Singing and Making Music, by Paul S. Jones

For a non-musician like myself, this is a very helpful book. Paul Jones is the Organist and Music Director for Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, and has written something of a primer for understanding the role of music in the worship of the church.

There is no question that God's people are to worship him with music. The Psalmist tells calls us to "sing to the Lord a new song" (Ps. 149:1), and the apostle Paul exhorts the Ephesians to "[address] one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart" (Eph. 5:19). Exactly how we are to worship God with song and music, however, is a matter of no little debate, a debate which unfortunately has produced more heat than light.

From the perspective of a church musician, and a Christian committed to the Scriptures as the final authority in matters of worship, Jones seeks to add light to this contentious issue. His essential point is that the church, in her use of music in worship, must pursue excellence. This means both faithfulness to God's Word in matters of music, and offering to God the very best music and singing we possibly can.

I was personally challenged by his stress on the importance of church leaders having some degree of musical competence. He quotes Martin Luther as saying, "We shouldn't ordain young men to the ministry unless they be well schooled in music" (pg. 142). Ouch! - this is one area in which I am certainly lacking (every time we sing a hymn, I take a few steps back from the microphone). As a remedy, Jones calls for Christian colleges and seminaries to make musical education a much greater priority than it is now. I had never thought about that before.

Jones also covers everything from Contemporary Christian Music (of which he is critical), to the use of instruments in worship (which he enthusiastically advocates), to the myth that Luther used bar songs for his hymn tunes (which he debunks), to providing guidance on how a church can acquire a pipe organ (which probably hadn't even entered the mind of most of his readers!), to the musical genius of past Christian composers such as Bach (which was very technical, and above my head).

The book is thought-provoking, enlightening, and practical. I highly recommend it as a valuable guide in thinking through the current debates over music in worship.