Gospel-singing brothers on Family Feud

I don't watch Family Feud, and I had never heard of the Wardlaw Brothers before, but I really enjoyed this...

'Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth'

Hymn-writer Keith Getty gives us five reasons why we should all sing loudly in church.

1. We are commanded to sing.
Paul commands believers in Ephesians 5 to "be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart." Throughout scripture, we can see that singing was a part of everyday life.

2. Singing together completes our joy.
Part of our joy as followers of Christ comes from the privilege of sharing with others. What better way to share that joy than to join together in song?

3. Singing is an expression of brotherhood and unites generations.
People from all tongues and nations singing together gives us a small glimpse of what Heaven must be like.

4. We are what we sing.
Singing affects all parts of our lives. We even set scripture verses to music to help us memorize them.

5. Singing bears testimony to our faith.
A group of believers singing together is a powerful witness to others.

I encourage you to read the full article here.

'I Am the Very Model of a Biblical Philologist'

About the only line I understood was, "And proved the Philistines were almost certainly Canadian." Still, I thought this was pretty funny.


(via Dave Black Online)

It's time for the hymnal to make a comeback

In my opinion, one of the worst things ever to happen in the church was the abandonment of hymnals. Jonathan Aigner gives some good reasons why we should still be using them:

1. Hymnals actually teach music. We're making less music than ever before. Oh, to be sure, there's lots of music going on around us, but very few people are actually making it. We're just consuming it, or at the very most, singing along with music someone else made first. But even an untrained musician can look at the words and music in the hymnal and learn to follow melodic direction and rhythmic value.
   
   
2. Hymnals set a performance standard. Contemporary worship music is based on recording instead of notation. This is endlessly confusing, and it opens each song up to individual interpretation. Without notation, it is exceedingly hard to sing well as a congregation. Hymnals fix that. Everybody has the same notation, so we all know how the song is supposed to go.
   
   
3. Hymnals integrate the music and text. Words on a screen give no musical information. Hymnals fix that. Singers aren't dependent upon learning the song by rote.

He lists 12 more reasons, and I think he makes some good points.

Isn't it about time for the hymnal to make a comeback?

How to Write a Worship Song

(via 22 Words)

Check Out My Wife's CD

I've posted about this before, but I don't think I can promote it too much. My wife continues to make me proud.


It's available through CD Baby. (And yes, that's yours truly on track 9.)

Hank Hill on Christian Rock

(via Abraham Piper)

All-Reformed Radio, All the Time

Ligonier Ministries introduces RefNet (short for Reformation Network), 24-hour internet radio dedicated to the historic Christian faith. Along with teaching and sermons from the likes of R. C. Sproul, Alistair Begg, and John Piper, it also features audiobooks, scripture reading, music, news, and more. It's available as an app for your mobile device, but you can also listen online through the RefNet web site.

The Gospel in Two Minutes

What is the gospel? Rapper Trip Lee explains.


(via Desiring God)

Contemporary "Christian" Music

Are most contemporary Christian radio stations trying to reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ? Sadly, no. They are trying to keep their average listener, the 38 year old soccer-mom with 3 kids, from changing the station. Recording artist Matt Papa writes:

Christian radio plays songs for Becky. The labels know that in order to sell music, they have to get songs on radio. Radio = Becky. So the labels coerce their artists and bands to all write and record songs for Becky….songs that will make her feel good. Songs that tell her she is good. Songs that are “safe for the whole family”. Songs that remind her of her snow-flake-ness and tell her to turn that frown upside-down. Songs that focus on love and hope. Songs that aren’t confrontational. Songs that aren’t theological because man, that stuff is up in the clouds. Songs that don’t talk about blood and crosses and depressing stuff like that. Songs that focus on Becky and her busy life. And if the artists or bands want to write songs for another demographic or another purpose, that’s fine, they can just make music somewhere else. There is money to be made.

So, here we are. Bands/Artists who want to be heard write songs for Becky. Christian radio, therefore, is for the most part an altar where chipper, inauthentic, boring, unscriptural, untruthful, gospel-absent, ear-tickling, man-centered songs are offered to an idol named Becky.

I’ve been on a couple labels in my short musical career, and I testify that this is (sadly) how things work.

I love Becky. I really do. That’s part of the reason I’m writing this. Becky needs to be ministered to just like I do and just like everyone else does. But Christian radio/industry people: please MINISTER TO HER!! Stop giving her what she WANTS….GIVE HER WHAT SHE NEEDS and that is the GOSPEL….or stop calling yourself “christian”. There is NOTHING “christian” about telling someone who has cancer that they are ok. Stop tickling her ears. Becky is a human being who needs to hear the truth of Christ, not an object to use for your financial gain. Woe to you. And here’s a novel idea: Why not target other people besides Becky?!?! The gospel has no demographics! Christ shed His blood for all people everywhere and you have mis-represented Him. I pray with all my heart that the money tables in your temple would soon be overturned.

Over the next few months, Papa will be writing a series of posts on the current state of the Christian music industry. The article featured here is part two. You can read part one here.

(via A Twisted Crown of Thorns)

I Think My Wife's a Calvinist

An oldie, but a goodie...

Atheist Hymn

End Times Anthem

(via)

He's Alive!

A New Worship Album for Kids

"To Be Like Jesus" is the second Sovereign Grace Kids album from Sovereign Grace Music. It is due for release this month.

The album presents sound theology set to decent music, a combination frustratingly hard to find in the vast wasteland of contemporary worship music. For a preview, click here.

UPDATE (06/12/09):
SGM's first worship album for kids is "Awesome God."

Psalm 98:4 (?????)

(Just in case you couldn't tell, the song is "How Great Thou Art.")

Let's Rap About Limited Atonement

(HT: Calvinistic Cartoons)

The Sound of a Young, Restless, Reformed Generation

Thabiti Anyabwile on holy hip-hop:

I've never really been into rap, but I think that had more to do with its bad reputation than the style itself. Now, I have to admit that with the recent surge of gospel-oriented, Christ-centered, Reform-minded artists, I'm becoming a fan of guys like LeCrae, Shai Linne, and Voice.

Voice, a.k.a. Curtis Allen, brought his unique form of ministry to John Piper's church, Bethlehem Baptist:

Needless to say he received a lot of criticism from fundamentalists and regulative principle types, yet he remained calm and responded in humility. (By the way, Voice's latest album, The Process of the Pardon, is definitely worth a listen.)

Holy hip-hop may not be your cup of tea, but there is no denying the sincerity of these artists or the genuineness of their message. May God continue to bless their ministries.

One of My Favorite Modern Hymns

O Church Arise
by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend

Theology with a Beat

Whether you're a fan of rap or not, I encourage you to check out "The Process of the Pardon," the latest album from Voice, a.k.a. Curtis Allen. Sure, it has a good beat, but the real selling point is that it actually has something to say.

If you're like me, the number of Christian artists you can actually stand listening to are few and far between. That's probably because the biggest problem with contemporary Christian music (aside from the fact that most of it just sounds bad) is the lack of clear, concise, biblical theology. This album is dripping with sound theology. It has a Christ-centered, God-glorifying message. It is a no-holds-barred presentation of the Gospel. And it sounds great, too!

Voice touches on a wide range of important theological topics, such as covenant theology (with Ligon Duncan), the ordo salutis (with Wayne Grudem), and even the New Perspective on Paul. What other Christian recording artist can claim that?

Tony Reinke posted a full-length track from the album ("Here I Stand," my personal favorite), over on his blog, Miscellanies. You can check out other audio samples and order the CD by clicking here. Enjoy!