CHAPTER ONE. My Journey
… For some of my friends, becoming a Christian was especially costly. One of my friends knew that her decision for Jesus meant that her family would disown her. (A few years later, her father even refused to walk her down the aisle in her wedding.) The night of her baptism, before we headed to the church, I sat in my dorm room asking myself what I had done. I remembered that Jesus said that he would have that effect on families. God reminded me that I could only call people to what I was certain that he had said.
… Sadly, I don’t need all of the fingers of one hand to count the Christians I personally know in Churches of Christ who have written a song of praise. I believe that this book will explain why that is common....
TWO. What Happened to Praise When Jesus Came?
It used to be different.
When the Red Sea swallowed Pharaoh and his chariots, Miriam led the Hebrew women with tambourines and dancing and a chorus of praise to God (Exodus 15:20, 21). David sang and made music with all his soul on the harp and lyre (Psalm 108:1, 2), and he wouldn’t let his wife Michal shame him for his unbridled praise (2 Samuel 6:16, 21, 22). At times the people shouted or clapped their hands, musical instruments rang out, believers danced or fell to their knees, and hands were lifted high as God’s people made a joyful noise.
And then Jesus came....
FOUR. Why do Scholars Disagree?
… The truth of the matter is that when someone asks why you believe what you believe, the answer comes in two levels. On the surface level, you may think of what you consider to be the evidence for your beliefs. A deeper level considers the assumptions – perhaps unconscious – that govern what you see when you look at that evidence. If we do not know what assumptions we hold, then we will be controlled by them. We won’t even realize that they are influencing our ability to examine the facts. This chapter looks at these deeper presumptions that we bring with us when we look at the evidence for worship. It offers hope that by bringing those presumptions into the light we may come to agreement....
FIVE. Why Did the Early Church Chant?
…History alone tells us that the early church chanted, perhaps chanted exclusively. But that is only half of the story. The other half of the story – the half that begs to be told – is the half that tells us why the early church chanted. Did Christians attribute their chant to a command of God, or were they merely in step with their culture? Was the chant commanded or coincidence?
… This chapter asks why the early church chanted. It is not merely a fair question, but a fundamental one....
TWELVE. When Listening to Praise is a Sin.
… This chapter takes a look at the difference between wanting to hear others sing our song and yearning to hear their song – the song God has given them.
… No wonder so many decline to sing out, convinced that there is something unfit about the way that they sing. We work on our pitch and our tempo and our syncopation and our dynamics, but that won’t change our lives. We may hear perfected harmonies, but we yearn to hear from convicted hearts. In truth, we don’t need to hear your song because you’re the best singer, but because what God has taught you will make a difference to your brothers and sisters. In the song that you (or we) are about to sing, we need to hear how God has been faithful to you. And we need to hear of his faithfulness from more than the same one or two week in and week out.
I mentioned earlier that I don’t need all the fingers of one hand to count the Christians I personally know in the Churches of Christ who have written a song of praise. How many fingers do you need?