Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 10:36AM 
In case you haven’t seen the 2007 US News article, "A Return to Tradition," it's worth a read. It corroborates a lot of what this blog has been saying over its short life-span. Retrieval and recovery is something that evangelicals are becoming more and more interested in, but it's not limited to evangelicals. Check out the article.
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 12:36PM 
We evangelicals interested in historic worship practices, traditions, and liturgies have a steep learning curve. Part of that learning curve is a glossary of vocabulary words that pretty much feel like a foreign language (and there’s actually good reason for that…much old school worship lingo is Latin-based, not English-based). From matins to Magnificat, from vespers to Nunc dimittis, we cautiously dip our toes in the water. One of those Liturgese words is “canticle,” and I’ve found it particularly hard to understand what it is. Upon reading Paul Westermeyer’s concise yet thorough definition below, I now understand why.
Monday, May 9, 2011 at 8:29AM HUGE CORRECTION TO MAKE, thanks to the helpful comment by Eric below. Thank you, Eric. My original title read, "The Top 27 Hymns and Why None of them Appear in a Current Major Evangelical Hymnal." I totally mis-read and mis-understood the chart with reference to the four evangelical hymnals surveyed. I took the dots for blanks when they were quite the opposite! Forgive me! I've edited the below post to reflect those changes. Ironically (and sadly), all my probing questions below still hold.
These data come from a 2011 article in Christianity Today.1 Several things should be clarified lest the title of my post spread myths:
Here are the top 27 hymns:
Appearing in all 28 hymnals, in alphabetical order:
Abide with me: fast falls the eventide (H. Lyte, 1847)
All hail the power of Jesus’ name (E. Perronet, 1779)
Come, ye thankful people come (H. Alford, 1844)
Crown him with many crowns (M. Bridges, 1851, alt. G. Thring)
Glorious things of thee are spoken (J. Newton, 1779)
Guide me, O thou great Jehovah (W. Williams, 1745)
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God almighty (R. Heber, 1826)
How firm a foundation, ye saints (R. Keene, 1787)
In the cross of Christ I glory (J. Bowring, 1825)
Jesus shall reign where’er the sun (I. Watts, 1719)
Love divine, all loves excelling (C. Wesley, 1747)
O sacred Head, now wounded (Bernard of Clairvaux, 12th c.; tr. Gerhardt & J. W. Alexander)
When I survey the wondrous cross (I. Watts, 1707)
Appearing in 27 of the 28 hymnals, in alphabetical order:
A mighty fortress is our God (M. Luther, 1529; tr. F. H. Hedge)
All glory, laud, and honor (Theodulph, 1529; tr. J. M. Neale)
Come, thou almighty King (anon. and C. Wesley, 1757)
Just as I am, without one plea (C. Elliott, 1836)
Now thank we all our God (M. Rinkart, 1626; tr. C. Winkworth)
O, for a thousand tongues to sing (C. Wesley, 1757)
O God, our help in ages past (I. Watts, 1719)
O, worship the King all glorious above (R. Grant, 1833)
The church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord (S. Stone, 1866)
Appearing in 26 of the 28 hymnals, in alphabetical order:
Christ the Lord is risen today! (C. Wesley, 1739)
Jesus, the very thought of thee (Bernard of Clairvaux, 12th c.; tr. E. Caswall)
Saviour, like a shepherd lead us (attr. D. Thrupp, 1836)
The day of resurrection (John of Damascus, ca. 750; tr. J. M. Neale)
There’s a wideness in God’s mercy (F. Faber, 1854)
Several interesting questions to ponder:
(feel free to offer your answer to any or all of these questions in the comments)
1Robert T. Coote, “The Hymns That Keep on Going,” Christianity Today (March 2011), 32.
Friday, October 22, 2010 at 7:49AM 
More and more, mainstream evangelicalism is waking up to the need for theology, biblical literacy, historicity, and thoughtfulness in modern worship. I see this on the personal level as I continue to meet a new, young breed of mainstream worship leader, who chooses to not be either-or about passion and substance. And I see this on the institutional level in instances like this at a major evangelical college, Biola University (which happens to be my alma mater):
Biola Magazine asked a group of students, alumni and professors to select a handful of modern worship songs that they've found to be both lyrically and musically stirring. Here are 31 of their recommendations — including songs written by each of the worship leaders interviewed for this issue's cover story, "Weightier Worship."
Among other great artists (e.g. Bifrost Arts, The Welcome Wagon, Stuart Townend, Keith & Kristyn Getty), two of our songs from The Glad Sound are featured. Check it out.
Friday, August 13, 2010 at 4:22PM Yesterday's post, "The Higher the Liturgy, the Lower the Preaching" was made as a generalization based on D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' observations of England 40 years ago and of mine in the present. Dissenting commenters made a good point, however...which I don't believe is in contradiction with yesterday's observation. Their comments can be summarized in an experience relayed to me by Don Sweeting--former pastoral mentor and colleague, and now President of Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando.
Don took a much needed sabbatical in 2009, and in his months off he attended a wide variety of churches in the Denver Metro area--Catholic, Anglican, Greek Orthodox, Evangelical, etc. He came away from his experiences with this stunning observation: He heard more reading of Scripture in the Catholic service than he did in the Evangelical worship service. More generally, the churches whose worship was characterized by a higher liturgy always had more Scripture read, prayed, and sung than in the low-church evangelical environments. Furthermore, as a friend pointed out yesterday, even the "non-Scriptural" readings (e.g. prayers or responsive readings), are filled with Scripture quotation, Scripture allusion, or language and ideas that are obviously bathed in the words of the "hallowed page."
Contrast this with the typical evangelical low-church liturgy: a block of songs, announcements, the offering, the sermon, and a closing song. Apart from the worship leader pausing in the middle of the song set to read a passage of Scripture, or apart from the songs themselves containing Scriptural statements or quotations, there's not much room for Scripture reading without some subversive, creative liturgy-bending. Thankfully, more and more evangelical churches are seeing this. The reality remains, however, that one can attend an evangelical church service and they may very well hear very little Scripture read.
As Don pointed out in his comparison of his Catholic and evangelical experiences, there is a huge historical irony in all of this. It was the proto-evangelicals (the Protestants) who criticized the de-valuing of the Scriptures by the Catholics during the time of the Reformation. And here we are, 400 years later, struggling with fluffy preaching and straining to fit Scripture into our sacred "worship experience." Meanwhile, our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters faithfully walk through their lectionary, receiving a steady diet of the whole counsel of God.
This should make us appreciate the merits of high liturgy. It is bathed in and allows space for Scripture to speak in multi-faceted ways. Personally, I am on a quest to prove that one can infuse high church elements into low church liturgy without sacrificing what many people prize about "modern worship"--flow, continuity, passion, etc. I don't know that I've achieved my goal, but far be it from us to think that Scripture reading falls in the category of a mere "high church element." Scripture reading is a transcendent category all to itself. I don't just want to hear Scripture reading prior to the sermon. I want to hear God's voice at the start, calling me into worship. I want to hear His voice at the end, blessing me and sending me forth. And I want to hear Him in the middle, sustaining my weak mind and feeble spirit.
My dissenters said yesterday that high liturgy doesn't necessitate a devaluing of preaching, and I agree. But the generalization still holds true: high liturgy can tend toward lower emphasis on preaching. By the same token, lower liturgy can tend toward devaluing the raw power of Scripture reading. And these are claims made based on existential observation, as opposed to philosophical investigation of the foundations of either liturgical expression.
Monday, August 9, 2010 at 11:02AM 
I grew up in the Southern Baptist tradition of Christianity, and I am perpetually thankful for and appreciative of the heritage of evangelical faith passed on to me there. Matt Boswell, a Texas worship leader I respect and admire, pointed me to this beautiful statement on family worship presented at the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in 2010. It certainly challenges me to up my game of worship leading in my own home. Here it is in complete form, but you can also download a one-page PDF.
(The surprising thing to me is that "family worship" is a discussion I usually see take place in Christian traditions where covenant theology is more at the fore [e.g. Reformed and Presbyterian traditions]. This, to me, is evidence of increased conversations happening across denominations for the mutual benefit of the body of Christ. Rock.)
******
RESOLUTION ON FAMILY WORSHIP
Adopted by the Messengers of the Southern Baptist Convention in annual session on June 16, 2010 in Orlando, FL
WHEREAS, The Bible teaches the spiritual discipline of family worship for the glory of God, the strengthening of the church, and the spiritual nourishment of the family (Deuteronomy 6:1-18; Psalm 78:1-8; Ephesians 4-6); and
WHEREAS, Scripture pictures the Christian home as a place in which parents are instructed to teach and disciple their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:1-18; Ephesians 6:1-4); and
WHEREAS, Family worship has been a cherished Southern Baptist principle reflected in church covenants which have called believers “to maintain family and secret devotions” and “to religiously educate” their children; and
WHEREAS, In recent years, family worship has been emphasized in The Baptist Faith and Message, which states that “Parents are to teach their children spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth”; and
WHEREAS, Southern Baptists have launched major initiatives which have brought to the forefront the need for families to pray, read from the Bible, memorize scripture, and give praise to the Lord within their homes; and
WHEREAS, In 2009, the president of the Southern Baptist Convention included family worship as a key catalyst for a Great Commission resurgence calling on Southern Baptists “to build gospel-saturated homes that see children as a gift from God and as our first and primary mission field”; and
WHEREAS, Family worship is integral to laying a foundation for multi-generational faithfulness to the gospel (Psalm 145:4) and a necessary complement for the strengthening of the local church to fulfill its commission (Matthew 28:18-20); and
WHEREAS, Family worship serves as an important preparation for the corporate worship of the local church on the Lord’s Day (Ephesians 4:11-16; Hebrews 10:25); and
WHEREAS, In recent generations, the act of family worship has been neglected, evidenced by the breakdown of the family in our time; and
WHEREAS, The embracing of the spiritual discipline of family worship in the Christian home has the capacity to nurture stronger families, a stronger church, and a stronger nation; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Orlando, Florida, June 15-16, 2010, encourage churches and families to rekindle the spiritual discipline of family worship; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we define family worship as the regular meeting together of a family for a time of prayer and Bible reading, which may include other activities such as scripture memorization, singing spiritual songs and hymns, and discussing biblical truth and Christian mission; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we encourage families to cultivate not only structured times of worship together, but also ongoing intentional and informal conversations about the things of the Lord; and be it further
RESOLVED, That as we call families and churches to embrace family worship, we urge fathers particularly to fulfill their divinely mandated responsibility to lead their families toward spiritual maturity (Ephesians 5:22-6:4; Colossians 3:19-21); and be it further
RESOLVED, That we encourage all parents to consider times of family worship to be an opportunity to introduce their children to the gospel, to train their children to seek the salvation of their friends and neighbors, and to pray for the nations; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we encourage churches and families to make use of the many resources produced to aid in family worship; and be it finally
RESOLVED, That we urge the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention and their pastors to promote family worship and encourage the families of their congregations to place the highest priority on embracing this foundational spiritual discipline for the well-being of families, the spread of the gospel, the making of disciples, and the glory of God.
Friday, July 9, 2010 at 12:59PM 
This is the third installment on a series of posts exploring John Wesley’s Rules for Singing.
Reflections on Rule #1
Reflections on Rule #2
3. Sing modestly. Do not bawl, as to be heard above, or distinct from, the rest of the congregation, that you may not destroy the harmony; but strive to unite your voices together, so as to make one clear melodious sound.
Just as rule #2 was an expansion of rule #1, so this rule is a check on the previous. Rule #2 encouraged us to “sing lustily” so as to not appear “as if you were half dead.” Rule #3 places some boundaries around what Wesley means.
We’ve all experienced it if we’ve been in a worship context long enough: the free-wheeling singer who sticks out from the rest of the congregation. Either it is their sheer volume, or it is their “theme and variations” we hear trailing off when the congregation is normally pausing or taking a breath. Sometimes, people are just, as they claim, “in the Spirit,” singing freely and personally unto God. Though I don’t want to discount our freedom in worship, there is a shocking irony in the fact that this rule comes from Wesley.
If we know our modern church history, we’re aware that the holiness/Pentecostal tradition emerged out of that strain of Protestantism born out of the teaching and influence of John Wesley. Pentecostals sometimes don’t realize it, but they are heirs of the Wesleyan tradition. Ironically, it is perhaps the Pentecostal tradition (and its strong influence on modern evangelicalism) which most often departs from this rule of their spiritual grandfather. Pentecostal worship is often a context in which people freely express their individual praise in a corporate setting. I have been in some (moving and encouraging) services where open times of free singing “in the Spirit” have been created. The sound is not quite cacophonous, because there is usually a tonal center (many times anchored by a keyboard pad) that tethers everyone to complementary melodies and harmonies. But this is no doubt the sound of many individuals singing to God with their own song, who happen to be in the same room and share the same musical key.*
When we dial that down several notches, we experience perhaps what is more typical in some free mainstream evangelical worship contexts—one or two individuals singing more freely and loudly than the rest of the congregation. You can hear them trailing off at the ends of phrases when others have stopped. You can hear them singing drawn out “descants” above the congregation. There’s certainly something I applaud and admire about this: they are unashamed; they do not want to let their fears about what other people think of them hinder their expression of their affection for God; they want to be an example of naked, undignified, David-style worship.
But Wesley’s words are appropriate here, and if you read between the lines, you realize he’s making a profound theological-philosophical observation. Wesley is pointing out that congregational unity in singing is a symbol of our unity as one Church under Christ. The oneness of our sound mirrors our oneness as the body of Christ. Our doxology expresses our ecclesiology. When we sing together we are making a theological statement about our unity, and Wesley is pointing out that something is robbed from that when individuals stick out.
This is admittedly tricky, and it probably requires some coaching of our congregations to have a rudimentary understanding of “choral sense.” If everyone’s primary goal were to not stick out, we’d have a soft, weak congregational sound. In choral singing, unification is not so much about everyone sharing equal dynamics (volume), but sharing a blended voice. God made some voices naturally stronger than others. So without making it overly technical, as we sing, we should listen to the people around us, seeking to match our tone, our vowels, and our overall sound.
One of the drawbacks of the dominance of the pop-rock genre in much of worship today is that you have to work harder to remind your congregation that they are, in fact, a choir. The musical style is used to supporting soloists and more flamboyant vocals. Some traditionalists say that this disqualifies pop-rock from being a good vehicle to carry congregational song. I disagree, if only for the simple reason that I’ve seen plenty of counter-evidence. Still, the worship leader should expect to have to fight the good fight of molding the congregation into a choir when they lead out of the pop-rock genre.
So let’s heed the good word of our mentor, Wesley, and let our praise reflect who we are—the one, glorious Bride of Christ.
*If you want an example of this, though not mentioned in my review of Hillsong’s album A Beautiful Exchange, you can note on Brooke (Fraser) Ligertwood’s song, “Like Incense / Sometimes by Step,” she says before an extended musical interlude, “Lift up your own song to the Lord,” ushering in a time of free singing to God.
Friday, June 4, 2010 at 8:14AM 
I just finished reading the fabulous booklet How Our Children Come to Faith, by Stephen Smallman (Phillipsburg: P&R, 2007). I’m buying a bunch of copies for the young parents in my small group, and I’m now insisting that it be on hand at our church to give to parents who are bringing their children forward for baptism or simply interested in the topic.
