I'd like to hear form all backgrounds and denominations (especially Baptist). In its sung Worship, does your church sing:

• SOME Psalms
• NO Psalms
• EXCLUSIVELY Psalms

I'd especially like to hear form "Worship Leaders", "Praise Band Leaders" (or members) and the like.

In Presbyterian circles, how many churches by percent, do you suppose, sing NO Psalms whatsoever? Basically, your typical evangelical menu of contemporary songs and a hymn book or sheet.

In Baptist circles, same question.

Curious: ever heard of ANY Arminian Baptist / Congregationalist / Non-Denomination churches singing the Psalms?

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Chris
Presbyterian Reformed Church of Charlotte (PRC)
Student, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
SC

...hope is nothing but the nourishment and strength of faith.
~ Calvin's Institutes III.ii.43

I voted sometimes; in my old church we sang them exclusively but at my present church of the three songs sung there is usually at least 1 psalm, and often 2 or sometimes 3 for 3.

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Chris Coldwell, Lakewood Presbyterian Church (PCA), Dallas, Texas.
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We do not sing Psalms as such ,we do have one or two responsive Psalter readings at each Communion. Grace and Peace.

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et

Then why didn't you vote "never"? Everybody reads the Psalms.

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Davidius
Husband of Emily
Member of All Saints Anglican Church - Chapel Hill (AMiA / Anglican Church of North America)
Student: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, German and Classics

Hello David. I voted that we do based upon the intent. I feel the intent of sung and responsive said Psalms are pretty much alike.

I should have added when I mean "singing Psalms" I am referring to the 150 Psalms of David sung from a Psalter -- usually. It is not a Psalm if you mean a hymn from a [Trinity] hymnbook that has a verse or 2 from a Psalm of David.

Just the 150 Psalms of David.

I have never heard of any of the sort. Well, I have seen some that sing Psalm "paraphrases."

The Psalms take too much away from the glory of man and ascribe true sovereignty to God; they would therefore not be welcome in an Arminian church. That is, of course, unless they're paraphrased and have certain parts removed.

I understand what you mean but for the purposes of this thread I am asking who sings the Psalms [of David].

So, to be accurate, you should be marked down as a "Never". Correct?

Are you saying that if you only sing part of a Psalm that it does not count? It is either all or nothing? Does anyone sing 119 in its entirety in one sitting?

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Very well, if you feel the chanted/responsive Psalter use does not qualify then put me down as no.

My curiosity sprung from a previous thread about one's sacramentology leading them to a warped soteriology. I find it fascinating (and unsurprising) that Arminian churches (from what I know) do not sing the Psalms. Maybe their view of man and sin has something to do with it?

The psalms we sing are shorter ones in full or psalm portions otherwise; and usually from anything but the 1650 Scottish Psalter (usually the 1912; when we have Watts I don't count that as a psalm and remain seated).

No, I am not saying that.

Maybe you can post a one of these song's or hymn's lyrics with the verse from the Psalms in it and I can better clarify what I mean. I'll see what I can dig up . . .

Nothing wrong with chanting the Psalms. Curious: which Psalter do you use?

Ps 24:4,6
Ps 61:1-3
Ps 95:6,7
Ps 1:1,2

Just to name a few... Do these count?

Psalter as found in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. I kick it old school.

Are you saying during worship you sing these 2 (as an example) verses over and over again -- like a chant?

Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

Or do you simply sing the two verses one time and then it is over? Or are you singing an average length song/hymn that has these 2 verses included?

I'm thinking of a hymn out of the Trinity hymnal that you'd find a verse from the Psalms in it. Is this what you are talking about?

Yes, sort of, and standing up too. We sang the whole thing through 3 separate services in one Lord's day.

Actually, I thought it was a pretty good thing to do, but I doubt we will do it again.

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Raymond Victor Bottomly
Providence Reformed Baptist Church, Tacoma, WA

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Whew! Now I don't know how to answer. Technically, my church sings only psalms, and nothing else. But that includes the fact that we sing some of the songs found elsewhere in the Bible, as well as some composed hymns. So that's two different views right there. But, we also sing the 150 Psalms. But then, these are versifications, not right out of the Bible. So, in one respect, such as suggested in the OP, Chris, we don't sing any; while I would not say that our church sings anything else myself.

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John Vandervliet
Ontario, Canada
member of: Canadian Reformed Church
"In coming to understand anything we are rejecting the facts as they are for us in favour of the facts as they are" C.S Lewis, An Experiment in Criticism

We mostly sing Psalms. This coming Sunday, for instance, we'll be singing:

Psalm 67, Psalm 15, Psalm 110 (part), Psalm 2, Psalm 21 (part), Psalm 148, Psalm 86 (part), Psalm 116 (part), and Psalm 91 (part).

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Wes Bredenhof
Pastor, Providence Canadian Reformed Church
Hamilton, Ontario
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We always sing at least one psalm... when I am in charge, which is about half the time!

JH

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Jonathan Hunt

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Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom

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Since we have 5 songs in our liturgy I make sure at least 3 of them are Psalms. Therefore we are not exclusive psalmodists, nor exclusive hymnodists but we do sing the Psalms every Sunday (not 'sometimes' but every time we worship). Therefore I did not vote for any of the options.

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Rev. Daniel Kok
Pastor of Grace Reformed Church (URCNA)
Leduc, Alberta CANADA

"What sort of pledge and how great is this of love towards us! Christ lives for us not for himself!"
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If that were the case, Ken, our church could only seldomly sing Ps. 119. We share the building, and there are services every two hours, each of the two churches taking turns having two services; and switching times of service every three months. That means that only the church holding the last service of the day would have the time to sing Ps. 119. When it's our turn to have the last service, we'd better make the most of it, singing all the verses of Ps. 119 as often as we can for those times when we do not have the time to do so.

Actually, one of the churches tries to sing through all of Ps. 119 at least once a year, as she does for all the Psalms. Ps. 119 is kind of a benchmark Psalm for that, I take it.

I sing psalms exclusively.

I am not taking a position on exclusive psalmody, but only responding to the question. I will say that being introduced to the singing of psalms has changed my life and I feel no need to sing hymns.

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Matthew Vaughan
Presbyterian Reformed Church, Northern Va.
Warrenton, VA

Since you did not use an emoticon it is hard to tell if you are serious...

Are you?

Never

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Richard
CofE
UK

Yes, I am, sort of. I mean, it's all true. But we usually sing two or three verses of any one song. So it follows that we wouldn't sing all the 66 verses of Psalm 119 (as they are written in the Book of Praise) anyways. But I was just making the comment based on your comment about Ps. 119, which I took to be kind of tongue in cheek.

I used to know all the smilies, and could punch them in anytime. I've let that slip; and since I use the quick response box most of the time, the smilies aren't right at hand to add in. Sorry 'bout that.

We occasionally do, and I'm becoming more EP convinced (well, more in the fact that EP is very attractive to me; I'm sick of looking out for rubbish theology in the lyrics).

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Vaughan
BTh Student, Presbyterian Theological Centre
Student Assistant, Ashfield Presbyterian Church
Sydney, Australia
The Ransomed

I suppose my answer should have been the same. I said "sometimes" because, although we sing psalms every Lord's Day, we sing hymns as well.

Curious and not trying to hijack the thread why do so many find EP so attractive?

Singing inspired text is the only infallible way to follow the command in Col 3:16 (teaching and admonishing), and really, you are singing and meditating on the word of God. Much better than the word of a man who you constantly have to be discerning.

EDIT: I didn't argue Scriptural mandate, because that should be a given. We should sing Psalms, because we are commanded to. But the attractiveness in my mind comes from the comfort and safety of singing the inspired word of god.

I wish we sang them. I guess "Create in me a clean heart" is sort of like singing the Psalms.

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Rich
PCA, Northern VA
Student, New Geneva Theological Seminary

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Besides the very rare Martin Luther paraphrase, we never sing the psalms.

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Scott Roper
Member, Redeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA)
Winston-Salem, NC
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I guess I could sing those sentimental favourites of man's making, and I could say, yes, to a certain degree this is my experience too. But I can sing the Psalms of David and affirm wholeheartedly that this is not any individual's experience, or even of a particular place and time, but it is the experience of every believer in every age throughout the earth. It was the experience of Christ Himself, the embodiment of worship, Heb. 2:12. "These things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come," 1 Cor. 10:11. One cannot say that about a human ditty penned on the basis of a limited experience of God and a fallible conception of His providence and grace.

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Yours sincerely,


"Illum oportet crescere me autem minui."

Once again NO INSULT INTENDED, I just need this clear in my head. If you take this position to an extreme would you not exclude a sermon? In theory you could say a sermon is of man therefore at each service we will read 5,6 or7 chapters of the Holy Writ. Again this is a serous question for me since EP is foreign to me. Grace and Peace.

The Scriptures afford the preacher liberty to expound the Word. This is spoken to men according to their spiritual condition, and others may judge what is said, 1 Cor. 14:29. Praise is declarative, congregational, and of necessity requires a set form.

Worship leader here, no Psalter singing. I don't hold strictly to the Regulative Principle of Worship. I'm not opposed to Psalm singing, but I feel good hymns and contemporary songs reflect a more developed theology of who Christ is and what he has done, and thus ought to be preferred.

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This is an incredible statement!! You FEEL that good hymns and contemporary songs reflect a more developed theology of Christ than Christ's own revelation of himself in the scriptures. I am completely aghast. We don't have an aghast smilie.

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Traci
Lynnwood OPC
"I have taken all my good deeds, and all my bad deeds, and cast them through each other in a heap before the Lord, and fled from both, and betaken myself to the Lord Jesus Christ, and in him I have sweet peace."--David Dickson

I suppose you yourself are the arbiter of what is a "good" hymn and what is not. You think that you can do a better job than the Holy Spirit?