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 →
psalms
Calvin's 1543 Preface to the Psalter
Published in 1565 (posthumously) and online here (HT: Richard on the PB)
Cyberhymnal Hacked? Now Back
The explanation is here. Chris Powell gave us the heads up at the PB. One is tempted to say, “that’s what you get for posting a hymnal” but one refrains. The CH is a helpful way to find tunes for this Sunday’s . . . Continue reading →
Has the Experiment Succeeded?
Not according to Bob Godfrey (HT: Brenden): “One obvious effect of psalm-singing was that Reformed worshipers had the psalms well planted in their minds and hearts. If we should hide God’s Word in our hearts that we might not sin against him . . . Continue reading →
Genevan Psalter in Spanish!
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 →
Office Hours: The Struggle Of Sanctification In The Psalms (1)
Of the psalter (the 150 psalms) John Calvin (1509–164) wrote: “The varied and resplendid riches which are contained it this treasury it is no easy matter to express in words; so much so, that I well know that whatever I shall be . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours: The Struggle Of Sanctification In The Psalms (2)
There are different types of the psalms in the psalter (the 150 Psalms). In this episode, Bryan Estelle, Professor of Old Testament at Westminster Seminary California, returns to complete our discussion on how the psalter helps us to think about sanctification, the Christian . . . Continue reading →
Reformation Worship Conference: Psalms For Preaching & Living
Pastor David Hall and the folks at Midway PCA are hosting their annual Reformation Worship Conference October 23–26, 2014. This year’s conference will present addresses by W. Robert Godfrey, T. David Gordon, Terry Johnson, Steven Lawson, Jon Payne, Richard Phillips, and Mark Ross. As the . . . Continue reading →
Synod 1928’s Grounds For Adding Hymns To The Psalter
The advice of the Committee is that the Synod accede to the overture of Classic Grand Rapids East, that is a) ‘To amend Article 69 of our Church Order….so that a synodically approved collection of hymns may be added which may be . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 75: The Psalms In Worship And Living
What worship is and how it should be done is one of the most difficult questions with which confessional Reformed and Presbyterian churches are presently faced. Few things will cause trouble in a congregation more quickly than making changes in a worship . . . Continue reading →
What Did the Divines Mean By “Psalms”?
The question has been raised as to just what the divines might have meant by the noun “psalms” in the Westminster Confession of Faith (1648).1 WCF 21.5 says, 5. The reading of the Scriptures with godly fear, the sound preaching and conscionable . . . Continue reading →
Each One Has A Psalm
What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a psalm (ψαλμὸν), an instructiion (διδαχὴν), a revelation (ἀποκάλυψιν), a foreign language (γλῶσσαν), or an interpretation (ἑρμηνείαν). Let all things be done for building up….. —1 Corinthians 14:26
Considering Context Leads To Singing Psalms In New Testament Praise And Worship
Context inevitably colors how we understand texts. It shapes our assumptions about what about what is possible and plausible. I see this in Patristics (the study of the early Christian church). As a confessional Reformed Christian with connections to Reformed orthodoxy, as . . . Continue reading →
Ambrose: Psalms Unite The Church
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 →
Office Hours: Learning To Love The Psalms With Bob Godfrey
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 →
Calvin: Psalm 88 Is A Form Of Prayer For The Afflicted
O Jehovah! God of my salvation! Let me call upon you particularly to notice what I have just now stated, That although the prophet simply, and without hyperbole, recites the agony which he suffered from the greatness of his sorrows, yet his . . . Continue reading →
Kuyper: The Introduction Of Hymns To Dutch Reformed Worship Was Done Unlawfully
Here we come to the issue of psalms versus hymns. Our fathers ruled that, with a few exceptions, only the singing of psalms was permitted in the assembly of believers. When hymns were introduced in 1807 (by unlawful ecclesiastical might) many people . . . Continue reading →
Be Adventurous: Sing Psalms
Do you sing psalms in your church? I guess that in most Bible-teaching churches today the answer is “no,” or “not very often,” or perhaps “sometimes in a metrical version,” or “some of our songs are based on or inspired by psalms.” . . . Continue reading →
Singing The Psalms Was A Powerful Weapon In The English Reformation
[T]he metrical psalms were the ‘secret weapon of the English Reformation,’ ‘perhaps the most powerful of the persuasive weapons in the armoury of English Protestantism,’ ‘a potent weapon’ against Catholicism….Psalm-singing was never universally welcomed (Queen Elizabeth seems snobbishly to have disapproved of . . . Continue reading →
Trueman: The Psalms Are Better For What Ails Us Than Critical Race Theory
Does critical race theory contain some truths? Yes. Neil Shenvi recently pointed this out. Does it offer helpful insights that cannot be better found elsewhere? I have yet to see any. Indeed, I consider the Psalter itself to offer a far better . . . Continue reading →