•The Complete Library of Christian Worship • Edited by Robert E. Webber
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Music And The Arts In Christian Worship1,000-Character Scholarly Preview

The Theological Foundations Of Music In Worship

Contributor / Topic: Music and the Arts in Worship
Source: The Complete Library of Christian Worship, Robert E. Webber, General Editor

Music has played a prominent role in nearly every service of Christian worship ever conducted-in any culture, period of history, or worship tradition. Music has accompanied every liturgical act, from Entrance rites to sacramental liturgies; it has been used to express every emotion, from grief to joy. It is no surprise, then, that a major portion of this category should be dedicated to discussing the role of music in worship. The following entries include both theoretical and historical considerations regarding music in worship and appropriate suggestions for the practice of music in worship. Music in worship is not an end in itself. Rather, it is a means by which the gospel is proclaimed and by which the people respond in prayer. It may, in fact, be the most universal way for rendering Christian liturgy. Because of this function, any discussion of music in worship must center on the nature of Christian liturgy as much as any musical considerations. Only on this basis can the varieties…

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In This Section

Chapters & Articles in The Theological Foundations Of Music In Worship (18)

Entry 1
Music And Musician In The Service Of The Church

Music has great power to both reflect and shape human experience. In worship, as in other activities, music is able…

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Entry 2
The Functions Of Music In Worship

Music in worship serves many purposes and manifests itself in a variety of expressions. It is used both to praise G…

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Entry 3
The Difference Between Concert Music And Music For Worship

Although the technical aspects of music are the same for concert and worship music, the function and purpose of mus…

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Entry 4
The Place Of Praise In Worship

Worship in the praise-and-worship tradition is based on the assumption that praise is not identical to worship. Pra…

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Entry 5
Philosophy Of Music In Roman Catholic Worship

Roman Catholic directives in music have restored a sung liturgy and developed a liturgical role for music. What is …

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Entry 6
Philosophy Of Music In Lutheran Worship

Among Protestant churches, the Lutheran tradition has the richest heritage of music for worship. It is based on the…

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Entry 7
Philosophy Of Music In Reformed Worship

Although the Reformed tradition has been more restrictive about the use of music in worship than the Lutheran tradi…

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Entry 8
Philosophy Of Music In Free Church Worship

Music in free worship is not bound to the text of worship itself, but appears here and there as separate, special, …

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Entry 9
Philosophy Of Music In Praise-and-worship Tradition

Praise music emerged from the revival atmosphere of the Jesus Movement and the charismatic movement of the mid-1960…

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Entry 10
Philosophy Of Music In The Charismatic Tradition

Unique to music in the charismatic worship is what is known as "singing in the Spirit. " This form of music is char…

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Entry 11
Philosophy Of Music In African-american Worship

Music in black churches an is exuberant celebration of Jesus Christ and realization of the power of the Spirit. It …

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Entry 12
A Roman Catholic Document: Music In Catholic Worship Part I

In 1972, a committee appointed by the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions examined post-Vatican II docume…

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Entry 13
An Anglican Document On Music In Worship: In Tune With Heaven

The following paragraphs are selected from the 1992 report of the Anglican Archbishops' Commission on Church Music,…

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Entry 14
The Relationship Of Church Music And Culture

Throughout history, the church has related to the culture in which it exists in very different ways, choosing in so…

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Entry 15
Popular Culture And Congregational Song

Over the past generation, congregational song has been influenced by developments in popular music in an unpreceden…

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Entry 16
The Issue Of Contemporary Christian Music In Worship

One of the largest repertories of Christian music developed in recent years is the genre known as Contemporary Chri…

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Entry 17
Music In The Multicultural Church

Many congregations today consist of people from a wide range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Music in worship i…

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Entry 18
A Paradigm For The Church Music Of The Future

This chapter has presented a variety of ideas and ideals about music for use in worship. This article describes one…

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