The Guitar In Worship

The use of stringed instruments in worship goes back into the Old Testament and has a history of its own in the Christian church. In recent years, the guitar has been frequently used to lead music for worship. This article explains where and how to use the guitar. The use of the guitar in praise of God is founded solidly on biblical precedent. The Psalms come immediately to mind with their frequent mention of instrumental praise (e. g. , Ps. 33:2; 71:22-23; 92:3; 144:9), and even a cursory reading of the history of Israel reveals the regular use of stringed instruments in worship. Today, the re-emergence of stringed instruments (specifically the acoustic guitar) can be traced back to the 1960s, an era now famous for its proliferation of folk music, the vox populi. Popular singers like Peter, Paul, and Mary, and Joan Baez (to name a few) captured the public imagination with their simple, immediate, troubadour style, reflecting the concerns of the day in song. The drug culture, the s…