The Importance of Hymns in the Congregational Church " Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God." Colossians 3:16 (NIV) The Congregational Church is not a new religion in the United States today. This early denomination dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries, a time in which England was involved in a revolt against the Established Church. This congregational way held new principles and views than the beliefs of the English church, many so radical that the followers were called Independents or Separatists. I have been raised in the Congregational Church, and it is truly a wonderful opportunity for me to describe here the practices and beliefs of the place where my faith was nurtured, and also incorporate the significance that hymns have played in my worship experiences.The central understanding in Congregationalism is that each local congregation is self-governing, which necessitates the full autonomy of the local congregation in matters of faith and doctrine as well as in other matters of governance. It acknowledges no authority outside of the local congregation, neither bishop nor presbytery. The Congregational Church is reluctant to give binding authority to creeds, for this is the ground on which they broke free from in early England. Preaching is extremely important, for the Word in Scripture is thought of as the constitutive of the Church. Ministry also derives its authority from the Word, and in my own church is a very vital part of our mission. Baptism and The Lord's Supper are practiced, although there is still an argument present on the b... ... middle of paper ... ...ist allows me to be jubilant as I proclaim that my Savior lives in me today. Without the backing of these words, and the fellowship that they create, the congregational Church would probably not be as strong as it is today. Next time you are in a church setting that emphasizes the singing of hymns, do not grumble for the benefits and importance of them are far greater than the downfalls. Bibliography: Bibliography Ashton, Joseph N.. Music in Worship. Boston: Pilgrim Press, 1943. Johansson, Calvin M.. Discipling Music Ministry. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1992. Snydor, James Rawlings. Hymns and Their Uses. Carol Stream: Agape, 1982. www.infoplease.com for information on the church history background
Webber, Christopher. Welcome to the Episcopal Church: An Introduction to Its History, Faith, and Worship. Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Pub., 1999. Print.
“For over one thousand years the official music of the Roman Catholic church had been Gregorian Chant, which consists of melody set to sacred Latin texts and sung without accompaniment” (Kamien 67). The credit for developing Gregorian chant music, also known as plain...
Mead, Frank S., and Samuel S. Hill. Handbook of Denominations in the United States. Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 1995. Print.
Welcome to Gospel Spreading Church. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2011, from Gospel Spreading Church: www.http://gospelspreadingchurch.com/
The time between 1485 and 1660 marked a period of new beginnings for the people living in England; this time is known as the Renaissance. In England, the people were challenging their past beliefs; where before the Renaissance, England thrived basing their lives, government, and music off of God and his principles alone. During these one-hundred and seventy-five years, the English people started questioning their original principles about religion and established a yearning for information and proof based off of science instead of God. This desire caused many changes to form in England. The Renaissance period quickly became known as the rebirth of knowledge named by the change from God’s knowledge to the knowledge of man. The Renaissance brought on many changes to English culture especially in their music. There was a rise in secular, or non-religious music, instrumental music, and dance music. Although the English Renaissance occurred many centuries ago, the major changes in musical styles are evident in both spiritual and secular music.
The book of Psalms is one of the most useful books all throughout the Biblical text. It is not just a book of stories or law but personal praises, laments, and the deepest cries of the soul to the one true King: Yahweh. The Psalter is “the most reliable theological, pastoral, and liturgical resource given us in the biblical tradition” (pp. 1). These psalms pave a path for practical faith in the world today. Author, theologian, and teacher, Walter Brueggemann, goes into depth on the psalms of orientation, disorientation, and new orientation to discuss that through the unexpected high and low seasons of life one can turn to the Psalms for authentic conversation with God.
African American religious music is the foundation of all contemporary forms of so called “black music.” African American religious music has been a fundamental part of the black experience in this country. This common staple of the African American experience can be traced back to the cruel system of slavery. It then evolved into what we refer to today as gospel music. The goal of this paper is to answer three main questions. What are the origins of African American religious music? How did this musical expression develop into a secular form of music? What is the future of African American religious music? These questions will be answered through factual research of African American traditions, artists, and various other sources.
The Hinário Para o Culto Cristão (HCC) is one of the most well-known collection of sacred hymns adopted by several traditional Baptists churches in Brazil currently. One could affirm that church music is always in a process of development as observed in the history of the church. According to the history of church music, religious music always had the power to influence a local community, and among the Baptists in Brazil, it was not different. Researchers support the idea that the growth of the Pentecostalism in Brazil during the late eighties could be one of the reasons for the reformulation of the main Brazilian Baptist hymnal known as Cantor Cristão. The purpose of this essay is to demonstrate that the HCC worked as a tool
· Listen – this is when we listen to the Homily and the Gospel which
Combined Choirs. 1964. A History of First Baptist Church Lindale, Georgia. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 1-68. Print.
In an age when culture continues to lower standards of intellect, Marva Dawn makes compelling observations and suggestions for the Church to rethink its’ strategy on impacting society. How do we evangelize without weakening the message of what we are communicating? The majority of her text focuses on the worship environment generally, but later she focuses on music, preaching, and liturgy specifically. According to Dawn, a gathering of believers should emphasize God as the subject and object of worship, challenge each individual to grow in godly character, and accentuate the community of believers (not only in the room, but throughout history as well). Through this grid, she encourages leaders and participants to evaluate each worship element. If these primary goals are accomplished, then worship will not be empty and simpleminded. Instead the worship atmosphere would be held to a higher standard and, she believes, both pleasing to God and attractive to those who do not know God.
Lynn Malone, is currently the senior pastor at First United Methodist Church in Monroe, Louisiana. On June 13, 2008, Malone gave a homily that entailed a very key component of the Christian faith, the church. In this homily, the main concept of the homily is the church as being one whole entity. Throughout the homily, numerous examples are given that exemplify this concept. I will be discussing two themes more in depth throughout this paper, the Christian Church as one entity, and the universality of Christianity and Christ’s teachings.
Music has been relevant in Christianity since its beginnings. Some of the first music was written in Latin and they were called Hymns. “Hymn is a song of praise” (Van Camp) and were sung only by catholic churches. When Martin Luther led the Protestant Reformation and helped create Protestant Christianity, he began translating hymns into German. All around Europe people were translating hymns into different languages. These translations were brought over by European settlers coming to America and were used frequently in both Catholic and Protestant churches.
Instrumental music in worship can be used to tell the story of God’s love. Typically worship
person is in, there is a psalm to match it. For example, Psalm 19 is