam War

were a few plagues of the time. Western civilization was suddenly and

completely thrown into a state of violent flux and from the turmoil

emerged a strange new figure--the counter- cultural anti-hero, enemy

of authority, committed free thinker, impassioned free lover,

obsessive searcher. Enclaves of new youth sprang up everywhere and

their most potent means of communication, the glue holding them

together and passing on the dictates of the new order, was popular

music. The musicians espoused the maxims of rebellion and ultimate

44

freedom, their music carrying the virus of social and spiritual

transformation.

"There is no separation of form and content in rock and roll music,"

one observer stated. "They're infused in a continuous experience,

simultaneous impressions and feelings. It's as much felt as heard; a

participatory music." The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, The

Grateful Dead, and their predecessors, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis

and Little Richard were the standard bearers of a new consciousness.

The response of the church was both predictable and understandable.

The burgeoning youth culture's out-of-hand rejection of old forms and

traditions was clear rebellious apostasy. Youth had set itself outside

both biblical Christianity and God's redemptive work in man. An

uncompromising attack was launched by the church on the sixties' youth

culture in general and rock and roll music in particular. Warnings

were met, in turn, with derision and contempt. After all, what was the

church offering musically except outdated irrelevancies sung by

somnambulant choirs? What in the traditional body of church music even

approached the exuberance and sense of fun in the latest hit songs by

the Beatles or Rolling Stones?

In this atmosphere of recrimination and hostility a sudden spiritual

awakening shook the complacent on both sides of the generation divide.

The epicenter of that explosive renewal cannot, with any accuracy, be

pinpointed, but it is certain that fuses were lit with the work of

several independent ministries during 1967-68. Outreaches to the

counter-cultures were dubbed by the media "The Jesus Movement."

Spiritual sparks began to fly across America and, in the parlance of

the day, thousands of disenfranchised youth "turned on" to Jesus.

The movement is apart from, rather than against, established

religion," remarked Time Magazine in June 1971. "Some converts speak

disparagingly of the blandness or hypocrisy of their former churches,

while others work comfortably as a revitalizing force for change from

within."

Such observations were made in the midst of a sweeping revival among

young Americans in the late sixties and early seventies. Outbreaks of

revitalizing fervor were being reported in such cities as Seattle, Los

Angeles, Houston, Chicago, San Francisco, Fort Wayne, Indiana, and

elsewhere, with the west coast of California being a point of both

inception and concentrated activity. Hundreds of ministries were being

formed primarily to evangelize the counter-culture. Christian communes

and coffee houses appeared in metropolitan centers. One such coffee

45

house in New York City was underwritten by the Graham organization

which saw quickly the potential of such culturally relevant meeting

places. At the end of the sixties, such established youth outreaches

as Campus Crusade for Christ virtually doubled in size, adding

hundreds of workers to their staffs and increasing both the breadth

and number of their mission fields.

Lutheran Youth Alive was constituted in 1969 and the following year

sent out ninety teams to announce the new revival to Lutheran churches

around the nation. The Christian World Liberation Front, sounding more

like a revolutionary cell than an evangelistic organization, was

formed in the fall of 1968 to bring the Gospel message to the radical

student population at the University of California at Berkeley.

"The message of the Jesus Freaks," remarked a highly critical observer

at the time, "is simply down-home, Jesus-is-the-way, evangelical

fundamentalism delivered with flower child innocence and visionary

fervor. Most of the converted are between fourteen and twenty, and

they possess an amazingly glowing energy and commitment, all shining

as though they've just washed their hair."

"Rather offbeat and bizarre," was how another, more sympathetic

writer, described them, "but with an outpouring of enthusiastic

commitments to the person of Jesus. The highly emotional behavior of

its participants is reminiscent of the ecstatic phenomena that

accompanied the revival movements of the nineteenth century

Protestantism."

"I see the dangers," a Presbyterian minister warned. "This biblical

literalism. The kids quote verses without understanding them to prove

a point. I thought we had out-grown that.

Whatever they had outgrown, it was clear to the astute that the Jesus

People carried with them to their new-found faith many of the ideals

of their former lifestyles. "Hippies had," said one writer, "served as

a prophetic voice to lash out at materialism and the capitalist

success system, advising instead detachment from wealth, attention to

people, openness to beauty, cultivation of diversity." This concept is

central to understanding the unique contributions of the Jesus People

to Christian thought and practice in the sixties and seventies,

particularly in regard to music.

Calvary Chapel, in Costa Mesa, California played a particularly

important role in the development of New Song during those decades,

and continuing even to the present day. Prior to the rising spiritual

tide of 1968, the church had a congregation of 150 people, grown from

46

its original flock of thirty when Chuck Smith, an affable, soft-spoken

pastor arrived in late 1965. Today, the church numbers well over

20,000 in weekly attendance and has spun off over 250 daughter

churches, some with congregations in excess of 5,000.

Most church historians agree that it was the Baptists who gained the

most ground in the Awakening of 1740, while Methodist numbers swelled

in the camp meetings of the nineteenth century and Pentecostals in the

1905 worldwide revival. Similarly, there can be little doubt that the

Jesus Movement grew most markedly in 1968 under the auspices of non-

denominational church systems exemplified by Calvary Chapel. The

obverse also obtains. The fact is that while the Jesus Movement

brought in the numbers which built Calvary Chapel, the church itself

provided the foundation for thousands of young believers to mature and

find their way as adult Christians. The church was one among a handful

experimenting with ways to effectively reach the counter-culture. One

such method was the Christian commune, also known as the House

Ministry. In these informal living arrangements, music played an

indispensable role. John Higgins, who oversaw Calvary House Ministry

program, recalls, "We sang every day. There was lots of rejoicing and

people were making up new songs all the time. Some would even write

lyrics to things like Coca Cola commercials." Another leader of an

early Christian commune recalls, What God was doing among us created

an immediate demand for something new to sing. Music was the center of

our culture, everybody was going to concerts. Sponsoring Christian

concerts seemed to be the right way to share the faith. I remember one

religious group in the area was preaching against rock music. We

thought such preaching was nuts.

Author John Sherril provides this account of a typical evening in a

Christian commune:

As the music continued, several people at the table began to

"sing in the Spirit." Soon the whole room was singing a

complicated harmony without score, created spontaneously. It was

eerie but extraordinarily beautiful. Without prompting, one

quarter of the room would suddenly start to sing very loudly

while others subsided. Harmonies and counter-harmonies wove in

and out of each other.

It's a description that might well fit the musical celebrations of

nineteenth century camp meetings or perhaps even such spiritual

singing as is related in the New Testament.

The early years of the Jesus Movement were also marked by the

47

emergence of the modern Christian music group employing conventional

pop instrumentation--electric guitars and keyboards, as well as a full

array of percussion instruments. The band Love Song is a telling

example of such a group. Love Song was initially a secular rock and

roll band that earned its living by playing in bars and nightclubs. In

the late sixties, group members lived together communally,

experimenting with drugs and dabbling in Eastern mysticism. The

group's leader, Tommy Coomes, recalls the group's first encounter with

the potent revival of the period centering at Calvary Chapel:

Towards the end of the service the people began to sing. I found

that the worship and the singing was really touching. The

melodies were pretty--a little old fashioned but they were very

warm and it made me feel good to sing them. It was really quite

beautiful. The feeling I got was of elation. My impression was

that these people really knew who God was. Four of the members

of Love Song became Christians shortly after this encounter.

Coomes recalls, "After we'd been going to church a few weeks, we

asked Chuck Smith if we could sing some of the songs we'd

written. He wanted to hear them, so we went out in the parking

lot and played a few for him. I remember that he cried and asked

us to play that evening."

Love Song's audition song was an original composition called "Welcome

Back," and a sampling of its lyrics reflect the intensely personal

nature of early Jesus Music:

Welcome back to the things you once believed in,

Welcome back to what you knew was right all along,

I'm so happy now to welcome you back,

Welcome back to Jesus.

At a subsequent Bible study at which the group performed, Coomes

recalls another incident that revealed the new relationship between

the growing church and their music: I remember we'd just finished a

song and all of a sudden Chuck jumped up and started preaching on the

subject we'd been singing about. It was incredible. These songs were

just personal to us and I never thought of somebody taking the lyrics

and turning them into a sermon. Afterwards he gave an altar call and a

lot of people were saved. That sort of thing started happening over

and over again.

The unmistakable patterns of New Song were indeed becoming evident.

Love Song went on to become one of the most popular groups of the

Jesus Movement, traveling the country, doing concerts in churches and

48

schools, often as part of an anti-drug program. By the time they

disbanded in 1974, they had inspired dozens of imitators who

identified not so much with their particular sound as with the

sincerity of their expression. They had come to typify the music and

ministry of their day in much the same way that Ira Sankey did in his.

New Song, by the early seventies, was evident everywhere youth

congregated--in communes, church youth Bible studies, beach baptisms,

street corners and witness concerts. This latter forum became

increasingly popular as public schools opened their auditorium doors

to a type of music that seemed to effect so positively the

communities' youth. Chuck Smith recalled one such concert as being

particularly dramatic. At Milliken High School in February, 1971, over

five hundred made public decisions for Christ. Smith was most

impressed by the fact that as he left the auditorium, he saw groups of

kids, huddled in small prayer groups, stretching down the street. It

was a period that also saw the increased popularity of music

festivals, such as the 1970's Love Song Festival in Southern

California and Expo '72, sponsored by Campus Crusade for Christ in

Dallas. Such events reportedly drew up to 80,000 participants.

Some of the most successful evangelism was accomplished by traveling

teams of musicians and "exhorters." In the summer of 1971, for

example, many such teams roamed throughout Europe, creating a popular

sensation. One team was met in Stockholm by hundreds of young people

singing hymns, A very successful evangelistic campaign followed.

By 1977 it was apparent that a thriving commercial enterprise had

grown up around the popularity of contemporary New Song. An

extraordinary number of publishing and recording businesses were

birthed. Christian radio, programming for the New Song, became a major

force, as composers were made aware of the importance of radio airplay

in selling their work. This burgeoning new Christian industry created

staggering moral and ethical dilemmas. Fame became equated with

effective ministry. Aesthetic considerations dominated as musicians

became absorbed in the process rather than the purpose of making

music. The message of redemption was soft-peddled as attempts to break

into the "secular" music mainstream intensified. This industry and the

established church often seemed to be working at cross purpose.

Late in the decade, however, a process of reflection and re-evaluation

began to take place. Artists and executives returned to a serious

search for the purpose to which God had called them. For example, at

Maranatha! Music in 1979, we had a full roster of popular contemporary

49

Christian artists, each requiring substantial recording and

promotional budgets to continue their "ministries." Fewer artists were

receiving greater attention with diminishing results. At the same

time, that branch of Maranatha! Music involved with simple songs of

worship, called Praise Music, was flourishing. Our mandate seemed

clear: by 1980 we had released from contractual obligations all of our

artists and began concentrating our efforts on a program of equipping

young music ministers for active roles in local communities.

Although its form was often modeled on the surrounding pop culture,

New Song of the seventies was, by and large, born of a work of the

Holy Spirit and nurtured by a young and growing church. The ranks of

Christian workers in the creative arts--utilizing the full spectrum of

modern communications--evidenced a continued and genuine desire for

reformation and renewal.

SUMMATION AND OBSERVATIONSThis paper has attempted to provide insight into some of the key

individuals, movements, and events relating to the role of music in

revival, with a particular emphasis on the contemporary awakening of

the Jesus Movement.

Section I was foundational, exploring biblical song and its vital

place in scripture, which described rather than prescribed the uses of

music. We reviewed briefly Hebraic musical practices as contrasted

with the Greek science of music--a theoretical doctrine which

separated music from the fabric of life. We reviewed the rise of the

hierarchical church through the Middle Ages, a period when the act of

worship was increasingly normalized in such musical traditions as the

Gregorian Chant. We noted a few exceptions of individuals and groups

with whom the New Song was evident.

With the Reformation, we attempted to document the activities of the

music reformers, most often the key theologians and pastors of the

time. The restoration of congregational song, in public worship and

through the singing of psalms and hymns, was noted. We alluded, in

passing, to the impact of the printing press.

Section two dealt with the New Song in American Revivalism, most

particularly through the influence of Isaac Watts, who bridged the gap

between outmoded psalm singing and a genuine expressions of praise.

Along with the developing rural tradition of folk hymnody, the turn of

the eighteenth century saw the hymns of Charles Wesley gain widespread

acceptance. New Song re-emerged in the camp meetings, Sunday school,

50

and those gospel music forms popularized by Ira Sankey in 1875. The

communications revolution marked the advent of the twentieth century

with the long-term impact on both the substance and style of revival

music. We followed in Section III with a review of New Songs role in

the Jesus Movement of the late sixties as well as the birth of a

contem- porary music form and the attendant rise of commercialism.

We have observed that, almost without exception, genuine spiritual

awakening has resulted in the birth of New Song. New Song is

associative to God's work, not causative, although it serves several

important functions. It bears the message of renewal. It unites the

people in worship. It records God's work.

Additionally, in many ways it symbolizes the renewal, tracing the

history of the awakening and reflecting its theological concerns. The

universal priesthood of the believer, espoused by Luther, was made

manifest in congregational singing. Calvin's vision of the church as a

restored Israel resulted in his work to renew the psalms. Their ac-

complishments will endure, and our concern should lie at least as much

with their practices as with their product.

The church has for too long majored in theological thought and minored

in an understanding of the importance of music to express the truth of

Jesus Christ. Music that meets the needs of the people is the direct

result of ecstatic revival, while change in ecclesiastical musical

tradition is often slow and agonizing. Jonathan Edwards, in his

defense of the revival of 1740, set out five criteria for genuine

spiritual revival. It must first exalt Jesus Christ. It must attack

the Kingdom of Darkness. It must honor the scriptures. It must promote

sound doctrine. It must involve an outpouring of love toward God and

man. To this list, we might add a sixth: it must bring a New Song to

the church.

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Hymnody, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1978.

Sampson, George, The Century of Divine Songs, The University Press,

Oxford, England, 1943.

Schafer, William J., Rock Music: Where It's Been, What It Means, Where

It's Going, Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1972.

Dissertations Bynum, Alton Clark, "Music Programs and Practices of the Christian and

Missionary Alliance," Ed.D. dissertation, Education & Music, New

Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 1975.

Consier, O.P., Sister Patricia Eileen, "Factors Relating to

Participation and Non-Participation in the Music of the Liturgy by

Members of the Roman Catholic Church," Ph.D. dissertation, Education &

Music, The Florida State University, 1975.

Dooley, James Edward, "Thomas Hastings: American Church Musician,"

Ph.D. dissertation, Music, The Florida State University, 1963.

Doughty, Gavin Lloyd, "The History and Development of Music in the

United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America," Ph.D.-

dissertation, Music, The University of Iowa, 1966.

53

Downey, James Cecil, "The Music of American Revivalism," Ph.D.

dissertation, Music, Tulane University, 1968.

Downs, Cleamon Rubin, "A History of the Southern Baptist Church Music

Conference, 1957-1973," D.M.A. thesis, Music, The Southern Baptist

Theological Seminary, 1976.

Hammond, Paul Garnett, "Music in Urban Revivalism in the Northern

United States, 1800-1835," D.M.A. thesis, Music, The Southern Baptist

Theological Seminary, 1974.

Holborn, Hans Ludwig, "Bach and Pietism: The Relationship of the

Church Music of Johann Sebastian Bach to Eighteenth Century Lutheran

Orthodoxy and Pietism with Special Reference to the Saint Matthew

Passion," D.M. dissertation, School of Theology at Claremont, 1976.

Hoyem, Nell-Marie, "John Dahle: A Positive Influence in the

Development of Church Music in the American Mid-West 1876-1931," Ph.D.

dissertation, University of Minnesota, 1967.

Kaatrud, Paul Gaarder, "Revivalism and the Popular Spiritual Song in

Mid-Nineteenth Century America: 1830-1870," Ph.D. dissertation, Music,

University of Minnesota, 1977.

Kraiss, Barbara A., "The Contemporary American Popular Church Cantata

in Evangelical Renewal Since World War II," M.A. thesis, California

State University, Fullerton, 1982.

Lehmann, Arnold Otto, "The Music of the Lutheran Church, Synodical

Conference, Chiefly the Areas of Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin and

Neighboring States, 1839-1941," Ph.D. dissertation, Music, Western

Reserve University, 1967.

Maultsby, Portia Katrenia, "Afro-American Religious Music: 1619-1861,"

Ph.D. dissertation, Music, The University of Wisconsin, 1974.

McKissick, Marvin Leo, "A Study of the Function of Music in the Major

Religious Revivals in America Since 1875," M.A. thesis, Music,

University of Southern California, 1957.

Scholes, Percy, The Puritans and Music in England and New England,

Oxford University Press, London, 1934. Schrade, Leo, Bach: The

Conflict Between the Sacred and the Secular, De Capo Press, New York,

1973. Sizer, Sandra S., Gospel Hymns and Social Religion: The Rhetoric

of Nineteenth-Centur Revivalism, Temple University Press,

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1978.

Stebbins, George C., Reminiscences and Gospel Hymn Stories, reprint of

1924 ed., AMS Press, Inc., New York, 1971.

Stevenson, Robert, Protestant Church Music in America: A Short Survey

of Men and Movements from 1564 to the Present, W. W. Norton & Company,

54

Inc., New York. Sweet, William Warren, Revivalism in America: Its

Origin, Growth and Decline, Peter Smith, Gloucester, Massachusetts,

1965.

Webber, Robert E., Worship Old and New, Zondervan Publishing House,

Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1982.

Weisberger, Bernard A., They Gathered at the River: The Story of the

Great Revivalists and Their Impact Upon Religion in America, Little,

Brown and Company, Boston, Massachusetts, 1958.

Werner, Eric, The Sacred Bridge: The Interdependence of Liturgy and

Music in Synagogue and Church during the First Millennium, Columbia

University Press, New York, 1959.

5. MUSIC AS THERAPY.

A Music Therapist's Reflections on

the Experience of Biblical Worshipby Lynda A. Tracy

<http://members.aol.com/laudemont/bwigfy.htm>

I am a music therapist. Music therapy is an art, a science, and a

profession. Many things I have experienced as a music therapist I have

recognized as spiritual experiences, but often wondered how to express

them -- the "scientific method" is insufficient to describe the

happenings in a therapeutic relationship, especially when musical

experiences are the foundation of the relationship and music has

effects that may be very difficult to measure. As I have explored the

use of music in biblical worship, I have found my understanding of my

own profession as a ministry to be increased. This article, therefore,

is personal vocational reflection as well as a study of literature on

music and on biblical worship. Most Christians would agree that

worship involves both a lifestyle of obedient service and specific

acts of adoration and submission. However, for the limited purpose of

this article, I will use the word "worship" to refer primarily to the

events that take place during a public service of worship. Although I

will refer to specific acts, gestures, and rituals as part of worship,

I must emphasize that these in themselves do not constitute worship

nor does performing them cause the worship to be "effective." I concur

with David Peterson that "worship is ... faith expressing itself in

55

obedience and adoration ... relevant to every sphere of life."1 In

addition to faith, acceptable worship includes ministry to one another

with love, forgiveness, and encouragement (1 Thess. 5:11).

Worship Is Healthy God's plan for humanity includes both physical health and emotional growth. For a Christian, participation

in the symbolic liturgy of worship is directly related to formation of

healthy attitudes and emotional experiences.2 Several contemporary

studies have shown that practicing any religion is more healthy than

practicing none.3 Churchgoers in particular have larger social

networks and more favorable perceptions of the quality of their social

relationships.4 Psychological functioning and spiritual maturity are

highly correlated, suggesting parallel developmental processes,

especially in the areas of spiritual well-being, worship and

commitment, involvement in organized religion, and fellowship.5

Religion based in the Judeo-Christian religious tradition appears to

have a wide range of positive effects on well-being and psychological

stability in older adults.6 One study found that "most of the research

linking religion to positive mental health focused on behavioral

events that could be reliably observed and measured and were

unambiguous in their significance".7 David B. Larson, M.D., states,

"Statistically, God is good for you. ... I was told by my [medical

school] professors that religion is harmful. ... If you look at the

research, in area after area, it's 80 percent beneficial."8 A. W.

Tozer asserted that "worship is the normal employment of human

beings." It is what we were created for: a relationship with God, in

which we recognize and praise him for who he is, and he is worshiped

as he desires to be worshiped. William Temple, Archbishop of

Canterbury, said, "To worship is to quicken the conscience by the

holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the

imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of

God, to devote the will to the purpose of God".9 Engagement in worship

meets our needs as human beings for purity, knowledge, beauty, love,

and purpose. Music helps enable all of these to take place in us.

Beneficial Effects of Music There is much documented evidence that exposure to or involvement in music also has beneficial

effects on both mind and body. For example, various types of music can

contribute to increases or decreases in heart rate, respiration, blood

56

pressure, muscle tension, muscle activity and motor responses. Music

affects peripheral skin temperature, gastric activity, and biochemical

responses in the body.10 Involvement in learning of music before the

age of twelve contributes to increases in spatial intelligence and

math skills.11 The implication of these facts about music, when

connected with worship, is that those who are actively involved in the

music of worship may be likely to experience beneficial effects that

extend outside the spiritual realm to improved physical and

intellectual functioning. As a music therapist considering the music

of worship, perhaps I need to present a definition of music therapy:

The Canadian Association of Music Therapy has defined music therapy as

follows: "Music therapy is the skillful use of music and musical

elements by a trained music therapist, to promote, maintain, and

restore mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Music has

nonverbal, creative, structural, and emotive qualities. These are used

in the therapeutic relationship to facilitate contact, interaction,

self-awareness, learning, self-expression, communication and personal

development" (CAMT, 1994). In treatment planning, music therapists may

use any of the five possible ways to experience music: by singing,

playing, moving, listening to, or creating it. Music therapists often

use music as a nonverbal medium of communication, and may incorporate

art forms other than music into the music therapy treatment plan, such

as visual art, story-telling, and drama. The purpose of the music of

biblical worship is to enable the worshiper to encounter the living

God. The musical experiences of worship are able to communicate both

verbal and nonverbal messages to the worshiper; they "speak directly

to the intuitive capacities... bearing a sense of majesty, wonder,

mystery, and delight, and bringing a release of the soul even without

recourse to words".12 Music is essential in biblical worship. All

five of the above listed ways to experience music -- sing, play, move,

listen, create -- are included in the biblical examples of music in

worship. There are many references to singing and playing instruments

in the instructions for and descriptions of worship in the Bible. Many

are phrased in the imperative, and the language implies enthusiasm and

exuberance: Come before him with joyful singing" (Ps. 100:2, NASB)

Praise him with trumpet sound; Praise him with harp and lyre. Praise

him with timbrel and dancing; Praise him with stringed instruments

and pipe. Praise him with loud cymbals; Praise him with resounding

cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the

Lord! (Ps. 150:3-6, NASB) When preparing songs suitable for group

57

therapy sessions, a music therapist will find or compose songs with

certain characteristics that cause the songs to lend themselves to

participation by the group members: a simple melody that can be sung

in unison with an uncomplicated accompaniment by the therapist often

a "verse-refrain" structure that permits clients to memorize and

repeat a simple chorus words that are easily understood. The songs

of the temple worship in ancient Jerusalem shared similar

characteristics. The music was chant-like, of limited range, sung in

unison, and sung from memory since there was no system of notation on

paper. We have no way of knowing how the music of the Old Testament

really sounded, but musicologists have established a relationship

between ancient Jewish singing and Gregorian chant. It is probable

that the melodies were based on a pentatonic scale.13 While Moses'

directions for worship in the tabernacle in the wilderness do not

include music, David appointed musicians to accompany the ark of the

covenant when it was eventually brought to Zion (1 Chron. 15:16-24).

He also established professional guilds of hundreds of singers and

instrumentalists, specially trained to lead worship both day and night

at the ark's temporary lodging in a tent in Jerusalem (1 Chron.

16:4-7, 25:1-7). Their music continued when sacrifices were

reinstituted with the dedication of the temple during Solomon's reign

(2 Chron. 5:11-14, Ps. 30). The music had a dual role: it accompanied

the offerings, and was itself a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving

(Pss. 23; 24; 27:6; 50:14, 23; 65:1). (See the article on Music and

Worship in the Bible <http://members.aol.com/laudemont/mawitb.htm> on

this web site.) While there are no specific instructions for the use

of music in worship in the New Testament, it is evident that there was

a familiar music of Christian worship in the early church. Luke

includes early Christian hymns in his account of the birth of Christ

(Luke 1-2). Paul and Silas passed the time in jail by singing hymns of

praise to God (Acts 16:25). Paul, in his letters to the churches,

often seems to be quoting from contemporary hymns in his epistles, and

frequently quotes from the Psalms. He encourages the church at Ephesus

to address one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Eph.

5:18-20), and the Colossian church (Col. 3:16) to do the same to teach

each other and as a sign of being indwelt by the Holy Spirit.14 John,

in the Revelation, depicts a chorus, eventually joined by people,

angels, and every living creature, singing hymns and doxologies to God

on the throne as they celebrate Christ's victory (Rev. 5:11-14).

Religious awakenings and revivals through the history of the Church

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have always been associated with new songs: revivals of faith seem to

have gone hand-in-hand with revivals of the music of worship.

Generally, vocal and instrumental music in the Scriptures are

functional: they have a particular use in the life of the Lord's

people. Though musical skill was admired, the purpose was not to call

attention to the composer or the performer, but to lead the whole

celebrating community.

Gesture and Movement Often connected with music is a language of gesture and movement in biblical worship. The way humans

move has profound effects on not only their physical health but on

their feelings, their affect, and even the choices they make.15 There

are many biblical references to the expressive movements of worship,

which include bowing, kneeling, lifting and clapping the hands,

processions, and festive dance. Human beings are creatures of rhythm;

the many systems of our bodies operate in their own rhythms, we walk

and breathe and our hearts beat in rhythm. Some of the earliest non-

verbal communication of an infant can be clapping the hands or

bouncing to music -- and the Scriptures also teach about the

childlikeness of trusting faith (e.g. Luke 18:16-17, Rom. 8:15).

Rhythmic movement and dance, like music, is unique to human beings and

may be seen as evidence of the image of God in which we were created.

Just as worship involves the whole life, the gestures of worship

denote a visible involvement of the whole person, and as such "are an

important statement about the philosophy of worship."16 Gestures and

movement are part of the symbols of worship. Symbols have both

aesthetic and didactic value.17 The use of symbol requires the

worshiper to exercise mind and imagination in his offering of praise.

Worship is always symbolic; even in worship settings where visual

symbols such as movement or art are avoided, linguistic symbolism will

still be used.18 In worship, liturgical gestures are non-verbal

communicators, engaging senses of touch and kinesthesia as well as

sight, hearing, mind, and will in order to fully engage the spirit.

An important symbolic gesture of worship is lifting the hands, an

ancient universal symbol of covenant loyalty. The people of ancient

Israel would extend their hands toward the sanctuary (I Kings 8:28-30,

Ps. 28:2); toward the ark of the covenant, a symbol of God's throne on

earth (Lam. 2:9); or toward heaven (Lam. 3:41). In the New Testament,

the practice of raising the hands in praise or supplication was

59

maintained. Paul desired that all believers should "lift up holy

hands" (1 Tim. 2:8). In the ancient world such gestures as bowing,

kneeling, or falling prostrate were the suitable acts of humility

before a king, demonstrating respect and fear. Yahweh was Israel's

King; therefore Israel bowed before him (Ps. 95:6; Isa. 45:23). Later,

the Magi bowed before the infant Jesus, indicating they recognized his

identity as King. There are instances of Solomon and Daniel kneeling

in prayer in the Old Testament, and Peter, Paul, and Jesus all knelt

to pray in the New Testament. Clapping the hands is often mentioned in

the Psalms (e.g. Ps. 47:1) and was symbolic of a king's victory over

his enemies; in Christian worship, it is a declaration of the victory

and dominion of Christ. These gestures continue to be practiced in the

church of today. Drama and mime are also part of the symbolic

gestures of worship. The prophets used symbolic gestures to

demonstrate their messages; Jeremiah broke a potter's jar (Jer.

18:1-6), and Ezekiel drew a picture of Jerusalem on a brick and

besieged it (Ezek. 4:1-3). Jesus painted vivid word pictures in his

parables, to give his hearers an imagery symbolic of spiritual truths.

Dance also served as a powerful "symbol of the worshiper's abandon

before the holy, as the creature forgets self in the presence of the

Creator."19 Miriam led the women in an spontaneously improvised dance,

with tambourines and singing, to praise God for Israel's escape from

Egypt (Ex. 15:20). David "danced before the Lord with all his might",

leading the celebration when the ark of the Covenant was returned to

Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:14). The dancing of a group could symbolize the

corporate nature of covenant worship, in which each individual is a

member of a larger community; David's solo dance before the ark seems

to have been an act of personal worship, though in a public place.

Centuries later, the prophet Jeremiah speaks of the cessation of dance

as part of the results of breaking the covenant with God (Lam.

5:15-16), and the restoration of dance as a sign of God's blessing in

the new covenant (Jer. 31:4, 13).

Worship and Celebration Effective biblical worship builds to a climax or central event. In ancient Israel, this was the

appearance of the Lord, the manifestation of his glory in the

sanctuary (Ex. 40:34; 2 Chron. 7:1-3). In the New Testament, the

climactic event is the ritual drama of the Lord's Supper. Movement,

often associated with music, as experienced in the biblical gestures

60

of worship in processions, dance, and drama, and in the overall rhythm

of the whole service, contributes to "the sense that something is

happening in worship."20 Creating, that is, composing or improvising,

new music was also part of biblical worship. The Psalms four times

repeat the invitation, "Sing unto the Lord a new song" (Pss. 33:3;

96:1; 98:1; 149:1). Improvised music was also associated with

prophecy, special messages from God. The Israelite prophets were

musicians who composed and improvised songs, laments, and poetic

compositions (1 Sam. 10:5; 2 Chron: 35:25; Isa. 5:1-7; 26:1-6).21

There are also examples of spontaneous song in private worship, such

as Hannah's song of thanksgiving at the birth of Samuel (1 Sam.

2:1-10). Prophecy could be instrumental as well as vocal. Saul met a

group of prophets who apparently sang and accompanied themselves on

instruments (1 Sam. 10:5, 6). David appointed 228 musicians to

"prophesy with lyres, harps, and cymbals" (1 Chron. 25:1-7), music

which also seems to have had an improvisational character. On other

occasions, the instrumental music apparently enabled prophecy: Elisha,

when asked for a message from God by the kings of Israel, Judah, and

Edom, first said, "Bring me a minstrel," or harpist. While listening

to the music he was given the prophecy (2 Kings 3:15). The term selah,which occurs 71 times in the Psalms, could also mean an opportunity

for improvisation in worship; it is thought to mean an instrumental

interlude, or a vocal and instrumental reflection on what has just

been sung.22 The singing, dancing, and playing of instruments in the

worship of the ancient Hebrews often took place in the context of a

ritual procession which was not at all solemn! When the rebuilt wall

of Jerusalem was dedicated, the book of Nehemiah describes two choirs,

with cymbals, harps, lyres, and trumpets, which led the people of

Jerusalem in a great dual procession in opposite directions on top of

the city wall and through the city, eventually meeting in the temple

(Neh. 12: 31-42). The shouting and celebrating were loud enough to be

heard outside the city, "from afar" (Neh. 12:43).23

Silence and Listening The sounds of biblical worship include "the sound of silence." I am reminded of the old saying,

"There is no music in a rest, but there is the making of music in it."

Therefore, the silences of worship are just as important to the rhythm

of the total experience as the auditory music and words.24 "In the

presence of the mystery of the being of God, silence is an appropriate

61

act of worship."25 The prophet Habakkuk announces, "The Lord is in his

holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him" (Hab. 2:20). One

of David's Psalms mentions silence along with praise (Ps. 65:1). The

silences of biblical worship are not for prayer but for response "to

the manifestation of the majesty and mystery of God, and therefore a

part of his praise." 26 "Silence takes the worshiper out of time and

into God's eternity."27 In musician's language, there is a rhythm to

the times of celebration, the times of solemnity, and the times of

silence, and there is a timelessness in the absence of tempo and

rhythm. In the waiting on God in silence no human being is in control

of the experiences of any other, and the worshiper is free to listen

to God. The one experience of music that has not been mentioned yet

is listening, yet all the sounds of biblical worship imply that there

must be hearers. The important aspect of the implied listening in the

biblical commands and examples of worship is that there is no

provision for passive listening to the words or songs or music of

others. E. Schweitzer remarks, "It is completely foreign to the New

Testament to split the Christian community into one speaker and a

silent body of listeners."28 The "hearing" of worship is attentive,

involved, and participatory. In his final words to Israel, Moses makes

a connection between hearing and covenant-keeping: See, I have set

before you this day life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in

that I command you today to love the Lord your God ... that the Lord

thy God may bless you in the land. ... But if your heart turns away

and you will not obey [Hebrew shama', "hear"], but are drawn away and

worship other gods ... you shall surely perish " (Deut. 30:15-28).29

Also related to Israel's failure to keep the covenant with God are the

prophet Amos's warnings about the music that God would not hear:

Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to

the sound of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters, and

righteousness like an ever-flowing stream (Amos 5:23, NASB). Woe to

those who are at ease [i.e., complacent] in Zion... who improvise to

the sound of the harp, and like David have composed songs for

themselves... yet they have not grieved over the ruin of Joseph"

(Amos 6:1, 5, 6). In a service of worship, it is God himself who is

the great Listener, who will refuse to hear if the music of the

worshiper is not coming from a life that shows justice, holiness, and

compassion. As bearers of God's image (Gen. 1:26), even human beings

are symbols of God.30 God's image in humanity includes the need for

aesthetic experience -- the need for beauty. The beauty of artistry of

62

the tabernacle and later the temple, the singing, playing of

instruments, the dances and gestures of worship, the silences, all

contribute to the meeting of this God-given need for beauty in a

manner designed by God himself for our good.

Worship Brings Blessing and Health David Peterson cautions, "Mere performance of a rite does not make it effective."31

If there is no faith in the heart of the "worshiper", no worship

results from the practice of any of the above symbolic acts. The acts

and rituals are not magic -- there is no superstitious need to "do it

right" in order to get God's approval, since "his covenant love is

great toward us" (Ps. 117:2), and he looks on the heart rather than

the offering (Ps. 51:16-17). In the ancient world, this fact about

Israel's worship was unique. In other ancient religions, rituals were

performed to appease angry or capricious gods, or to persuade the gods

to do what the worshipers wanted. To the New Testament believer, the

meaning of grace is that God already approves of the redemption that

Christ purchased through the perfect sacrifice of himself, and not

because it is deserved or earned through the practice of rituals. When

we worship God using the symbolic acts of biblical worship, it is to

express our offering of thanks to God for his provision of our

salvation. We worship him because he deserves it, and we worship him

in the biblical manner as an act of obedience, and because his word

tells us it pleases him (Ps. 69:30-31, Heb. 13:15-16). Worship is both

generated from and completed in a personal lifestyle of obedient

service. The breaking of the covenant with God involved sanctions:

blessings if the covenant was kept, and curses if it was violated

(Deut. 11:26-28). The predicted effects of violation of the covenant

could include the loss of health, in the form of pestilence, illness,

plague, famine, drought, and the end of joyful sounds such as music

and dance (Lam. 5:15).32 The restoration of the covenant was to

include the opposite, the blessings of the restoration of health and

music (Jer. 31:1-14). Like the other symbolic acts of biblical

worship, music is a gift of God, intended to be used for sacred

purposes, but is not magic to accomplish an individual's own desired

results. Among the health-enabling qualities of biblical worship is

the freedom of emotional expression, both verbal and nonverbal, that

is available in the singing, improvisation, and movement. The 1993

study by Berry and Pennebaker suggests that people who "actively

63

inhibit emotional expression are a greater risk for a variety of

health problems"; they speculate that the nonverbal expression of

emotion also bears a relationship to health status.33 The frequent

rehearsal of the "words of the covenant" in song could potentially

have had a beneficial effect on the whole society of ancient Israel.

In our present century. H. M. Zullow analyzed the lyrics of the top 40

popular songs of each year from 1955 to 1989, searching for depressive

psychological traits, and compared these with the results of consumer

surveys.34 He found that pessimistic ruminations in popular music

predicted, with 1 to 2 years lead time, increased rumination about bad

events in the media, changes in the media and public's world view, and

pessimism about the economy. These in turn predicted changes in

consumer spending and GNP. Obviously, God knew that if all Israel

worshiped him by singing about his goodness and constant provision for

his people, the whole nation would prosper!

Worship and Therapy In reflecting on these characteristics of biblical worship, I have been struck with the fact that they sound

so similar to what I have experienced in some music therapy sessions.

Often, something familiar has been evoked in myself during an

effective session: it is the same feeling that I experience at an

"effective" service of worship. Several significant aspects of

biblical worship are reenacted or simulated within a music therapy

session. The greeting song or "check-in" improvisation of a music

therapy session could be analogous to the Act of Entrance of a worship

service, and the closing song can be like a Benediction -- a blessing

by the therapist as the client goes back into his daily world. In a

way, the non-verbal communication that takes place in instrumental

improvisation resembles a Service of the Word, in that it is a

symbolic truth-telling without words. The instruments themselves may

become both visible and auditory symbols, and the silence before

beginning to play can feel like "all the earth keeping silence before

him." The five experiences of music with which music therapists

work -- move, sing, listen, play, create -- are all included in the

descriptions of biblical worship above. The examples of worship in the

Bible are full of singing of "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs";

expressive movements like clapping hands, raising the arms, and

dancing; playing of instruments both professionally and spontaneously;

and the creation of music both composed and improvised. All of these

64

are activities music therapists use to promote health in an

individual. Every way in which a human being can experience music has

been included in God's plan for worship. Music in worship does not

just have value from participating in the five experiences of music

outlined above, but in the spiritual experiences and insight that can

be the result. Music, whether composed or improvised, whether sung or

played, can evoke an experience of the numinous for the worshiper.35

The music therapist's goal in the therapeutic relationship with a

client is change in the client; the result of truly participating in

worship is transformation and change in the believer's life.36 While

God desires and is pleased with our praises directed to him, his goal

for us is our transformation through the experiences of worship. This

article reflects on worship, on the experience of music in a service

of worship, and briefly on the spiritual experiences in the practice

of music therapy. It has been a personal effort to explore why the

practice of music therapy has been in so many ways an experience of

worship for me as the therapist, and to explain for myself why music

therapy is such a uniquely Christian profession and calling for me. It

has also been an effort to discover more of all the health that God

meant to give us when he gave us music for the purpose of praising

him. Lynda A. Tracy is coordinator of supervision for the music therapy program at Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, and maintains a private practice in music therapy. She earned the B.Mus.Th. degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and holds two Associate degrees from the Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto, in the teaching of piano and singing. She is a member of Waterloo Pentecostal Assembly. This article was originally submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for a master's degree program at Ontario Theological Seminary, Toronto.[Return to beginning of article <http://members.aol.com/laudemont/bwigfy.htm>] Footnotes 1 D.

Peterson, Engaging with God: A Biblical Theology of Worship (Grand

Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992), p. 283. 2 J. Astley, "The Role of Worship in

Christian Learning," Religious Education, Vol. 79, No. 2 (1984), pp.

243-251. 3 E.g., J. S. Levin and H. Y. Vanderpool, "Is Frequent

Religious Attendance Really Conducive to Better Health?", Social Science and Medicine, Vol. 24, No. 7 (1987), pp. 589-600 [Abstract,

PsycLIT Database, American Psychological Association, 1988]. 4 C. G.

Ellison and L. K. George, "Religious Involvement, Social Ties, and

Social Support in a Southeastern Community, " Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Vol. 33, No. 1 (1994), pp. 46-61. 5 T.

65

W. Hall and B. F. Brokaw, "The Relationship of Spiritual Maturity to

Level of Object Relations Development and God Image," Pastoral Psychology, Vol. 43, No. 6 (1995), pp. 373-391. 6 H. G. Koenig, "The

Relationship Between Judeo-Christian Religion and Mental Health Among

Middle-Aged and Older Adults," Advances,Vol. 9, No. 4 (1993), pp. 33-39 [Abstract, PsycLIT Database, American Psychological Association,

1994]. 7 J. Gartner, D. B. Larson and G. D. Allen, "Religious

Commitment and Mental Health: A Review of the Empirical Literature,"

Journal of Psychology and Theology, Vol. 19, No. 1 (1991), pp. 6-25

[Special Issue: Spirituality: Perspectives in Theory and Research]. Interestingly, Gartner et al. also commented that many of the studies

which claimed to show a negative correlation between religious belief

and mental health had used subjective pencil-and-paper questionnaires,

which were more apt to be phrased so as to reflect the bias of the

researchers (pp. 6, 15). 8 Cited in L. Dossey, Prayer Is Good Medicine(New York: HarperCollins, 1996), pp. 2-3. 9 Quoted by C. Tuttle,

"Foundations of Praise and Worship," in R. Sheldon (ed.), In Spirit and in Truth: Exploring Directions in Music in Worship Today (London:

Hodder & Stoughton, 1989). 10 Numerous studies are cited by D. L.

Bartlett, "Physiological Responses to Music and Sound Stimuli," in D.

Hodges (ed.), Handbook of Music Psychology (San Antonio, IMR Press,

1996), pp. 343-385) 11 Several studies are cited by A. M. Green,

"Music Is Instrumental in Brain Development," Ontario Registered Music

Teachers' Association: Notes, Spring, 1997, pp. 29-30. 12 R. Leonard,

"Biblical Philosophy of the Worship Arts," in. R. E. Webber (ed.), The Complete Library of Christian Worship, Vol. 1,The Biblical Foundations of Christian Worship (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers,

1993), pp. 221-222. 13 K. E. Osbeck, The Endless Song: Music and Worship in the Church (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1987). In the Kodaly

system of music education, tones in the pentatonic scale are taught to

young children first, because this scale, having no semitones, is

easier to sing in tune, and because pentatonic songs are found in the

early folk music of almost every culture. 14 As such, spiritual songs

were set apart from other songs, inspired by the Spirit and possibly

composed spontaneously: a New Testament example of vocal improvisation

in worship. 15 G. Tom, P. Pettersen, T. Lau, T. Burton et al, "The

Role of Overt Head Movement in the Formation of Affect," Basic and Applied Social Psychology, Vol. 12, No. 3 (1991) pp. 281-289

[Abstract, PsycLIT Database, American Psychological Association,

1992]. The researchers found that nodding head movements up and down

66

resulted in increased positive feelings, and side to side movements

resulted in increased negative feelings. Participants in the study who

nodded their heads even felt more positively toward a pen that had

been left on the desk in front of them while nodding their heads, and

were more likely to state that they would like it as a gift. Shaking

the head side to side resulted in a decline in preference for the pen.

As a music therapist, I would suspect that music could be used to

enhance the effect! These results suggests to me that our physical

movements during worship are likely to have an effect on how we

perceive the worship experience. There is something to be said for

deciding to offer physically active praise -- and perhaps it is even

more a "sacrifice of praise" when we don't initially feel like moving!

16 R. Leonard, "Acts of Entrance in Traditional Worship," in The Biblical Foundations of Christian Worship, pp. 288-291. 17 A. E. Hill,

Enter His Courts with Praise! Old Testament Worship for the New Testament Church (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1993), p. 134. 18 J. E. Leonard

and R. Leonard, "Symbolism in Biblical Worship," in The Biblical Foundations of Christian Worship, pp. 38-55. 19 R. Leonard, "Biblical

Philosophy of the Worship Arts," in The Biblical Foundations of Christian Worship, p. 222. 20 Ibid., pp. 221-222. 21 Ezekiel

apparently had a complaint about the receptiveness of the people who

heard his songs of prophecy: that they were paying no more attention

to his prophecies than if he had been singing popular love songs!

(Ezek. 33:32) 22 R. Leonard, "The Psalms in Biblical Worship," in The Biblical Foundations of Christian Worship, p 244; Osbeck, The Endless Song, p. 44. 23 Unfortunately, many instances of dance in worship in

the Old Testament are obscured for English-speaking readers: a number

of Hebrew words for dancing, of which some indicate a corporate round

dance and others express an individual's leaping for joy or "dancing

in the Holy Spirit", have been translated "rejoice" or "tremble", or

even "fear." For example, a more accurate Ps. 96:9 would read "O

worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; dance with joy before him,

all the earth." In the New Testament also, various Greek words

describing dancing that occurred on 43 different occasions in the NT

are often translated as simply "rejoice" (L. M. Petersen, "Dance and

Banners in Worship," in The Biblical Foundations of Christian Worship,pp. 263-268). Therefore, it seems that many Christians in the English-

speaking world may not even be aware of their heritage and the

Biblical examples of dance in worship. 24 Hill, Enter His Courts with Praise! p. 106. 25 R. Leonard, "Acts of Entrance in Traditional

67

Worship," in The Biblical Foundations of Christian Worship, p. 290. 26

Ibid., p. 291. 27 Hill, Enter His Courts with Praise! p. 106. 28 E.

Schweitzer, "Worship in the New Testament", The Reformed and Presbyterian World, Vol. 24, No. 5 (1957), p. 295; quoted in R. P.

Martin, Worship in the Early Church (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964), p.

135. 29 The Hebrew word Shama', often translated "hear" in older

English versions, means to hear intelligently, with the implication of

attention and obedience. Contemporary translations of this passage

have rendered it "obey". The same word is translated "hear" in many

other instances to express how God hears us, and how we ask God to

hear us (e.g. 2 Sam. 22:7 and many psalms). 30 J. E. Leonard and R.

Leonard, "Symbolism in Biblical Worship," in The Biblical Foundations of Christian Worship, p. 39. 31 Peterson, Engaging with God, p. 41. 32

J. E. Leonard, I Will Be Their God (Chicago: Laudemont Press, 1992),

pp. 62, 23. 33 D. S. Berry and J. W. Pennebaker, "Nonverbal and Verbal

Emotional Expression and Health," Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics,Vol. 59, No. 1 (1993), pp. 11-19 [Abstract, PsycLIT Database, American

Psychological Association, 1993]. 34 H. M. Zullow, "Pessimistic

Rumination in Popular Songs and Newsmagazines Predicts Economic

Recession Via Decreased Consumer Optimism and Spending," Journal of Economic Psychology, Vol. 12, No. 3 (1991), pp. 501-526 [Abstract,

PsycLIT Database, American Psychological Association, 1992]. 35 R.

Leonard, "Biblical Philosophy of the Worship Arts," in The Biblical Foundations of Christian Worship, pp. 217-218. 36 M. B. Aune, "But

Only Say the word": Another Look at Christian Worship As Therapeutic,"

Pastoral Psychology, Vol. 41, No. 3 (1993), pp. 145-157. ©1997 by Laudemont Ministries

6. MUSICIANS GODLINESS VITAL.. The Musician in Revival What is the role of worship in the kind of blessing we

are experiencing at the moment? What’s the next stage, and how should we prepare

for it? During the summer of 1994 Stuart Townend spoke with JOHN WIMBER, who

brings some encouragement - and a word of warning. John, what’s your

perspective on what’s going on at the moment, and how it relates to the

worshipping life of the church? The two are very closely linked. Historically,

every revival move of God has produced new music. Sometimes the music actually

precipitated revival, sometimes it occurred during revival, but it was always present

in the aftermath. Often the new song were very simple in style, and were actually

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borrowed from contemporary settings - the popular music of the day, if you will. In

this context, the contemporary worship that has been produced in the last thirty

years of renewal in the UK is very significant. In both the mainline and house church

streams, God has raised up teachers and leaders who have emphasized the

importance of praise and worship, of adoration and intimacy, and this has produced

the dividend of hearts ready and receptive to the work of God in the lives of His

people. Just back in California we dig waterways and ditches and allow water to flow

through them, so the teaching and leadership of these people has developed a

readiness and hunger for the kind of refreshing that has been triggered by the

events in Toronto. As I understand it, the airlines busy these days flying people

back and forth from the UK to Toronto, and I think that is great. God is blessing

people there, strengthening, encouraging, equipping, healing and delivering people.

But I believe the best is yet to come, not only in terms of recovery and

strengthening of the church, but in the expression of that recovery and

strengthening through new songs. That’s not to say that today’s songs are not

good: I thank God all the time for the Graham Kendricks, the Noel Richards, the

Chris Bowaters, and the many others who contribute wonderfully to the refreshing

and the renewing of the church, as well as our own music a Vineyard: but in the fire

of revival , so to speak, the best music is yet to come. As writers, musicians and

worship leaders, then, how should we prepare for what God has in store for us?

The difficulty will not be so much in the writing of new and great music; the test will

be the godliness of those that perform and deliver it. In that sense some of our

worship community is not well prepared for revival. Many have been allowed into to

worship leading because of this new emphasis on contemporary groups and music,

and the consequent need for their worship skills and musical skills. But little has

been said to them about the need for godliness, spirituality and depth of maturity in

their individual and family lives. Quite frankly, many of our musicians are just not

steeped in a daily spirituality. And I’m frightened that this wave, this washing

through of Spirit we are currently experiencing, may produce wreckage in the lives

of many young men and women who could give leadership for the future. We

learned a lot from our own experiences of God’s initial outpouring in the Vineyard in

1979, and the following years. In that period we had both blessing and destruction.

We had people who were just not ready to be used of God in a highly public way,

although you would have thought they were from their gifts of teaching, ministry or

music: they were very gifted, but they just weren’t very godly. Having worked as a

pastor for a number of years, my concern in this current wave is that we all get

through this thing, with marriages, families and churches in tact, so that we can

“give a good report to God in that day”. We need to be aware that in times of

great blessing, there is also the potential for great testing and trail. This is not the

time for ‘business as usual’: this is a time to get deep into prayer and God’s word,

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and deal with those cracks and holes in our spiritual lives, to get our lives in order -

because with the blessing goes great pressure. What kind of pressure? Some of

the activity that is going on is quite extreme, and it’s incredibly easy in these times

to become so enamoured of some aspect of the outflow of God, that in trying to

protect or champion it, you will find yourself out of line with orthodoxy. Down

through the history of the church many wonderful things have happened that have

produced much fruit. But certain aspects of these things have led people to get out

of line with Scripture and the church, simply because of the excitement of the

moment and the intensity of the phenomena, often resulting in the birth of a cult. As

leaders we need to remain congruent with orthodoxy and orthopraxy, to maintain

our focus on the ‘main and the plain’ in Scripture. I don’t have any particular

aspects of the current phenomena in mind when I say this, and I’m certainly not

saying we should disallow the experiences that have come, even the excessive

experiences: but let us channel those experiences into good and godly belief and

practice, so that when revival comes and goes, we still have at our core these two

things - faith and practice. On ‘the road to revival’, so to speak, how far on do

you think we are? Through church history there have bee cycles of revival and

apostasy: the church pulling away from God, the surrounding community becoming

more sinful, someone being raised to call for repentance, the voice of the Lord being

heard, and people coming back to God in droves. I think this last feature is still to

come in this move of the Spirit. We are having a visitation, and we’re excited: but

we are not at this time being drawn into deep repentance, and we’re not preaching

the kinds of things that would help that. I believe that is the next phase, and that as

we are empowered and renewed we will o out into the community. In one sense,

we have been enjoying refreshing for thirty years, and that has produced an

environment that is ready for revival; so it does not surprise me that when God

moves on a man in Toronto, it creates a spark that ignites the nation. And I believe

that Europe has been looking to this nation for revival since the turn of the century,

so as it hits the UK it will impact the whole continent of Europe, with music and

teaching going hand in glove. We’ve already seen glimpses of it, with March for

Jesus, for example. So if we want to keep in step with what God is doing, and be

available to be used by Him, how can we practically set about it? Over the past six

months I’ve spent time reading some of the evangelical classics, like The

Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life, by Hanna Whitall Smith. I was given a copy the

third week after I became a Christian, and it gave me context for spirituality, and a

foundation for trust and obedience of God. Books like that have taught me that

seeking God for experiences and gifts is superficial: we are simply called to seek

God! I have preached many time that we are called to reverential serving of God

with our whole heart and being, stressing that if anything except God is your portion

in life, I can’t guarantee it: I can’t guarantee that your children will be happy, or

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that your spouse will love you forever… but I can guarantee that if your desire is

Jesus, you’ll get Jesus, and you can walk with Him all the days of your life. When I

went through this cancer a year or so ago, I was astounded when people from my

own church asked me, “Weren’t you afraid you were going to die?” After about the

fiftieth person, I realized that I had not taught my congregation the truth of the

word. I had to get before them and say, “In June 1963 this man died. And everything

from that time to this has been Jesus.” I’m not trying to hold onto my life: I gave

my life up. When I became a Christian, I was a musician with two albums I had

produced in the U.S. Top Ten; it was the establishment of my career after thirteen

years of hard work. But God spoke to me in the two line parable of the pearl of

great price: “I want it. Give it to me.” He didn’t say “give it to me and then I will

give you a career as a pastor, or a music that will go to many nations of the world.”

He said “give me everything. Liquidate all your assets, and I’ll give the pearl.”

Now the pearl isn’t a new career, or the opportunity to make a name for yourself as

a worship writer or leader. It isn’t even the ability to sustain yourself in that

profession. If your readers’ motivation in being involved in their local church

worship is to make a full-time career of it, they’ll probably be disappointed. The

pearl is Jesus. And if He is their focus, they’ll go right through this revival

unscathed. Oh, they’ll have to face things, but they will come through in a godly

fashion, and they will stand unashamed before the Lord, having been used to refresh

a nation - and through that nation, probably a whole continent. We’ve just been

doing a churchplanting seminar here, and we’ve worked out that between 4 and 10

per cent of the European community are tied closely to the church. That leaves

something in the region of 270 million people who need to be touched by God. And

on of the man means of doing that will be through worship and the worshipping

community. But think about it: if worship leads every move of God, as it did in the

Old Testament, where do you think the enemy will attack? And do you think He will

have mercy, and not attack at the point of our weakness? If you think that, you

don’t know anything about Him, and you don’t know anything about the art of

warfare. So this is not the time for secret sin; this is the time to pay attention, to

sober up, to focus on the things of God, to get rooted in the word of God and in the

church community; to give yourself wholeheartedly to God, and deal with any

weakness in your armor. If you do that, glorifying God in your personal, private life

as well as your public, professional endeavors, your shield may get a little dented,

but you’ll come through. WT

7. WHAT COUNTS IN MUSIC

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WHAT COUNTS IN MUSIC

IS THE DIVINE SENTIMENT

by Ron Allen

This is the second article in a series on the meaning of the Name of

God in the Old Testament. The issue is of great importance for the

worshiping community, for the Book of Psalms repeatedly commands true

believers to praise the Name of the Lord.

Despite repeated emphasis on the importance of the Name of God in all

parts of the Hebrew Bible, many people today are confused. They may

have seen the word Yahweh, but they think the Name of God is Jehovah.

It is a shocking thing for people to discover that Jehovah is neither

the Name of God, nor even a real Hebrew word!

Imagine this! Great hymn writers from the time of the Reformation to

today have intended to bring glory to God by using His Name in song,

but they have been using a term that has no inherent meaning, no

association with the praises of the Lord by ancient Israel, no

connection with the revelation of His Name on Mount Sinai. This is one

of the great ironies in our faith.

The Mystery of His Name

Here is how it came about: When the biblical writers penned the Word

of God in ancient times, the written Hebrew language did not have

vowel signs. The consonants were sufficient clues to the words so long

as Hebrew was a living language. However, when Hebrew was no longer in

daily use, people had more and more difficulty reading the Bible.

The Hebrew scholars who developed the system of representing vowels by

dots and dashes, most under consonants, did not invent the vowels, per

se, as is sometimes thought. The vowels were always a part of the

language. The scholars just developed a system of notating vowels

along with the consonantal alphabet that had been used for well over

2,000 years.

There is one more factor to this mystery. Despite the biblical

emphasis on the need to employ the divine Name as a joyful response to

His wonder, Jewish people, over time, developed a hesitation to speak

the Name aloud. This practice likely began in reverence, out of

respect for the third commandment. But over time, it became more of a

superstition.

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We believe this was a gradual process. Perhaps the first step was to

suggest that the Name of God should be used only in worship. Then

perhaps the demand was made that the divine Name was to be used only

by priests. By the time of the New Testament period, the only one who

was to pronounce the divine Name was the high priest, and he could say

it only once a year, on the holiest day of all, the Day of Atonement.

Substitution and Error

My point is this: The most important Name in all the Hebrew Bible, the

Name of God, was not pronounced by God's people. Instead, Hebrew

readers substituted another wonderful word, 'Adonay, meaning "[My

exalted] Lord." Thus, to this day, everyone who learns to read the

Hebrew Scripture is taught not to say the divine Name, but to

substitute a different term altogether.

To assure this substitution was always made, Jewish scholars put the

vowels of the word 'Adonay with the consonants for the divine Name!

And now the mystery comes full circle. At the time of the Reformation,

Christian scholars began to study Hebrew again, something that had

been neglected for centuries. Then around 1520, Galatius became the

culprit of a critical error. He thought that the vowels printed with

the letters of the divine Name belonged with that word. He did not

understand that they pointed to another word altogether.

The error is not unlike taking the consonants of my first name (RNLD)

and the vowels of my last name (a, e) and fusing them to form a new

word, RaNeLD.

The four consonants of the divine Name (Y, H, W, H) mistakenly were

fused with the vowels of 'Adonay to form a new word. [The first vowel

appears to be an "a" but is a modified half-vowel, simply a short "e"

following a letter other than the aleph (') of 'Adonay.] Thus, the

vowel-values for 'Adonay are: e-o-a.

Two more little details: the Germans sound their "j" as a "y," and

they sound their "w" as a "v." Thus JeHoVaH is a hybrid of the vowels

of 'Adonay, and the consonants (YHWH, or JHVH) of the divine Name.

First-Name Basis

Jehovah, then, is not God's Name! It is simply a mistake. When I see

this word in an old hymn such as "Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah," I

generally sing it along with the congregation, for like the "thou,"

the "Jehovah" was written in good conscience in an earlier time. But I

have no more patience with current hymn and chorus writers who

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continue to use a word which is clearly not God's Name.

If you had made the mistake I mentioned above with my name, RaNeLD,

after awhile, I would say something about the funny error and ask you

to use "Ron" or "Allen." As for the word "Jehovah," enough is enough.

It is a mistake that has been around for nearly 500 years. It is about

time we got on a first-Name basis with the Lord of Glory.

His Name is Yahweh.

8. SINGING IN THE PSALMS.

Singing the Psalms:A Brief History of Psalmody

by R. C. LeonardA glossary <http://members.aol.com/laudemont/stp.htm> of relevant

terms appears at the end of this article. Psalmody is the use of the

biblical psalms in worship, as distinguished from hymnody, the

creation and use of extrabiblical poetic and musical compositions in

worship. The distinction goes back to the Bible itself, in Paul's

admonition to edify one another through the use of "psalms and hymns

and spiritual songs" (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16), although we should not

assume these were mutually exclusive categories. The study of psalmody

is a subdiscipline of hymnology, an extensive field which has occupied

the attention of learned musicologists. Here we can present only some

brief remarks.1 Early Christian Psalmody In biblical worship, the psalms were chanted or declaimed. We do not know exactly

how this music sounded, though recent research has confirmed the

similarity between Hebraic music and ancient forms of Christian chant.

(See the article on Music and Worship in the Bible

<http://members.aol.com/laudemont/mawitb.htm> on this web site.) The

psalms formed part of the developing liturgy of the Eastern and

Western churches, along with Greek and Latin hymnody. In the Western

church, the psalms found more regular usage within the "offices" or

daily periodic worship of the monastic communities. The Catholic

heritage of chant, often called Gregorian chant because of the

influence of Pope Gregory the Great (540-604), includes the use of the

psalms sung to standard "tones" or melodies according to conventional

74

rules. This music was performed by choirs of clergy or members of

monastic orders, who had developed the necessary skills. Originally

the psalms were sung monophonically, i.e. with one unharmonized

melody, or "plain chant." In the later Middle Ages additional voices

were introduced, with such devices as counterpoint (a different

simultaneous melody) or organum (a sustained tone over which others

sang the melody). The departure from the simpler form of chanting was

opposed by those who believed that more elaborate musical detail

called attention to the performance and thus degraded the worship of

God. This early psalmody was exclusively vocal. It is paradoxical

that the psalms, which so often mention the use of musical instruments

in the praise of God, were sung for centuries in the church without

any instrumental accompaniment. Today both the Eastern Orthodox church

and some Reformed and other Protestant groups do not permit the use of

instruments in worship. Psalmody in the Reformation With the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century came the

thrust to involve all worshipers, not just the clergy, in the music of

worship. But there were differences among the Reformation movements

over the type of music that should be used in worship. The German-

speaking Lutherans and pietists developed a tradition of hymnody,

producing chorales with freely-composed devotional texts. They also

made greater use of instruments, especially the organ. The French-

speaking Calvinists of Geneva held a stricter view of what was

acceptable in worship, and limited their music to the biblical psalms,

New Testament hymns and a few other portions of Scripture. But

musical conventions had changed with the Renaissance, and people were

now familiar with secular music marked off by measures instead of

unmeasured chanting. To enable the congregation to join in the psalms,

it was necessary to recast them into a singable metrical structure and

to introduce rhyme. However, the Calvinist emphasis on the authority

of the Word of God rendered this practice problematic, for it required

altering the biblical text, destroying the Hebrew parallelism. The

stated goal became to produce singable psalmody while changing the

words of the Bible as little as possible, though in actual practice

the best results were often obtained through more than a slight

alteration. The Genevan Psalter (first edition 1542) set a high

standard for the metrical psalters that were to follow in the Reformed

churches of Holland, England and Scotland. Many of the tunes used in

later editions were composed by Louis Bourgeois, some of which

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(including "Old Hundredth," the familiar "Doxology") are still in use.

English Psalmody Psalmody as a form of congregational singing came to its greatest development in the English language. The Church

of England came under heavy Reformed influence, leading eventually to

what we know as the Puritan movement with its emphasis on church

government and worship according to New Testament patterns. In the

early stages of the English Reformation, the Catholic heritage of

Latin hymnody -- which had largely fallen out of use in any case --

was laid aside, and in its place metrical psalmody was introduced. In

1562 John Day printed the Book of Psalms with psalm texts translated

by Thomas Sternhold, John Hopkins and a number of others. This psalter

used tunes from the Genevan Psalter and from English sources,

including popular ballads. Day's psalter remained in use for more than

250 years and went through more than 600 editions. It was also known

as Sternhold and Hopkins after its main translators, and was later

called the Old Version after Nahum Tate and Nicholas Brady brought out

their New Version of the Psalms in 1696. The Old Version established

the standard patterns which came to dominate English psalmody: Common

Meter (8.6.8.6), Short Meter (6.6.8.6) and Long Meter (8.8.8.8).

Musicologist Henry Wilder Foote remarked, "Next to the English Bible

and the Book of Common Prayer the metrical psalms were the most

influential literary contribution made by the Reformation to the

religious life of the English people."2 A Scottish Psalter first

appeared in 1564, with several subsequent editions. The fifteenth and

sixteenth centuries were a time of great religious turmoil in Great

Britain, as various ideologies struggled for control of the Church.

The reign of the Catholic queen Mary Tudor (d. 1558) meant persecution

and exile for many Protestants. She was succeeded by Elizabeth I

(reigned 1558-1603) who failed to reform the church to the degree many

Protestants desired. As a result, separatist groups formed who

worshiped outside the established church -- the beginnings of the

congregational or "gathered church" movement -- and some of these

groups moved into exile in Holland. In 1612 in Amsterdam, Henry

Ainsworth published his Book of Psalms for the use of these

congregations, including 39 tunes of English, Dutch and French origin.

The Ainsworth psalter was brought to Plymouth Colony in 1620 by the

group we know as the Pilgrims and was used there for a generation.

Another form of psalmody which developed during this period was that

of Anglican chant, which was non-metrical and this resolved the

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problem of the need to alter the biblical text. In Anglican chant, the

first portion of a line is sung on a sustained pitch with harmonic

support, with the final syllables resolving in a short series of

chords. Anglican chant had the advantage of preserving the Hebrew

parallelism of the psalms, but since it was suited more for choirs

than for congregational singing, it was not taken up by the

"nonconformist" churches which emerged from the English Reformation.

In America, the Episcopal Church continued to use the metrical psalms,

either Sternhold and Hopkins or the New Version, until the rise of

church hymnody in the nineteenth century. Early English psalmody,

like the psalmody of plain chant, was almost exclusively vocal. Organs

were found in only a few of the cathedrals and larger churches.

Although many Reformed leaders were skilled in music, they believed

that instruments were appropriate only for secular music or for

personal devotion and not for public worship. In the church service, a

leader (in England the church clerk, in New England a deacon or

"precentor") would "set the tone" which the congregation would follow.

Later, some instruments began to be used, beginning with the pitch

pipe and bass viol ("church bass"), then treble instruments such as

the flute. Except for some Episcopal churches, organs were not

introduced in New England until the mid-nineteenth century. The

earlier psalm books which included music printed only the melody.

Psalm Singing in America The first American psalter, The Whole Book of Psalmes Faithfully Translated into English Metre, was

produced by the Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony beginning in

1640. It is known as the Bay Psalm Book, the first book to be printed

in English-speaking North America. It did not include music, but

recommended the use of the tunes in Thomas Ravenscroft's psalter of

1621 which comprised 97 tunes representing the finest English psalmody

available at the time. (The 1651 edition of the Bay Psalm Book was

called The Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs of the Old and New Testaments.) Musicologists, however, note a deterioration in the quality of psalmody from the days of the Genevan Psalter and

Ainsworth. While these earlier psalters had used a variety of metrical

patterns for psalm settings, the Bay Psalm Book represents a general

reversion to the three standard forms, which were easier for

congregations to learn in the frontier setting where musical training

was not readily available. Congregational singing in New England,

especially in isolated communities, continued to deteriorate through

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the seventeenth century and into the eighteenth. The first wave of

emigrants from England to the Plymouth and Bay colonies and to

Connecticut had included people of education and musical background,

but the harsh conditions of frontier life meant that, as new

generations succeeded the "first comers," people no longer possessed

the skills necessary for high quality singing. Many could not read,

much less read music, and psalm books -- seldom available in

sufficient quantity -- often lacked musical notation. The stream of

new emigrants for religious reasons, who might have brought with them

the necessary skills, dried up once the Puritan and Independent

influence came to power in England with the protectorate of Oliver

Cromwell (mid-1600s). In many parishes, then, singing reached a low

point. The number of psalm tunes known to the typical congregation was

greatly reduced, and confined to the simplest meters. The psalm tunes,

originally vigorous, were slowed by giving all their notes equal

length, supposedly in the interests of solemnity. Because people could

no longer read music, the practice developed of "lining out" or

"deaconing" the psalm. The leader would read a line of text, then sing

it and the people would repeat, a procedure described by one critic of

the time as "praising God by piece-meal." It was time for a change.

The seeds for a revival of singing in the New England church were

already being sown in England. In 1696, Tate and Brady had issued

their New Version, introducing some fine tunes such as "Hanover" and

"St. Anne" (attributed to William Croft). The work of Isaac Watts

(1674-1748) marks a watershed in the history of English hymnody, for

in his Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament(1719) he broke with the tradition of "close fitting" translations and

produced hymns that were poetic paraphrases of the biblical psalms.

(The best-known today are probably "Our God, Our Help in Ages Past,"

Psalm 90; and "Joy to the World, the Lord Is Come," Psalm 98.) Watts'

approach to the psalms was "evangelical," in that he was not hesitant

to incorporate elements of the Christian gospel into his psalm

paraphrases. Watts' hymns were not introduced into the Anglican

community until much later -- in Anglican chant, the psalms were

brought into the orbit of Christian faith by adding the Gloria Patriat the end -- but his work was taken up by the Independent or

congregational churches. Renewal of Singing in New England The renewal of singing in New England came in the early decades of the eighteenth century with the introduction of singing "by

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rule," that is, from notes written on ruled lines or musical staff.

Since most printed psalters in use at this time lacked musical

notation, singing had to be "by rote," either from memory or by lining

out. It was the clergy of New England, who were better educated than

their congregations and almost always more forward-looking, who took

the lead in the revival of psalm singing. New psalters appeared

incorporating the paraphrases and hymns of Isaac Watts and others,

sometimes printing music in several parts. Younger people, especially,

eagerly received musical training and took their places in the

singers' gallery to lead the congregation. Watts eventually became a

standard in New England, displacing the Bay Psalm Book, and his work

served as the basis for a number of psalters by other editors. But in

many churches the distinction between psalms and hymns was retained in

public worship, and congregations were sharply divided over the use of

other than "close fitting" metrical psalms. The "great psalmody

controversy" echoed for more than a century, with the Presbyterians of

the middle colonies retaining the exclusive use of metrical psalms

well into the nineteenth century. Some Reformed and Presbyterian

groups continue to hold to the "regulative principle" of worship, the

view that Christian worship may include only those elements

specifically authorized in the New Testament. In these communities the

opinion persists that "there is no evidence from Scripture that can be

adduced to warrant the singing of uninspired human compositions in the

public worship of God."3 Eclipse and Revival of Psalmody The nineteenth and early twentieth centuries saw the near eclipse of psalmody in most Protestant communions of North

America. Popular taste encouraged the introduction of the devotional

lyric and the gospel song into public worship. Often set to folk

melodies, these compositions featured emotional and subjective

expression of the faith. At the same time, in those communions where a

higher educational level prevailed, there was a great flowering of

newly composed church hymnody which led eventually to the recovery in

English-speaking worship of some of the great hymns of the German

Reformation and the Latin tradition. The powerful influence of the

biblical psalms is evident in the fact that some of the best work of

the nineteenth-century hymnists consisted of paraphrases of the

psalms. But except for the usage of some liturgical churches and

those few Reformed groups which retained the belief in singing psalms

only, the explicit use of the psalms in public worship was generally

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confined to the spoken word: in Scripture lessons and responsive

readings, or in the psalms of Morning and Evening Prayer in the

Episcopal Book of Common Prayer. In the Roman Catholic Church,

portions of the Latin Mass such as the gradual (between the epistle

and gospel) were based on psalm texts, but the congregation

participated only passively through following the service in the

missal. The liturgical renewal of the post-World War II era saw the

beginning of a return to congregational participation in using the

psalms. For example, The Methodist Hymnal of 1964 specifically called

for the "psalter or other act of praise" at one point in the service;

however, it was to be spoken responsively rather than sung. Within the

Anglican community, some prominent church musicians were leading in a

recovery of plain chant. The renewal of Roman Catholic worship

following the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) was marked by increased

participation in acts of worship by the congregation, including the

use of psalms between the Scripture readings. Catholic musicians soon

produced a wealth of "responsorial psalms", in which one verse is

selected as an introduction and refrain (antiphon) to be sung by the

congregation, with other verses sung by a cantor. Psalm singing in

this form had been developed prior to Vatican II by Joseph Gelineau, a

French Jesuit priest, and is sometimes called Gelineau chant. The

responsorial psalm has made its way into the worship of other

communities, especially the Episcopal Church. Developments within

Protestant worship have also brought about a revival of psalm singing.

The simple psalm settings created by the ecumenical Taize Community of

France for its own daily worship have found use throughout the

Christian world. The Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) introduced

"pointed psalms," or psalm texts with symbolism allowing them to be

sung to a set of psalm tones in a the manner of Anglican chant. The

Psalter Hymnal of the Christian Reformed Church (1987) includes

metrical settings of all 150 psalms. Protestant and Catholic musicians

alike have created a wealth of Christian song in popular or

contemporary style, a feature of the Praise and Worship movement; much

of this music takes the form of Scripture songs using psalm texts.

These examples demonstrate the persistence in Christian worship today,

especially in the Western world, of psalm singing, including all its

historic forms. Footnotes 1 Not included in this discussion are the

many anthems, motets and other choral compositions using psalm texts

which are intended for performance by choirs or other concert

ensembles. 2 H. W. Foote, Three Centuries of American Hymnody (1940,

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reprint 1968), p. 23. 3 John Murray, "Song in Public Worship," in

David Lachmann and Frank J. Smith (eds.), Worship in the Presence of God (1992), p. 190. ©1997 by Laudemont Ministries

Glossary: Psalmody, Hymnody and Song Psalm: The biblical psalm, or the psalm as translated in its original structure (English, Latin, etc.). Psalter: A collection of biblical psalms (with or without musical notation) for use in worship Metrical Psalm: A biblical psalm translated into (English) verse, either "close fitting" or loose. Examples: "All People That on Earth Do Dwell," "The Lord's My Shepherd, I'll Not Want" Psalm Paraphrase: A hymn based on a psalm or part of a psalm (different degrees of paraphrase). Examples: "Joy to the World, the Lord Is Come", "Our God, Our Help in Ages Past," Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven" Pointed Psalm: A psalm with the words printed with special symbolism indicating the manner of chanting. Example: Anglican chant Responsorial Psalm: A psalm, one verse of which is used as an introduction and refrain, with other verses interspersed (usually sung by a cantor). Examples: Latin plain chant, contemporary Catholic/ecumenical liturgy Scripture Song: A contemporary worship chorus using a Scripture text or paraphrase thereof; may be a psalm in whole or part. Examples: "This Is the Day" (Psalm 118), "Let Us Exalt His Name" (Psalm 34), "The Lord Reigns" (Psalm 97) Hymn: A freely-composed hymn which may or may not relate to a specific Scripture text. Strictly speaking, a hymn is directed to Deity or celebrates divine attributes or activity, as contrasted with a gospel song or devotional lyric. Examples:"A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise," "Crown Him with Many Crowns" Gospel Song/Devotional Lyric: A religious lyric expressing an aspect of personal faith. The distinction between these categories is mainly a matter of musical taste. Examples: "Amazing Grace," "It Is Well with My Soul," "Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine," "Wonderful Words of Life," "How Great Thou Art"

9. SELECTING OF MUSIC FOR WORSHIP

Suggestions for Worship Leaders(A Letter to Our Son-in-Law)

by R. C. LeonardRecently our son-in-law was asked to become one of the music leaders in his church. The following is based on a letter in which we responded to his questions and request for prayer as he assumed this responsibility. Dear Richard, Mom and I promised to write you at greater length concerning your role as music leader. The many tasks of music leadership you described, which will now be your responsibility, are important, and we would like to comment on them. No doubt many of these views represent your own convictions as well. Please indulge us the satisfaction of expressing them anyway! Selecting songs for worship is not a simple matter. Of

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course, music is often selected with some particular theme in mind, based on the emphasis the pastor wants to bring out in his teaching. But even when this is the case, there are other and more important factors that go into effective song selection. Music does much to help create the ambience conducive to entrance into the Lord's presence. Worship, we believe, needs to build to that point at which the Lord "appears" to his people. If the Psalms are any indication, this appearance of the Lord seems to have been a high point of the festivals of Israel. Granted, because God is sovereign we can't contrive his appearance, but Scripture teaches that the Holy One graciously consents to be "enthroned on the praises of Israel" (Psalm 22:3). Appropriate music helps to enthrone the Lord in our praise. Of course, in the eucharistic liturgy there are two special high points when we sense the Lord's presence: the reading of the Holy Gospel, and the sharing of the bread and cup. But music throughout the service contributes to our total awareness of the movement of God's Spirit in the assembly, beginning with the songs of entrance which lift up celebration before the Lord in a majestic and joyful way. Music during other parts of the service, such as during Communion, may be of the more meditative type. Songs need to be chosen based on where they are going to come in the historic sequence of worship, which Dr. Robert E. Webber has outlined as: Entrance, Service of the Word, Service of the Lord's Table, Dismissal. Of any song we select to use in worship, Richard, we need to ask the following questions. These apply whether we are planning the music in advance or whether, during the service, the Spirit leads us to do something we had not planned. Is the song trite and shallow, or does it possess a depth and strength both in its text and in the musical setting? Music doesn't have to be old to have dignity and strength. "Our God Is an Awesome God," for example, has a haunting solidarity to it. Conversely, many of the older songs and so-called hymns are sadly lacking in both musical quality and appreciation for the full breadth of Christian experience. Does the song celebrate us -- our feelings, our spiritual experience -- or does it direct us to God's action in Christ? Songs that focus on the worshiper rather than the One who is worshiped destroy the buildup to the appearance of the Lord. Even the song that says, "Let's forget about ourselves and concentrate on him, and worship him," makes me think about myself and whether I'm concentrating, instead of on Christ! Is the song overused in our congregation, or would it be better to introduce something new or not so well known? On the other hand, it is not the time to teach a new song when worship is approaching its highest moments. Unless your congregation is especially sharp at picking up new music, it is probably a good idea to use more informal times (perhaps during the offering) to teach new songs, and then bring them back at the right point in worship after the congregation has learned them. Does the song flow logically and easily from the one that precedes it, or is the transition awkward? Work out your key and tempo relationships in advance so that transitions are seamless. Interruptions break up the flow of worship and we have to begin approaching God all over again. It is important for the leader to avoid introducing the songs with comments or announcements ("Okay, now let's sing such and such."). The only exception might be a well-chosen passage of Scripture that illuminates what has just been sung or is about to be sung. We have heard this used very effectively to maintain the thrust of worship. How should I, as worship leader,

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sing this song? You have already been a member of your worship team, and you are used to singing a harmony part from time to time. But the music leader functions as "chief worshiper" and needs to be the spokesman for the whole congregation before the Lord. It is not his role to exercise musical inventiveness; instead, he should usually sing the melody along with most of the people. If the leader sings harmony, the congregation may think it is the melody. To this day, in a church we used to be part of, everyone sings "Bless the Lord, O My Soul" on the wrong notes because the pastor sang a harmony part and the people picked it up. If you want to sing harmony or embellishments on a song, perhaps you could ask another team member to lead that song. It is frustrating to be in a worship service where the songs aren't familiar and it is impossible to tell which voice to follow! In addition to questions about songs we are thinking of using, there are some questions we need to ask of ourselves as worship leaders. Among them might be the following: Does the way I present myself as a leader call attention to me and my role, or does it faithfully lead the congregation toward a vision of the Lord? In this connection, what we wear can be important. Clothing that is too brightly colored or bizarre can distract other worshipers. I am reminded of the preacher who began his sermon by praying, "Lord, hide thy servant behind the cross...," and then preached while wearing a bright red jacket and garish tie. (This was the origin, no doubt, of the song "Blest Be the Tie that Blinds.") Clothing that is too casual also sends a message: "It wasn't important enough to me to prepare to 'worship the Lord in holy array' (Psalm 29:2), and it's not really 'a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God'" (Heb. 10:31). What applies to our clothing applies to our whole manner of presenting ourselves before the congregation. The use of humor, for example, calls attention to ourselves instead of to the Lord. You may be tempted to exhibit your clever wit, but we suggest you save it for your next back yard barbecue with your friends. Inappropriate humor can destroy the solemnity and intensity that characterize true worship We have seen both pastors and worship leaders dissipate the sense of God's presence with ill-timed jokes and other asides, even when presiding at the Lord's Table! We think this practice arises from discomfort in getting too close to the intimate presence of the Lord -- what a tragedy for a Christian leader! At a deeper level, is our life and demeanor outside the walls of the sanctuary consistent with the desire to present ourselves as priests unto the Lord? What is the witness of our speech patterns, as well as our actions and personal behavior? Do we use crude language, carry on conversation as though the feelings and ideas of the other persons present were of no importance, or otherwise behave in a self-centered way? Or do we listen for the thoughts of others, and conduct ourselves in their presence with the view that, come Sunday, we might be leading them into the high praises of God? Richard, I think I have just written an article! We hope it adequately responds to your questions and the things you told us about your new duties. Be assured that we will continually pray for you as a music and worship leader. You have been chosen for a weighty responsibility and we appreciate the fact that you are taking this commission seriously. Love, Dad and Mom

10. SINGING AND MAKING MELODY TO THE LORD.83

December 28, 1997 Bethlehem Baptist Church John Piper, Pastor

SINGING AND MAKING MELODY TO THE LORD (Ephesians 5:17-20) So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (18) And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, (19) speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; (20) always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father. "The Christian Church was born in song." Those are the words of Ralph Martin in his book called Worship in the Early Church. (London: Marshall, Morgan and Scott, 1964, p. 39). We are a singing people. And there is a reason for this. The reality of God and Christ and creation and salvation and heaven and hell are simply too great for mere speaking; they must also be sung. This means that the reality of God and his work is so great that we are not merely to think truly about it, but also feel duly about it. Think truly and feel duly -that is, feel with the kind and depth and intensity of emotion that is appropriate to the reality that is truly known. If we think truly and do not feel duly, at best we render to God half the honor he is due. And if we feel strongly (I do not say "duly" because I think it is impossible to feel duly without thinking truly) - if we feel strongly, but do not think truly, we render to him even less than half the honor he is due. Jonathan Edwards, who knew God's reality with his head and passionately felt God's reality in the love of his heart, is right when he says, God glorifies Himself toward the creatures also in two ways: 1. By appearing to . . . their understanding. 2. In communicating Himself to their hearts, and in their rejoicing and delighting in, and enjoying, the manifestations which He makes of Himself. . . God is glorified not only by His glory's being seen, but by its being rejoiced in. When those that see it delight in it, God is more glorified than if they only see it. His glory is then received by the whole soul, both by the understanding and by the heart.* Once you see this - that the work of the heart (the emotions) is as important for reflecting the glory of God as the work of the head (understanding) is, then you will begin to see why music and singing is so important for Christian worship. The reason we sing is because there are depths and heights and intensities and kinds of emotion that will not be satisfactorily expressed by mere prosaic forms, or even poetic readings. There are realities that demand to break out of prose into poetry and some demand that poetry be stretched into song. So music and singing are necessary to Christian faith and worship for the simple reason that the realities of God and Christ, creation and salvation,

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heaven and hell are so great that when they are known truly and felt duly, they demand more than discussion and analysis and description; they demand poetry and song and music. Singing is the Christian's way of saying: God is so great that thinking will not suffice, there must be deep feeling; and talking will not suffice, there must be singing. So what I want to do this morning is take these several verses from Ephesians 5:17-20 and make six brief statements about singing in corporate worship, which is what this text is about. Each of these six points could be developed for an hour easily, but I will only state them as a kind of outline for a basic theology of music in our worship. I hope you will take them and fill them up with more Bible and more experience and turn them into reality here at Bethlehem.

1. Singing is to be an Expression of the Fullness of the Holy Spirit. Verses 18and 19: "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord." You see how singing flows out of being filled with the Holy Spirit. This means that Christian singing is not natural, but supernatural. The Holy Spirit is God. He is supernatural. He comes and he fills his people and moves them to act in certain ways.

Singing about Christian things in Christian settings is not necessarily pleasing to the Lord. Recall Amos 5:23-24, "Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." There is religious singing that is offensive to the Lord, namely, singing that is not a work of the Holy Spirit along with his other fruit. You get a glimpse of what being filled with the Holy Spirit is by the comparison in verse 18 with being drunk. "Don't get drunk with wine, be filled with the Holy Spirit." Getting drunk with wine means being controlled by wine. It masters you and makes you feel and act in certain ways. So being filled with the Spirit means being controlled by the Spirit so that you feel and act in certain ways, in this case with singing - and a certain kind of singing, as we will see in a minute. How are we filled with the Holy Spirit? The clue to that question is in the question: How do you get drunk with wine? The answer is: by drinking a lot of it. So it is with the Holy Spirit. I don't have time to develop it here, but I believe we could show from 1 Corinthians 2:12-16 and Romans 8:4-8 and Galatians 3:5 that the primary way to drink the Spirit is to read and meditate on and believe the breathings of the Spirit recorded in the Scripture. This is why, in the book of Acts, when people are filled with the Spirit, what spills over is the word of God (Acts 2:4,11; 4:8,31; 9:17,20; Colossians 3:16). So Christian singing in corporate worship is to be the expression of the fullness of the Holy Spirit. That's the first thing to say about it.

2. Singing is to be from the Heart. Verse 19b: ". . . singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord." The

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opposite of "singing and making melody with your heart" would be singing and making melody with your mouth and whatever willpower it takes to make the mouth move. But "with your heart" signifies that you mean it and that you feel it.

In other words, as we have seen for several weeks now, the essence of Christian worship is not mere liturgical actions - or any other kind - but an inner, authentic valuing of God in the heart. Let me mention here that this does not mean that worship is authentic only when you are red-hot for God. It can mean that when you are not red-hot, your heart feels a longing for the passion that you once knew or want to know more of. That longing, offered to God, is also worship. Or it can mean remorse that even the longing is gone, and you are scarcely able to feel anything but sadness that you don't feel what you should. That remorse, offered to God, is also worship. It says to God that he is the only hope for what you need. So don't have an all-or-nothing attitude about worship. The heart can be real even if it is not as enflamed with zeal as it ought to be - which it never is in this life.

3. Singing is to be "to the Lord." Verse 19: "Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord." Now I am aware that the verse begins with "speaking to one another in psalms . . ." I will get to that in a minute. What is remarkable is that both are true and they are true in this one verse in the same singing: sing both to one another and to the Lord.

"To the Lord," means that worship is to be God-centered, or Christ-centered (the "Lord" is Jesus, but notice in verse 20 that thanks are continually offered to God the Father in the name of the "Lord" Jesus). But not just God-centered in that everything in worship relates to God, but also God-centered in that everything in worship is done toward God - in the presence of God, with a view to God's hearing it and seeing it, with a desire that God receive it into his hearing with approval and delight. When you sing, whether you are singing directly to the Lord ("You, O Lord, are a shield about me . . .") or whether you are singing indirectly to the Lord ("A mighty fortress is our God . . ."), sing with a focus on the present hearing of Jesus and the Father. But surely, this word will encourage us to sing many songs in the second person ("you") rather than only the third person ("you," rather than "he"). "Great is Thy faithfulness . . .", "Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee . . .", "Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy praise . . .", "You are Lord . . .", "I love you Lord . . ." We should want to linger in the presence of the Lord speaking to the Lord about what we think and feel in response to who he is and what he has done and what he promises to do and be for us. That's what "to the Lord" means in verse 19b. Worship is fundamentally Godward, not manward. These three have a powerful impact on the way we conceive worship: Spirit driven, heartfelt, God-centered. This is not a time for trifling or joking or

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silliness or superficiality. Worship comes from roots that are too deep in God, and is meant to take root too deep in the human heart, and focuses so relentlessly on God himself that it has to be a seriously joyful (or joyfully serious) affair. 4. Singing is to be Undergirded by a Deep, Biblical Theology of God's Sovereign Goodness. Why do I say this? Because in verse 20 Paul says, ". . . always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father." Now giving thanks for all things is an outrageous idea unless you have a deep, Biblical theology of God's sovereign goodness. I call this theology deep because it avoids superficial conclusions like a chipper praise-God-anyhow approach to pain. Paul said, "Weep with those who weep" (Romans 12:15). He said, "Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good" (Romans 12:9). However it is that we may thank God for horrible circumstances of sickness or lostness or sinfulness, it is not in the same way we thank him for healing and salvation and holiness. Yet, there is, I think this text points out, a way to see in all things the hand of God moving for the glory of his name and the good of his people. And what we need is a theology that is deep and Biblical enough that we can hate and repudiate and oppose (in prayer and social work and evangelism) the evils of the world, and not cancel out the truth that in these very things and in our very hating of them, and working against them, and patiently enduring in them, there is also a ground for thanks (Romans 8:28; Genesis 50:20). I say that our singing needs this deep, Biblical theology because this text on singing calls for such thanks, and because there is not a week that goes by in this church but that some people are dealing with horrible and painful things. There is a deep way to worship God with those people that quietly bears their burden with them, and quietly leads them to the all-sufficient God who is working for them in and through it all. Understanding this and believing this makes for the greatest of all congregational singing - which is why "It is Well with my Soul" is almost like a theme song among us.

5. Singing is to be to Each Other. Verse 19: ". . . speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord." Here is one of the clearest mandates for corporate worship in the New Testament. You can't obey this in solitude. God calls us to speak in song to one another.

This has at least three implications for us. One is that we should get together and sing as a congregation and as small groups. We should sing in each other's hearing and want to be heard by each other. The second implication is that it is justifiable that many of our great hymns and newer worship songs are addressed not to God but to each other. "O Worship the King," "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name," "Crown Him with Many Crowns," "Majesty, Worship His Majesty." The third implication is that the use of solos or musical groupings like

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worship teams and choirs can be part of this speaking to one another in songs. If it is good to speak to each other in songs as we do this in a Godward way, then we don't always have to do it all at the same time, though we do think that congregational singing should be the defining sound of our worship. A choir can speak the word to us in song from the heart, filled with the Spirit, with a view to God's presence and undergirded by a deep, Biblical theology of God's sovereign goodness. And we can hear this and say Yes and Amen to the glory of God. In 1 Corinthians 14:15-16 Paul says, "I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also. Otherwise if you bless in the spirit only, how will the one who fills the place of the ungifted say the 'Amen' at your giving of thanks?" In other words, God means for us to hear each other pray and sing so that there can be corporate responses of agreement - "Amen." There are reasons for this corporate dimension to worship. Being together and singing to each other, and not just alone, intensifies our emotions for God, communicates our witness to God, and unifies our corporate life around God (Romans 15:6).

6. Finally, Singing is to be Varied in its Forms. Verse 19: ". . . speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord."

Referring to these the words, "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs," Ralph Martin says, It is hard to draw any hard-and-fast distinction between these terms; and modern scholars are agreed that the various terms are used loosely to cover the various forms of musical composition. "Psalms" may refer to Christian odes patterned on the Old Testament Psalter. "Hymns" would be longer compositions and there is evidence that some actual specimens of these hymns may be found in the New Testament itself. "Spiritual songs" refer to snatches of spontaneous praise which the inspiring Spirit placed on the lips of the enraptured worshipper, as 1 Corinthians 14:15 implies. (p. 47) Now there is a reason for different kinds of music. The main reason is that God is infinitely varied in his beauty and he relates to us in profoundly and wonderfully different ways. If you experience God in the death of your four daughters and your wife, in the sinking of a ship, you may write, "It Is Well with My Soul." If you are overwhelmed with the truth of the incarnation at Christmas time, you may write "Joy to the World." If God meets you simply and quietly in your prayer closet, you may write, "Father, I adore you, lay my life before you . . ." If you are stunned at the marvel that you are saved, you may write "Amazing grace! How sweet the sound . . ." If you are a Sunday School teacher longing to teach your students profound things in simple ways, you may write, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. . ." God meets us in high and holy ways. He meets us in lowly and meek ways. He meets us in thunderously glorious ways; he meets us in quiet, intimate ways. He meets us in complex ways and simple ways, furious ways and merciful ways. There are aspects of God's character and relation to us that can only be expressed with high and fine expressions of music like Handel's Messiah, and

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there are aspects of God's character and relation to us that can only be expressed with more common and folk-like kinds of music like "Amazing Grace" and "Just a Closer Walk with Thee," and "The B-I-B-L-E."

Conclusion - Pray for your Worship Leaders My pastoral exhortation is that we seek the Lord earnestly in all these things and go deeper with him in our understanding and experience of corporate worship each week. Pray for each other, and especially for Chuck and me as we try to flesh out this text from week to week. Pray:

1. that we would be filled with the Holy Spirit, 2. that all our worship would be "from the heart," 3. that we would be radically God-focused and God-centered, 4. that all would be undergirded by deep, Biblical theology of God's sovereign goodness, 5. that we would provide the most helpful ways for you to speak to each other with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, and 6. that we would embrace the variety of music and singing that is most helpful for this cultural setting and this great God. Copyright 1997 John Piper

11. THROUGH THE BIBLE ON THE SUBJECT OF SINGING.Through the Bible on the subject of singing.

By JOHN CHOPORESExodus 15:1Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. [KJV]This is the first verse in the Bible, where singing is clearly mentioned.There may have been much singing before this, but this is the first mention of it in the Bible. John Gill, has this to say: "The Jews speak of ten songs, the first of which was sung by Adam, when his sins were forgiven him, and this song of Moses is the second;…""This song is, by some hundred years, the oldest poem in the world." [JFB].Ex. 15: 21 And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea."Miriam answered them--"them" in the Hebrew is masculine, so that Moses probably led the men and Miriam the women--the two bands responding alternately, and singing the first verse as a chorus." [JFB].Ex. 32:18 And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.The singing that Moses heard, at this time, was of weakness! Spiritual weakness!! Of those who love the world more than God!!!Num.21: 7 Then Israel sang this song, Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it:This is "singing in faith". This is singing that is well pleasing to God! Cf. Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must

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believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.It is like "praying in faith". Cf. James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.This well (as well as real) could be a type of salvation. Cf. Isa.12: 3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.Some of the reasons for singing are-

The Lord has met the needs, of his people. The Lord should be praised. The Lord is beyond the understanding, and music can go beyond, the mind!"Spring up"That is, "let your waters, which are below the earth, ascend for use". This is either "a prediction that it should spring up, or a prayer that it might." [WESLEY.].

"God blessed his people with a supply of water. When we come to heaven, we shall

remove to the well of life, the fountain of living waters. They received it with joy and

thankfulness, which made the mercy doubly sweet. With joy must we draw water out

of the wells of salvation, Isaiah 12:3." [MATTHEW HENRY.].

Some believe that, Israel was not asking, the well to "spring up", but

commanding it to!

Jud 5:3 Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing

unto the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel.

Many will sing praise to a friend or self, but few sing to the Maker

of sound and song.

1Sa 18:6 And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned

from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all

cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with

tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick.

"singing and dancing; as were usual after great victories obtained,

and deliverances wrought, the female sex being generally greatly

affected with such things; since when things go otherwise they suffer

much, and their fears rise high in time of battle; and when victory

goes on their side, it gives them great joy, and which they used to

express in this way:" [JOHN GILL.].

"The women came outÑ It was the principal business of certain women to celebrate

victories, sing at funerals, etc." [Adam CLARKE.].

1Sa 21:11 And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David

the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in

dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten

thousands?

It seems that Achish, was of the view, that David now had greater

honour and authority than Saul!

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2Sa 19:35 I am this day fourscore years old: and can I discern between

good and evil? can thy servant taste what I eat or what I drink? can I

hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women? wherefore

then should thy servant be yet a burden unto my lord the king?

"can I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women?

either being so deaf that he could not hear them at all, or however

not with any delight; the evil days being come upon him, in which he

could take no pleasure in the diversions of a court:" [JOHN GILL.].

2Sa 22:50 Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the

heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name.

"While the mercy is fresh, and we are most affected with it, let the thank-offering

be brought, to be kindled with the fire of that affection. All his joys and hopes close,

as all our hopes should do, in the great Redeemer." [MATTHEW HENRY.].

1Ch 16:9 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his

wondrous works.

"We have here the thanksgiving psalm which David, by the Spirit,

composed, and delivered to the chief musician, to be sung upon

occasion of the public entry the ark made into the tent prepared for

it. Some think he appointed this hymn to be daily used in the temple

service, as duly as the day came; whatever other psalms they sung,

they must not omit this. David had penned many psalms before this,

some in the time of his trouble by Saul. This was composed before, but

was now first delivered into the hand of Asaph, for the use of the

church."

Henry, Matthew, Matthew Henry s Commentary on the Bible’ , 1991.

1Ch 16:23 Sing unto the LORD, all the earth; shew forth from day to

day his salvation.

Because, God shows His salvation "day to day", we should sing praises

to Him "day to day".

1Ch 16:33 Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of

the LORD, because he cometh to judge the earth.

God has the right to be praised by all!

2Ch 20:22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set

ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which

were come against Judah; and they were smitten.

"Ver. 22. And when they began to sing and to praise, &c.] They sung

more or less all the way they went, from the time they set out, but

when they came nearer the enemy, they sung louder and louder:" [JOHN

GILL.].

"Never was victory celebrated with more solemn and enlarged

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thanksgivings. 1. They kept a day of praise in the camp, before they

drew their forces out of the field. Many thanksgivings, no doubt, were

offered up to God immediately; but on the fourth day they assembled in

a valley, where they blessed God with so much zeal and fervency that

that day s work gave a name to the place, the valley of ’ Berachah, that

is, of blessing, v. 26."

Henry, Matthew, Matthew Henry s Commentary on the Bible’ , 1991.

2Ch 23:13 And she looked, and, behold, the king stood at his pillar at

the entering in, and the princes and the trumpets by the king: and all

the people of the land rejoiced, and sounded with trumpets, also the

singers with instruments of musick, and such as taught to sing praise.

Then Athaliah rent her clothes, and said, Treason, Treason.

The sacrifices (it should seem) were offered with rejoicing and singing, and with good reason. We joy in God when we receive the atonement, Rom. 5:11.

Henry, Matthew, Matthew Henry s Commentary on the Bible’ , 1991.

2Ch 29:30 Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the

Levites to sing praise unto the LORD with the words of David, and of

Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed

their heads and worshipped.

Some believe this to be Psalm 150. Cf. 7 Then on that day David

delivered first this psalm to thank the LORD into the hand of Asaph

and his brethren.

8 Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds

among the people.

And they sang praises with gladness

The king and all the people.

they bowed their heads and worshipped

To show respect for God.

Job 29:13 The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me:

and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.

"and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy; by relieving her

wants, defending her cause, and punishing those that oppressed her;

which is the reverse of the character Eliphaz gives of Job, #Job

22:9." [JOHN GILL.].

Ps 7:17 I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and

will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.

"Ver. 17. To bless God for mercies is the way to increase them; to

bless him for miseries is the way to remove them: no good lives so

long as that which is thankfully improved; no evil dies so soon as

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that which is patiently endured." William Dyer.

"Ver. 17. I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness, &c.]

Or on account of it, as it was displayed in vindicating the innocent,

and punishing the wicked; so Pharaoh having ordered male infants of

the Hebrews to be drowned, and he himself and his host in righteous

judgment being drowned in the Red sea; Moses and the children of

Israel sung a song, as the psalmist here; ." [JOHN GILL.].

"Verse 17. I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness - I shall celebrate

both his justice and his mercy. I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

The name of God is often put for his perfections. So here, … shem Yehovah Elyon;

"The perfections of Jehovah,

who is above all."" [ADAM CLARKE.].

and will sing praise to the name of the Lord most high; whose name is

Jehovah, and is the most High over all the earth; and who had now,

according to the psalmist's request, #Ps 7:6,7; arose and lifted up

himself, and returned on high, and had shown himself to be above all

David's enemies, and had sat on the throne judging right." [JOHN

GILL.].

Ps 9:2 I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy

name, O thou most High.

"I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High; that is, to the

glory of his name, his being, and perfections, as displayed in his

marvellous works, and in the revelation of his word, and especially in

his son; and under the character of the "most high" God, the supreme

Being over all creatures, angels and men; [john gill.].

"Ver. 2. Gladness and joy are the appropriate spirit in which to

praise the goodness of the Lord. Birds extol the Creator in notes of

overflowing joy, the cattle low forth his praise with tumult of

happiness, and the fish leap up in his worship with excess of delight.

he whose name is Love is best pleased with the holy mirth, and …sanctified gladness of his people. Daily rejoicing is an ornament to

the Christian character, and a suitable robe for God's choristers to

wear. God loveth a cheerful giver, whether it be the gold of his purse

or the gold of his mouth which he presents upon his altar.

I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High. Songs are the

fitting expression of inward thankfulness, and it were well if we

indulge ourselves and honoured our Lord with more of them."

[SPURGEON.].

Ps 13:6 I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully

with me.

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"Ver. 6. I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully

with me. Faith keeps the soul from sinking under heavy trials, by

bringing in former experiences of the power, mercy, and faithfulness

of God to the afflicted soul. Hereby was the psalmist supported in

distress. Oh, saith faith, remember what God hath done both for thy

outward and inward man: he hath not only delivered thy body when in

trouble, but he hath done great things for thy soul; he hath brought

thee out of a state of black nature, entered into a covenant relation

with thee, made his goodness pass before thee; he hath helped thee to

pray, and many times hath heard thy prayers and thy tears. Hath he not

formerly brought thee out of the horrible pit, and out of the miry

clay, and put a new song in thy mouth, and made thee to resolve never

to give way to such unbelieving thoughts and fears again? and how

unbecoming is it for thee now to sink in trouble? John Willison,

1680-1750.

"Ver. 6. I will sing unto the Lord, &c.] In prayer faith is

encouraged, through believing the heart is filled with joy; and this

joy is expressed by the lips, in songs of praise to the Lord,

ascribing the glory of salvation to him, and giving him thanks for

every mercy and blessing of life;" [JOHN GILL.].

Ps 18:49 Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the

heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.

"Ver. 49. I admire King David a great deal more when I see him in the

quire than when I see him in the camp; when I see him singing as the

sweet singer of Israel, than when I see him fighting as the worthy

warrior of Israel. For fighting with others he did overcome all

others; but singing, and delighting himself, he did overcome himself."

Thomas Playfere.

"Verse 49. WilI I give thanks unto thee-among the heathen - Quoted by St. Paul,

Romans 15:9, to prove that the calling of the Gentiles was predicted, and that what

then took place was the fulfillment of that prediction. But there is a sense in which

it applies particularly to David, well observed by Theodoret: "We see," says he,

"evidently the fulfillment of this prophecy; for even to the present day David praises

the Lord among the Gentiles by the mouth of true believers; seeing there is not a

town, village, hamlet, country, nor even a desert, where Christians dwell, in which

God is not praised by their singing the Psalms of David." [ADAM CLARKE.].

"Paul(#Ro 15:9) quotes from this doxology to show that under the Old

Testament economy, others than the Jews were regarded as subjects of

that spiritual government of which David was head, and in which

character his deliverances and victories were typical of the more

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illustrious triumphs of David's greater Son." [JFB].

Ps 21:13 Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing

and praise thy power.

"Joy should always flow in the channel of praise. All the attributes

of God are fitting subjects to be celebrated by the music of our

hearts and voices, and when we observe a display of his power, we must

extol it. He wrought our deliverance alone, and he alone shall have

the praise." [SPURGEON.].

"Praise thy power. - God is to receive praise in reference to that attribute which he

has exhibited most in the defense or salvation of his followers. Sometimes he

manifests his power, his mercy, his wisdom, his longsuffering, his fatherly care, his

good providence, his holiness, his justice, his truth, etc. Whatever attribute or

perfection he exhibits most, that should be the chief subject of his children’s

praise. One wants teaching, prays for it, and is deeply instructed: he will naturally

celebrate the wisdom of God. Another feels himself beset with the most powerful

adversaries, with the weakest of whom he is not able to cope: he cries to the

Almighty God for strength; he is heard, and strengthened with strength in his soul.

He therefore will naturally magnify the all-conquering power of the Lord. Another

feels himself lost, condemned, on the brink of hell; he calls for mercy, is heard and

saved: mercy, therefore, will be the chief subject of his praise, and the burden of his

song." [ADAM CLARKE.].

You will notice that, the Lord is exalted in His own strength.

Ps 27:6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round

about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy;

I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.

" Ver. 6. Now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round

about me. A man cannot drown so long as his head is above water. Now,

it is the proper office of hope to do this for the Christian in times

of any danger. #Lu 21:28. "When these things begin to come to pass,

then look up, and lift up your heads: for your redemption draweth

nigh." A strange time, one would think, for Christ then to bid his

disciples lift up their heads in, when they see other men's hearts

failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are

coming on the earth #Lu 21:26; yet now is the time of the rising of

their sun, when others' is setting, and the blackness of darkness is

overtaking others; because now the Christian's feast is coming, for

which hope hath saved its stomach so long. "Your redemption draweth

nigh." Two things make the head hang down -- fear and shame; hope

eases the Christian's heart of both these, and so forbids him to give

any sign of a desponding mind by a dejected countenance." William

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Gurnall.

"Therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy. That

place for which he longed in his conflict, should see his thankful joy

in his triumphant return. He does not speak of jubilations to be

offered in his palace, and feastings in his banqueting halls, but holy

mirth he selects as most fitting for so divine a deliverance. I will

sing. This is the most natural mode of expressing thankfulness. Yea, I

will sing praises unto the Lord. The vow is confirmed by repetition,

and explained by addition, which addition vows all the praise unto

Jehovah. Let who will be silent, the believer when his prayer is

heard, must and will make his praise to be heard also;" [SPURGEON.].

Ps 30:4 Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the

remembrance of his holiness.

" Ver. 4. Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his. "Join my song;

assist me to express my gratitude." He felt that he could not praise

God enough himself, and therefore he would enlist the hearts of

others. Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his. David would not fill

his choir with reprobates, but with sanctified persons, who could sing

from their hearts. He calls to you, ye people of God, because ye are

saints: and if sinners are wickedly silent, let your holiness

constrain you to sing. You are his saints -- chosen, blood bought,

called, and set apart for God; sanctified on purpose that you should

offer the daily sacrifice of praise. Abound ye in this heavenly duty.

Sing unto the Lord. It is a pleasing exercise; it is a profitable

engagement. Do not need to be stirred up so often to so pleasant a

service. And give thanks. Let your songs be grateful songs, in which

the Lord's mercies shall live again in joyful remembrance. The very

remembrance of the past should tune our harps, even if present joys be

lacking. At the remembrance of his holiness. Holiness is an attribute

which inspires the deepest awe, and demands a reverent mind; but still

give thanks at the remembrance of it. "Holy, holy, holy!" is the song

of seraphim and cherubim; let us join it -- not dolefully, as though

we trembled at the holiness of God, but cheerfully, as humbly

rejoicing in it." [SPURGEON.].

Ps 30:12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be

silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

"Ver. 12. To the end that [my] glory may sing praise to thee, and not

be silent, &c.] Meaning either his soul, the more noble and glorious

part of him; or the members of his body, his tongue, which is the

glory of it, and with which he glorified God; see #Ps 16:9; compared

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with #Ac 2:26, this was the end that was to be answered by changing

the scene of things; and which was answered;

"Verse 12. To the end that my glory may sing - The word… cabod,

which we here translate glory, is sometimes taken to signify the liver. Here it is

supposed to mean the tongue; why not the heart? But does not David mean, by his

glory, the state of exaltation and honor to which God had raised him, and in which

he had before too much trusted; forgetting that he held it in a state of dependence

on God? Now he was disciplined into a better sentiment. My glory before had sung

praise to myself; in it I had rested; on it I had presumed; and intoxicated with my

success, I sent Joab to number the people. Now my glory shall be employed for

another purpose; it shall give thanks to God, and never be silent. I shall confess to

all the world that all the good, the greatness, the honor, the wealth, prosperity, and

excellence I possess, came from God alone, and that I hold them on his mere good

pleasure. It is so; therefore, "O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.""

[ADAM CLARKE.].

O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever; to the end of

life, as long as he had a being, and to all eternity," [JOHN GILL.].

"Ver. 12. To the end -- namely, with this view and intent -- that my

glory -- that is, my tongue or my soul -- may sing praise to thee, and

not be silent. It would be a shameful crime, if, after receiving God's

mercies, we should forget to praise him. God would not have our

tongues lie idle while so many themes for gratitude are spread on

every hand. He would have no dumb children in the house. They are all

to sing in heaven, and therefore they should all sing on earth. Let us

sing with the poet: --

"I would begin the music here,

And so my soul should rise:

Oh for some heavenly notes to bear

My passions to the skies."

O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

"I will praise him in life; I will praise him in death;

I will praise him as long as he lendeth me breath;

And say when the death dew lays cold on my brow,

If ever I loved thee, my Jesus, it is now."" [SPURGEON.].

"Ver. 12. I will give thanks. What is praise? The rent we owe to God;

and the larger the farm the greater the rent should be." G. S. Bowes,

1863.

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