Throughout church history the people of God have sung
together every Lord’s Day. Truth
expressed in song deepened understanding of Christian orthodoxy and unified
congregations in their commitment to specific theological distinctives. Historically, the churches of the Reformation
understood the role that God intends music to play in the local church. Here is a brief summary:
- Biblical singing teaches the truth of God
- Biblical singing expresses prayer
- Biblical singing shapes Christian affections
- Biblical singing unites the community of faith
All of that began to change in American evangelicalism during
the 20th century. Popular
music styles invaded the church to serve pragmatic impulses of revivalists. Music was “good” if it used cultural appeal to
draw crowds with the expectation of entertainment. As churches began to use this pattern to reshape
their ministries, the consequence was devastating: sentimentality displaced truth, individual interests
eclipsed the interests of the assembly, and carnal desires rose above godly
affections. In the end, the worshiper
(or worse, the unbeliever) replaced God as the focus of the “worship” service.
At Huron Baptist Church we attempt to reclaim the biblical
purpose of singing. To do so, we select
church music based on the following criteria:
- Songs that use lyrics that declare a broad span of biblical truth
- Songs that express truth with respect and reverence
- Songs that use lyrics that express the truth with artistic beauty
- Songs that have a musical style that supports the truth, not distracts from it
- Songs that have a musical style appropriate for the purpose and occasion
- Songs that are accessible, that is, singable and memorable
- Songs that express prayer and praise corporately rather than individually
- Songs that avoid obvious associations with worldliness or theological error
- Songs that are timeless, transcending any narrow era or culture
If you would like to read more on this subject, here are
some suggested resources:
Steven Thomas, Preaching and Liturgy: An Essential Symbiosis (May, 2014).
Scott Aniol, Worship in Song: A Biblical Approach to Music and Worship (Winona Lake, IN.: BMH Books, 2009).
Paul S Jones, Singing and Making Music: Issues in Church Music Today (Phillipsburg, N.J.: P & R
Pub., 2006).
T. David Gordon, Why Johnny Can’t Sing Hymns: How Pop Culture Rewrote the Hymnal (Phillipsburg,
N.J.: P & R Pub., 2010).
Here is a message by Michael Riley on “Why We Sing As Christians.”
