Hymns and the music the church sings in worship are tangible means of expressing worship. And while worship is one of, if not the central functions of the church along with mission, service, education, justice, and compassion, and occupies a prime focus of our churches, a renewed sense of awareness to our theological presuppositions and cultural cues must be maintained to ensure a proper focus in worship. Hymns and Hymnody: Historical and Theological Introductions is a sixty-chapter, three-volume introductory textbook describing the most influential hymnists, liturgists, and musical movements of the church. This academically grounded resource evaluates both the historical and theological perspectives of the major hymnists and composers who have impacted the church over the course of twenty centuries. Volume 1 explores the early church and concludes with the Renaissance era hymnists. Volume 2 begins with the Reformation and extends to the eighteenth-century hymnists and liturgists. Volume 3 engages nineteenth century hymnists to the contemporary movements of the twenty-first century. Each chapter contains these five elements: historical background, theological perspectives communicated in their hymns/compositions, contribution to liturgy and worship, notable hymns, and bibliography. The mission of Hymns and Hymnody is (1) to provide biographical data on influential hymn writers for students and interested laypeople, and (2) to provide a theological analysis of what these composers have communicated in the theology of their hymns. We believe it is vital for those involved in leading the worship of the church to recognize that what they communicate is in fact theology. This latter aspect, we contend, is missing--yet important--in accessible formats for the current literature.

This handbook is currently in development, with individual articles publishing online in advance of print publication. At this time, we cannot add information about unpublished articles in this handbook, however the table of contents will continue to grow as additional articles pass through the review process and are added to the site. Please note that the online publication date for this handbook is the date that the first article in the title was published online. For more information, please read the site FAQs.

Assist Our Song combines accessible teaching about the theology and shape of worship with essential information about the forms of music used, including congregational hymns, songs, canticles and psalm chant, and music performed by choirs and musicians. It explores the range of resources available, how to extend repertoire, blending the old with the new, changing patterns of church life, and other practical issues. Its aims are the heightening of the profile of music within the church, increasing the skills and understanding on the part of musicians and choirs, assisting leaders of worship and empowering congregations to see themselves also as ‘ministers of music’ It offers practical assistance for the ‘delivery’ of music – choosing music, making the most of choirs and working with musicians. It will be welcomed by all who lead, provide or curate music in worship, as well as clergy and ordinands who lack musical expertise or confidence.

"Oswald Bayer is a major contemporary Lutheran theologian, most of whose work has appeared in German as collections of essays, but so far few of his writings have been translated into English. This volume represents a translation of the majority of the essays in one of those collections. The selection was made with the intention of indicating something of the depth and range of his thought on issues relating to theological ethics, bearing in mind the accessibility and potential interest of each chapter to the English-speaking reader. At the suggestion of Professor Bayer, a further chapter has been added on how Protestants view marriage and family." "At the heart of the present volume, as the title suggests, is a particularly reasoned exposition of freedom - as it is presented in the Bible and developed by such later theologians as Martin Luther - and how we are to respond. As Bayer says in his Introduction: 'The fundamental premise of these essays on theological ethics is that human freedom is the result of God's promise: "I am your God. And therefore you are my people." A promise of this sort opens to human beings a trustworthy community, where they can be free in the midst of all kinds of threats.'"--BOOK JACKET.

Since its publication in 1977, the Australian Hymn Book has been widely used throughout Australia. Under its international title, With One Voice, it is also used in parishes and schools in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Canada. International, ecumenical and contemporary, tOGEtHER IN SONG draws material from no fewer than 48 countries, containing a blend of hymns, psalms, songs and responses. Includes lyrics and melodies for 780 popular hymns and worship songs. Eleven indices included.