The Biblical Psalms in Christian Worship

by Witvliet, John D.

• ISBN13: 9780802807670
• ISBN10: 0802807674
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-01-15
• Publisher: Eerdmans Pub Co

Summary

The biblical Psalms are, without doubt, a valuable source for Christian worship, but the vast text can prove daunting without direction. John D. Witvliet offers a solution with this brief but comprehensive survey of key theological themes, practical guidelines, and published resources related to the use of the Psalms.Arranged in symphonic form with a "prelude" and "interludes," "The Biblical Psalms in Christian Worship" opens with a foundation of words about the Psalms from our wise church fathers, followed by a broad meditation on the basics of worship. Witvliet follows with an extensive tutorial on choosing a Psalm, engaging a congregation, deciding whether to speak or sing the text, and many other practical solutions for integrating Psalms into congregational worship for any generation.By including both classroom exercises and a brief musical Psalm sampler as helpful appendices, Witvliet provides all the resources necessary to spark a renewed engagement with the Psalms in community and public worship. This will be an important text for pastors and worship leaders desiring to lead their congregations to renewal.

Author Biography

John D. Witvliet is director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and associate professor of Music and Worship at Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xiii
Prelude: Patristic Testimonies	p. 3
The Psalms and the Basic Grammar of Christian Worship	p. 11
Personal Address and Dialogic Structure	p. 16
Identifying God's Character through Metaphor and Historical Recitation	p. 17
The Ebb, Flow, and Fittingness of Praise and Petition, Gratitude and Lament	p. 23
Individual and Communal Speech	p. 26
Specificity and Generality in Prayer	p. 28
Emotional Engagement and Range	p. 30
Image and Poetry in Christian Speech	p. 32
Interlude: Reformation-Era Testimonies from Luther and Calvin	p. 37
Praying the Psalms in Christian Worship	p. 45
Choosing a Psalm	p. 49
Liturgical Criteria	p. 49
Homiletical Criteria	p. 56
Pastoral Criteria	p. 61
Choosing a Translation	p. 62
Translations and Paraphrases of the Psalms	p. 66
The Liturgical Placement of a Psalm	p. 67
Framing the Congregation's Mode of Engagement	p. 69
Psalm Types	p. 70
Contemplation or Prayer	p. 72
Christological Framings of Psalm Texts	p. 74
The Psalms in New Testament Context	p. 75
Studying the Psalm	p. 76
Pace	p. 78
Structure	p. 78
Script	p. 80
Poetic Lines	p. 81
Parallelism	p. 82
Realizing the Psalms: Options for Singing or Speaking	p. 85
Solo Reading	p. 86
Choral Reading	p. 87
Responsive or Antiphonal Readings	p. 91
Chant	p. 94
Psalm Tones and Pointed Text	p. 96
Anglican Chant	p. 98
Gelineau Psalmody	p. 99
Plainchant	p. 100
Responsorial Psalmody (or Psalmody with Congregational Refrains or Antiphons)	p. 101
Metrical Psalmody	p. 106
Psalm-Based Solo and Choral Anthems, Organ and Instrumental Music	p. 115
The Psalms in Contemporary and Emerging Worship, Psalm-Based Scripture Songs, and the Psalms in Popular Music Idioms	p. 116
Basis for Improvised Prayer	p. 120
Visual Imagery, Children's Books, Calligraphy	p. 124
Composite Collections of Psalmody	p. 125
Children and Youth in Intergenerational Worship	p. 126
Selecting from among These Methods	p. 129
Finding Sources	p. 130
Pastoral Postscript	p. 131
Postlude Modern Testimonies	p. 135
A Brief Set of Exercises for Classroom Use	p. 143
Some Creative Thinking about Worship Renewal	p. 145
General Bibliography	p. 148
Acknowledgments	p. 158
Permissions	p. 161
Index of Names	p. 163
Index of Subjects	p. 165
Index of Psalms	p. 168
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