For some Christians, the Psalter, the 150 psalms in God’s Word, is an appendage to the New Testament. For others it is a forgotten book. Today, Christian young people know the lyrics in contemporary worship songs such as “Like A Sloppy Wet . . . Continue reading →
We know what Jesus’ songbook was. His songbook is as near to you as your Bible. It is in your Old Testament. It appears just between Job and Proverbs. You may be forgiven for being confused because your English translation of Matthew . . . Continue reading →
Though the “Book of Praises” was gathered during the OT era and used in the Temple’s worship, its full intent as a canon of praise could not be fully grasped until Christ came. Its intent was to reveal and praise the Savior-King . . . Continue reading →
What I find in my mailbox at work is rarely delightful but I was delighted to get the mail today. The good folks at Crown and Covenant sent me a copy of their Mini Psalter 2.0. It’s personalized. It’s well bound. Best . . . Continue reading →
…must the ordinary gifts of an private man quench the Spirit still speaking to us by the extraordinary gifts of his servant David? —Preface of The Bay Psalm Book (1640) (HT: Bob Godfrey)
In the Roman Catholic church the choir sings and the congregation was silent. Calvin also introduced singing by the congregation, and collected for it a bundle of Psalms of Clement Marot and Beza. He had the tunes composed by Louis Bourgois and . . . Continue reading →
The Christian Reformed Church holds it as one of its distinctive principles that the psalms are to be used in public worship as the chief manual of praise. There is divine authority for this use of the psalms, as shown by 1 . . . Continue reading →
We might first associate the word doxology with the song often sung at the close of public worship services but it is, in fact, two Greek words (δόξᾰ + λογία), which was taken over into medieval Latin and thence into English in . . . Continue reading →
In the course of time the constraint of Calvin’s ideals has gradually come to be less felt in the worship of the Reformed Churches. A modification of view as to the relations of art and worship has permitted the harmonization of congregational . . . Continue reading →
But the Calvinistic Psalm took its authority and its appropriateness from its divine inspiration. It must be Holy Scripture, first of all; and then it became metrical merely to facilitate its congregational rendering. Calvin had determined to make the Psalter the praise . . . Continue reading →
Psalms are song by emperors; the common people rejoice in them. Each man does his utmost in singing what will be a blessing to all. Psalms are sung in the home and rehearsed on the streets. The psalm is learned without labor . . . Continue reading →
…the command to sing psalms in the name of the Lord was obeyed by everyone in every place: for the command to sing psalms is in force in all Churches which exist among the nations, not only for the Greeks but also . . . Continue reading →
One of the questions I’ve been researching intermittently since before the publication of Recovering the Reformed Confession is why confessional Reformed and Presbyterian congregations sing non-canonical songs in public worship. For the most part the Reformed and Presbyterian Churches sang only inspired songs in . . . Continue reading →
Eric Sarwar grew up singing 70 of those same psalm portions at home and church. When strangers attacked him in 2009, and his parents and wife in 2010, he took comfort in Psalm 18, “the most popular psalm in Pakistan. It represents . . . Continue reading →
The Canadian Reformed Churches have just published the New Genevan Psalter. I purchased a copy. It seems to be well done. There is an interesting, brief introduction by George van Popta, General Editor as well as some brief notes on the Genevan . . . Continue reading →
Jonathan Aigner has published an interesting piece at the Aquila Report sympathizing with those who lament the loss of what he describes as “traditional worship” and offering a way forward. He is exactly right that this is a deeply emotional issue about which . . . Continue reading →
What if I told you that it’s possible to sing the very songs that Jesus sang in worship? What if I told you that a man recently discovered those very songs? It’s true. Joe Holland, Pastor of Christ Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCA) . . . Continue reading →
1) Many people do not know you can sing the psalms (at least, other than Psalm 23, 62, and 100). “The psalter” is a foreign term, and even after people are introduced to singing psalms, they find it incredibly awkward to actually . . . Continue reading →
The Complete Spanish Psalter has now been published and is available for purchase. It has been published by Publicaciones Faro de Gracia and can be purchased online here. It contains the 150 Biblical Psalms, complete and entire, and versified to be sung with . . . Continue reading →
We were having an interesting discussion about the WHI show on “happy-clappy” worship. One of the things for which I have been “banging the drum” is the need for contemporary settings of the Psalms. I love the Book of Psalms for Singing. . . . Continue reading →