Surprise and Merry Christmas! We’ve recorded a single for the Advent and Christmas seasons. It’s sloppy and joyful, just like the Incarnation. And it’s available for you for ninety-nine pennies—the definition of “no brainer.”
Songs for the Supper: Great New and Old Communion Songs – FOR FREE
Cardiphonia has produced a feast for the ears to strengthen the Feast of Christ in the modern church’s worship. Not long ago, Justin Taylor, when posting about our song, “Lord, I Believe,” commented: “I’m not aware of many hymns that are specifically designed for celebrating the Lord’s Supper.” This observation is typical and appropriate for those of us (myself included) reared in the modern evangelical church. Our tradition, by and large, has downplayed Communion. We speak of its importance. Some … Read More
A Rock & Roll Curriculum that Seminaries and Christian Colleges Should Pay Attention To
David Brooks, in a 2007 piece in the New York Times, discusses the movement from integration to fragmentation in American rock music. The 1970s saw bands like the Rolling Stones and Springsteen drawing from country, soul, and blues to converge in fresh, integrative rock styles. Groups such as these mark the era of “super-bands” that could sell out stadiums, some of which still do today. But since that era, we’ve seen a splintering of music into thousands of ghettos. The result is that music-making in the modern era, at least among rock musicians, is very disconnected with the past, lacking any sense of creative continuity and integration with the musical building-blocks that have come before.
Want to Be a Better Worship Songwriter?
I love it when I find a good online destination that “free-sources” quality material to the public. Last week, I highlighted Fernando Ortega’s post calling out modern worship to embrace a more lofty vision for songwriting. If you are or aspire to be a songwriter, and if you agree with Ortega’s assessment and admonition, I can think of no better site that will serve as a resource for you than My Song in the Night. Its masterminds are Bobby & … Read More
Song Reflection: “All People That on Earth Do Dwell”
In preparation for the release of our album, Without Our Aid, on September 13, 2011, we’re beginning a series of posts reflecting on the hymns incorporated into the project. Many do not realize that the Protestant Reformation was just as much about worship as it was about doctrine. In fact, reformers like Martin Luther and John Calvin would have seen little division between the former and the latter. Luther championed three emphases in particular, which all serve the goal of … Read More
Pentecost Songs: The Way Forward Continues to be the Way Back
The rootlessness of contemporary Christianity is starved for remembrance, but the vacuum of historical connectivity has finally turned on. And the sucking sound is getting louder and louder. For years now, Cardiphonia has been on the leading edge of liturgical renewal in evangelicalism. Before it was “cool” to talk about liturgy and historic practices in Christian worship, Cardiphonia was carving its path in this direction on the world wide web. Its mastermind, Bruce Benedict, I have watched from afar in … Read More
A Great Resource for Beginner to Moderate Electric Guitarists who Play in Modern Worship Settings
(I am not being paid or coerced to write this.) For worship leaders, you can basically boil down musician-recruitment philosophy into two camps: hire professionals from the outside, or work with the (most often amateur) body on the inside. I think there are merits to both, and each is suited to particular contexts and ministry goals. In my current context, we hold to philosophy of using musicians in the body. That comes with its blessings, but it also comes with … Read More
Keeping Worship Fresh by Widening Your Use of the Names of God
A while back, I wrote a review of Worship Words, by Debra Rienstra and Ron Rienstra. This is a rich and important work. Chapter Seven, “Naming God,” speaks into how we as worship leaders and congregants can keep worship fresh. The authors point out that the more we understand the diversity of the names and expressions of God in Scripture, the more our “theological and doxological imaginations” (my term) are kept fresh and vital. We worship leaders and congregants often … Read More
“Overcome” is a Great Modern Worship Song
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:“Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ.For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony;they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”(Revelation 12:10-11 [NIV]) A few weeks ago, … Read More
Teach Your Kids Great Theology through Music
Ever since my ordination exams, I’ve become a major proponent of catechizing through music. Bruce Benedict, through his days at Reformed Theological Seminary Orlando, first opened my eyes to how easy it became to memorize large portions of the Westminster Shorter Catechism when they were set to music. Well, I am a newcomer to this resource for children (thanks to my musician-producer-singer-songwriter friend, Greg Upton, for the recommendation) that I plan on using regularly for my own kids and promoting … Read More