Calvin Institute of Christian Worship - A New Song for An Old World

A New Song for an Old World: Musical Thought in the Early Church (Eerdmans, 2007)

Description
While the worship wars continue to rage in the church, many do not realize that conflict over church music goes back to the earliest Christians as they sought to live out the “new song” of their faith. In A New Song for an Old World Calvin Stapert challenges Christians to learn from the wisdom of the early church as they seek to explore appropriate music today.

Stapert draws parallels between the pagan cultures of the second and third centuries and our own multicultural realities, enabling readers to comprehend the musical ideas of early Christian thinkers, from Clement and Tertullian to John Chrysostom and Augustine. Stapert's expert treatment of the attitudes of the early church toward psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs is ideal for scholars of early Christianity, church musicians, and all Christians looking to add an ancient yet relevant perspective to their worship today.

Author
Calvin R. Stapert is professor of music at Calvin College.

Endorsement
“A fresh, useful study that draws together several disparate streams of traditional thought and finds golden nuggets buried in unlikely places. Writing from a perspective that wisely celebrates Christian artistic emancipation from Enlightenment domination, Stapert sensitively explores early-church views on the relationship between music as redeemed gift and music as fallen hindrance—music as spiritually substantive rather than merely personally preferential. This is essential reading not only for those involved in worship arts but also for Christians active in all areas of musical life who seek a more balanced perspective on the relationship between the spiritual and the aesthetic."
—Mark Hijleh, President, Christian Fellowship of Art Music Composers

CICW Liturgical Studies Series with Eerdmans
This series is designed to promote reflection on the history, theology, and practice of Christian worship and to stimulate worship renewal in Christian congregations. Written by pastoral worship leaders from diverse communities and scholars from a range of disciplines, these volumes seek to nurture worship practices that are at once spiritually vital and theologically rooted. To find all the books in this series, go to Publications and under "Publisher," select "Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing."

Table of Contents from Eerdmans