February 7, 2022
Harmony
When believers gather to share in the loaf and the cup of the Lord’s Supper, we too come together in harmony . . .
Articles for tag: Congregational Singing
August 25, 2012
The Half-Inch Solution
By Daniel Schantz One of my Bible college students came flying out of chapel, shielding her eyes with her hand. “Are you OK?” I asked. She shook her head. “It”s the music””it”s so loud it gives me headaches.” I can”t tell you how many times I have heard church members say, “Sometimes I just hate going to church because the music is so loud.” It”s not the type of music they are objecting to so much as the volume. Solve the volume problem and I strongly suspect the worship wars would soon die down. Music ministers seem to think that
May 20, 2011
Fifty-One Miles to Faith
Going to church in this era of loud, rude bands and electronic light shows is often more of a trial to my faith than a boost to it. To get away from it all, my wife, Sharon, and I climb into my blue Crown Victoria and roll north to the little town of Leonard, Missouri, 51 miles from our home in Moberly. The sign says, “Leonard, population 200.” The church is a pretty vanilla building, resting on a pea gravel parking lot, and wrapped in a grove of towering oak trees. The inside of the building is immaculate, tastefully done
March 29, 2011
In Praise of Congregational Participation
By Becky Ahlberg Contrary to what you might think, “worship wars” have been going on for centuries. I”ll not slip back into my music history professor role and bore you with all the details, but suffice it to say that, from early church days, how we worship has been the topic of a lively, ongoing debate. As is the norm for humans, we tend to swing the pendulum from one extreme to another, rarely finding that center of balance. I suppose if we carry through with that analogy, though, the good news is that it is the swinging pendulum that
December 29, 2010
Family Resemblance
Teresa Schantz Williams At first, joining an a cappella church of Christ was like attending a family reunion of second cousins on your father”s side. Sure, we had kin in common; we definitely shared ancestral roots. The potluck spreads were every bit as good””that lovely “table” where everyone can find a seat. Still, we were enough different to feel awkward around our rediscovered family. Raised in independent Christian churches that do use musical instruments, I”d nevertheless been taught that churches of Christ shared the same vision of the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement. In college, and in the years before marriage, I
November 10, 2010
Worshipping . . . or Watching?
By Mark A. Taylor David Faust touched a bigger issue when he asked, “Whatever happened to congregational singing?” In his September 26 column in The Lookout* he reflected on a recent worship experience in a congregation he visited: The worship leaders” skill and preparation were obvious. Every guitar riff was well played, every vocal note well toned, every PowerPoint slide properly displayed. The band members played with personality and passion, and there was no reason to question their sincerity or motivation. But hardly anyone in the congregation sang. . . . My concern is not about “traditional” versus “contemporary” music.
July 7, 2010
Hot Days, Fresh Thoughts
By Mark A. Taylor It”s summer, when days are long and nights are hot and every instinct says, “Slow down.” Some of us follow that lead, interrupting the grind of weekly production by taking breaks from school-year routines. It”s not that we stop thinking in summertime. In fact we may come across deeper insights when freed from the taskmaster of our assignment-laden, appointment-filled Day-Timers. Sipping iced-tea in the shade with our feet propped up and a good book or the Good Book on our lap, we decide afresh where to go and what God wants us to do. What should a magazine
November 4, 2007
Recovering from Excellence
By Daniel Schantz An angry young man blocked my exit from my college classroom. He thrust a term paper in my face, and with quivering voice said, “How come I only got a B on this paper?” “Well,” I replied, “a B is an excellent grade.” He was not satisfied with my answer. He is one of the self-esteem generation who expects to get nothing but As. To them, anything that is not an A is an F. Now, the excellence generation has taken the reins of the church. It is a generation with astronomical expectations. “Excellence” is their mantra.
July 18, 2007
Simpler Times, Different Expectations
By Mark A. Taylor Things were simpler then, but I”m not convinced they were better. Way back in the “good old days” when I was growing up, Sunday-morning worship invariably followed the same pattern: Two praise hymns. Prayer hymn. Minister”s prayer. Communion hymn. Communion. Offering. Special number. Sermon. Invitation hymn. Closing prayer. “Blest Be the Tie that Binds” or “God Be With You Till We Meet Again.” It intrigues me now, with all our talk about worship style and quality, that no one demanded more of formal worship services in those days. Oh, I remember talk around the dinner table
August 21, 2005
Doing Church in the City
A look at Keele Street Christian Church in Toronto’s Junction—its 1800s roots, changing neighborhood, multicultural congregation, and the practical challenges and ministries of doing church in a major city.
June 4, 2005
Engaging And Excellent
A choir concert by Purdue University’s men’s glee club packed an auditorium during a church music conference, stirring congregational hymn-singing and raising a lingering question about choral music’s place in local churches today.
