South African Christian News: Telling the God Stories of Africa
Singing songs in the Sunday services is one of God’s effective methods of “making disciples”. Jesus expects us to keep His comprehensive purpose — to make disciples — at the centre of our service for Him. A disciple is one who is being “taught” the teachings of Jesus, and who […]
Is it possible to sing worship songs to God that actually are songs that worship money? “No” says Jesus. You cannot worship God and money. Yet the motivation behind publishers’ surveys asking us to name the most popular worship songs is this: “If we publish the popular worship songs, we […]
The home pages of church websites sometimes have a photograph intended to draw the attention of browsers looking for a church to visit or join. I noticed one that got me thinking: “What picture best describes your church?” It was a picture taken from the fifth row of seated people, […]
It is dangerous to allow our musical preferences to divide the Church. We disobey Jesus when we allow our preferences to erode the unity for which Jesus prayed. All believers, young and old, white and black, are one in Christ. Worship together. Sing together. Serve together. Witness together. Because this […]
With the changing musical cultures, the Church of Jesus Christ is in danger of dividing along generational lines. The natural driving force is the people’s preference for the kind of song they like. If they don’t like another style of singing, they avoid it. People’s preference prevails. But what about […]
In the 1970s, when the new wave of “praise and worship songs” swept through the churches, there were people who liked them and people who disliked them. “Worship wars” divided congregations. Usually, the older generation wanted to retain hymns, while the younger generation was eager to embrace the new contemporary […]
Have you noticed the subtle change in MTN’s advertising? Its usual slogan is “MTN Everywhere You Go,” but now it is “MTN Everywhere You Stay”. That tiny coronavirus changes everything! For those who have reduced “worship” to mean merely “singing in church”, the current national lockdown forces us to recover […]
Hugh Wetmore is a songwriter and student of worship trends. He invites you to join the worship conversation by commenting on his monthly column. Over the past three months, Colossians 3:16 has shown us more clearly that the three main purposes for singing in church are: 1. to teach the […]
Hugh Wetmore is a songwriter and student of worship trends. He invites you to join the worship conversation by commenting on his monthly column. “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and […]
Hugh Wetmore is a songwriter and student of worship trends. He invites you to join the worship conversation by commenting on his monthly column. “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and […]