By Ken Camp Worship leaders seldom welcome controversy. But some church musicians delight in the dust-up one line in a hymn created earlier this year. The committee on congregational song for the Presbyterian Church, USA, wanted to include a version of the contemporary hymn “In Christ Alone” that altered a line in the second stanza…
By Jerry L. Van Marter Four entities of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) responsible for publication of the new Presbyterian hymnal, “Glory to God,” have issued a statement in response to extensive media coverage of the absence of one hymn, “In Christ Alone,” from the new book. Media outlets such as the Huffington Post, the Nashville…
By Jeff Gissing Protestant churches—especially Evangelical ones—typically sing their theology. In the absence of a formal liturgy hymnody carries the weight of theological formation. Scripture shapes our beliefs about God more in the theory than in reality. The average Christian spends little time exploring how the confessions interpret Scripture. Instead, our sung worship songs shape…
By Mary Louise Bringle Controversy sells. It sells newspapers, journals and movies. It may even sell conference registrations, to judge from the frequency with which I’m asked to speak at such events about “controversial issues” that confronted the Presbyterian Committee on Congregational Song (PCOCS) as it worked on the denomination’s new song collection Glory to…