by John MacArthur

Christian Research Journal 23/2

This article had a huge impact on me in my early stages of forming my philosophy of worship, and it can be credited for part of the motivation to title this blog--colossians316.com.

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Fool's Gold?

Chapter 7: Solid Rock? What the Bible Says about Contemporary Worship

by John MacArthur

Great comments about keeping a variety of musical forms in corporate worship (according to Colossians 3:16) and a call not to forget about great hymns of the faith that typically have that strong didactic approach that is lost in other forms.  Here are some great quotes from this book/chapter:

p115-"...Neither the antiquity nor the popularity of a gospel song is a good measure of its worthiness.  And the fact that a gospel song is 'old-fasioned' is quite clearly no guarantee that it is suited for edifying the church.  When it comes to church music, older is not necessarily better."

p118-"There is certainly nothing wrong with the simple, straightforward personal praise that characterizes the best of today's praise choruses.  Neither is there anything wrong with the evangelistic and testimonial thrust of yesterday's gospel songs.  But it is a profound tragedy that in some circles, only contemporary choruses are sung...."

p119-"Paul was calling for a variety of musical forms and a breadth of spiritual expression that cannot be embodied in any one musical form.  the strict psalms-only view (which is gaining popularity in some reformed circles today) allows for none of that variety.  The views of fundamentalist-traditionalists who seem to limit church music to the Gospel-song forms of the early twentieth century would also squelch the variety Paul calls for.  More significantly, the prevailing mood in modern evangelical churches-where people seem to want to binge on a steady diet of nothing but simplistic praise choruses-also destroys the principle of variety Paul sets forth here [Colossians 3:16]...the error lay in utterly casting aside the rich heritage of hymns-along with the didactic, doctrinal richness of Christian music that had edified and sustained so many generations."

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The Hymns That Keep on Going

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theme: Musical Style, Great Hymns, History

Definition of "A Hymn" according to St. Augustine

"Song with praise of God: If you praise God and do not sing, you do not utter a hymn. If you sing and do not praise God, you do not utter a hymn. If you praise anything other than God, and if you sing these praises, still you do not utter a hymn.  A hymn therefore has three things: song, and praise, and God."

excerpt from Martin Gerbert, De Cantus et Musica Sacra, I (St. Blasien, 1774), 74. Trans.R.T.

First Things-Tragic Worship

by Carl R. Trueman

June/July 2013

"Tragedy as a form of art and of entertainment highlighted death, and death is central to true Christian worship."

"Perhaps it is ironic, but the church that confronts people with the reality of the shortness of life lived under the shadow of death prepares them for resurrection better than the church that goes straight to resurrection triumphalism without that awkward mortality bit."

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by Matt Boswell

 "To make hymn-style and chorus-style songs enemies is not wise. The Psalms are filled with many formats of songs that are to be sung. From simple refrains to antiphonal responses, from songs of lament to hymns of remembrance, our hymnal is vast. We must conclude that western worship is one way of orthodox singing, but in no way can we impose on varied cultures around the globe that this is the only way. The modern hymn and the praise chorus are close friends, especially in many churches where the music encompasses both variants of music."

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