Book Review: Dan Lucarini, Why I Left the CCM Movement

 

Just posted audio versions of this review. Hard to believe I wrote this c. 18 years ago. Hope it still has some relevance. I also posted the written review to my academia.edu page. You can read it here.

JTR

Charles Wesley Hymn on Effectual Calling: "Oh! For True Repentance!"

I was browsing through the 1866 Psalms and Hymns and noticed the hymn "Oh! For True Repentance" or "Oh! that I could repent" (first line) under the heading "Effectual Calling" (Gotta a love a hymnal that even has such a section!) in S. M. (Short Meter: 6.6.8.6):

It is not in the Trinity Hymnal. A little more looking indicates that it was written by Charles Wesley (1707-1788) (see here). It bears interesting lyrics for the Methodist since it expresses human inability even to repent. "Strike with Thy love's resistless stroke" is a nice expression of irresistible grace/effectual calling. I was taken with the hymn given I am putting together a booklet with the sermons from last year's Keach Conference on "Effectual Calling" (chapter 10 of the 1689 confession). It looks like a hymn worth reviving.

JTR

Psalm Singing Recording Resource

I recently ran across this site on soundcloud.com collected by Connor S. Quigley, which offers a treasure trove of psalm singing recordings.  This is a great place to listen and explore.  In addition to recordings that appear to come from congregational singing in the kirk, there are also pieces that come from professional singers, and psalms in other languages (e.g., Hebrew, French, Japanese, and even a Polynesian chant!).  Update:  Jason D. called to my attention (see comments below) that this site is even easier to navigate, with the Psalms in numerical order, though this site does not seem to have all the selections on the soundcloud site (like the non-English psalms).

Here are a few samples:

"O Light that Knew No Dawn"

I was contemplating including the hymn "O Light that Knew No Dawn" (No. 23 in the Trinity Hymnal) this Sunday at CRBC and ran across this adaptation from Christ Church, East Bay, in California (a "granddaughter" church of Tim Keller's Redeemer Church in NYC). Though I have some RP qualms about the corporate worship setting, I did like this arrangement of the ancient hymn text originally written by esteemed Trinitarian theologian Gregory Nazianzen (c. 325-390 AD):

 

 

The Vision (9/26/13): Some Practical Aids to the Musical Aspects of our Worship

Image:  Singing from the Trinity Psalter at the 2012 Keach Conference

A friend who has worshipped with us at CRBC sent me an email a few months back that I have been meaning to share with you.  His note provides some valuable aids that might enhance your participation in and enjoyment of the musical aspects of our worship at CRBC.  Here’s the note:

Since CRBC uses the Trinity Hymnal (Baptist edition) and the Trinity Psalter, I was wondering if you and others at CRBC were aware of some of the related information available online:

There is an online version of the Trinity Hymnal at http://www.opc.org/hymnal.html.

For the original Trinity Hymnal (1961, non-Baptist edition), they have lyrics, MIDI files of the tunes, various indices, and even a "concordance" ("Search the hymnal").

For the revised Trinity Hymnal (1990, non-Baptist edition), they have MIDI files of the tunes and MP3 files of organ accompaniment.

For the Trinity Hymnal (Baptist edition), they have information on Worship with Hymns, a set of 4 audio CDs available for purchase which have the piano accompaniment to 100 hymns.
(We have a set.)

Terry Johnson, compiler of the Trinity Psalter, has the following available online at the Web site of his church -- the Independent Presbyterian Church of Savannah, GA (http://www.ipcsav.org):

A downloadable .ZIP file of MIDI files for all (I think) of the tunes in the Trinity Psalter at his church's Worship Aids for Ministers page at http://www.ipcsav.org/worship-aids-for-ministers/.

Articles such as Learning and Loving the Trinity Psalter and The History of Psalm Singing in the Christian Church at his church's Articles page at http://www.ipcsav.org/resources/articles/.

A description of his book, The Family Worship Book : A Resource Book For Family Devotions at http://www.ipcsav.org/resources/books/book/the-family-worship-book.

His book includes an explanation of the Christian Sabbath, a Family Bible Reading Record, the Catechism for Young Children ("An Introduction to the Shorter Cathechism"), the Westminster Shorter Catechism, 50 Bible Memorization passages, a condensed version of Isaac Watts' A Guide to Prayer, Thomas Manton's Epistle to the Reader of the WCF and Larger & Shorter Catechisms, The Church of Scotland's Directory for Family Worship, and the text (words) to 60 selections from each of the Trinity Hymnal and Trinity Psalter.

I had borrowed a copy of it from the library and thought it might be a good way to introduce someone to the Lord's Day, Family Worship and/or Psalm Singing.

Perhaps some of that information could be of use to someone at CRBC if they wanted to sing some of the selections listed in "The Vision" for an upcoming Lord's Day.

Thanks to this brother for sharing his research with us.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

The Cross and the Jukebox

 

 

While I was reading the article by Russell Moore on this week's Supreme Court decisions that I used in this week's Vision, I also ran across his weekly podcast "The Cross and the Jukebox" which discussed "cultural and religious themes in country music."

You are what you listen to

A terrible story unfolded over the weekend in the sleepy college town of Farmville, Virginia (see this article which was also printed in today's Daily Progress). Samuel McCroskey, a 20 year self-styled "horrorcore music" rapper from California, apparently murdered four people, including a Presbyterian Pastor, his estranged wife (a professor at Longwood), their daughter (an apparent fan of the "horrorcore" genre who befriended the man, communicated with him online, and invited him to visit), and one of her friends.

Before reading this story, I had never heard of the "horrorcore" genre, but it apparently "sets violent lyrics to hip-hop beats." Andres Shrim, a producer of this genre on the label Seriel Killin Records and friend of McCroskey is quoted as expressing surprise at what happened: "This is not something from the Sam I know…. This is not something that I would ever, ever in a million years envision him doing." This comment comes after quotes from the lyrics of one of McCroskey’s songs that speak of his glee in stabbing people to death.

Aside from the obvious illustration of depravity and self-deception (see Shrim’s comments), this story illustrates the importance of what we allow to enter our own and our children’s minds. Music is not value neutral. You are what you listen to.

JTR

Sin, like a venomous disease

Image: Isaac Watts (1674-1748).

I have lately taken to searching the scriptural allusions page at cyberhymnal.org as I preach through Mark's Gospel. This Sunday I'll be preaching about Jesus' healing of the Gadarene demoniac in Mark 5:1-20. I ran across this hymn "Sin, like a venomous disease" written in 1707 by the prolific Isaac Watts based on the text. The lyrics seem especially striking after teaching last night at JPBC on "Irresistible Grace." You can listen to the hymn set to the tune St. Andrews (Tans'ur). But it would also go well with St. Anne ("O God Our Help in Ages Past"). Sadly, I do not think we will take time to sing it this Sunday, but it might end up being quoted. Read or sing and enjoy:

Sin, like a venomous disease,

Infects our vital blood;

The only balm is sovereign grace,

And the physician, God.

Our beauty and our strength are fled,

And we draw near to death;

But Christ the Lord recalls the dead

With His almighty breath.

Madness by nature reigns within,

The passions burn and rage,

Till God’s own Son, with skill divine,

The inward fire assuage.

We lick the dust, we grasp the wind,

And solid good despise;

Such is the folly of the mind,

Till Jesus makes us wise.

We give our souls the wounds they feel,

We drink the poisonous gall,

And rush with fury down to hell;

But Heav’n prevents the fall.

The man possessed among the tombs

Cuts his own flesh, and cries;

He foams and raves, till Jesus comes,

And the foul spirit flies.

JTR

Hymn Singing, Cyberhymnal, and Family Worship

Just finished reading John Blanchard and Dan Lucarini's Can We Rock the Gospel? (Evangelical Press, 2006). Hope to post a review soon (for my review of Lucarini's Why I Left The Contemporary Christian Music Movement, look here). It just confirms the value of solid hymnody over rock inspired contemporary Christian music.

We were discussing singing hymns in Family Worship yesterday in our "Family Foundations" Sunday School class at JPBC, and a friend suggested the use of Cyberhymnal. I was not aware of this resource. It is pretty awesome. For those who cannot read or play music, you can find your hymn by title and listen to the tune in addition to finding extra verses in some hymns.

In our family devotions, we have been using the "Christ-centered Hymns" booklet, cheaply published by Chapel Library. It has been great singing some of these classic old hymns with our children. Some of their favorites:

"Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted"

"When I Can Read My Title Clear"

"How Sweet and Awful"

Note: The above hymn links may shift as time goes by and their internal set up on Cyberhymnal changes.

JTR