4.23.2008

Iain Campbell on Psalmody (Reformation 21)

It leaves us a bit eccentric in the eyes of some, but that all depends on where the centre is. A lifetime of worshipping with the words of the Psalms certainly embeds the sentiments of Scripture on one's mind and memory. The Psalter represents the Songs of Zion, which celebrate the both the history and the application of redemption.

I realize there is a theological issue here - how can we sing songs in worship which do not praise Jesus? My response is simply that if Jesus is not the God of the psalms, I don't know who is. I also note that the early Pentecostal preaching on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus is grounded in the sentiments of the Psalms. So I do not accept that the Psalms are inadequate for New Covenant worship, and I enjoy speaking on the redemptive, Christological and even Trinitarian strands of our hymnody.

2 comments:

Tim said...

But if embedding "the sentiments of Scripture on one's mind and memory" is the goal, why stop at the Psalms?

Robbie Schmidtberger said...

It is not the goal, it is a blessed benefit.