Come, Let Us Sing

Confusion and conflict over church music continue to compromise the unity and witness of many churches today. It is vital, therefore, that our understanding and practice of congregational life be tested, refined and reshaped by Scripture. This is the reformed way - ecclesia reformata, ecclesia semper reformanda ("the reformed church is the church that is always reforming"). Come, Let Us Sing seeks to help us reform the musical dimension of church life by bringing biblical clarity to two key questions: Why do we come together? and Why do we sing together? In answer to the first, Robert Smith navigates a path through the contemporary 'worship word wars', concluding that we gather both to worship God and to encourage others. Two questions must, therefore, be asked of everything we do: Does it glorify God? and Does it edify others? As to why we sing, Smith unpacks the three principal functions of congregational singing in Scripture - as a way of praising, a way of praying and a way of preaching. In so doing, he explores the necessity of singing scriptural truth, the value of psalmody, the place of emotions, the role of our bodies, and how singing expresses and enriches our unity. Come, Let Us Sing is a timely call for the church to reclaim its biblical musical heritage and reform its musical practice. ROBERT SMITH lectures in Theology, Ethics and Music ministry at Sydney Missionary & Bible College, Australia. He also serves as the Assistant Director of Ministry Training & Development for the Anglican Diocese of Sydney and as an Assistant Minister at St Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney. In addition to having written widely on the theology of congregational music, Rob is the co-author (with Mike Raiter) of Songs of the Saints: Enriching our Singing by Learning from the Songs of Scripture (Sydney, Matthias Media, 2017). He is also a songwriter, producer and director of Emu Music. Rob is married to Claire.