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WINNER OF THE 2011 GLOBAL eBOOK AWARD FOR CHRISTIAN NON-FICTION
It's All About HYMN: Essays on Reclaiming Sacred and Traditional Music for Worship, by Donn LeVie Jr. (September 2008, 288 pages). $16.99 retail. ISBN 978-0-9814857-0-6.
It's All About HYMN is a book concerned primarily with music for worship. This needs to be made clear because many churches today do not make distinctions among the several legitimate and necessary activities of a congregation: Worship, evangelism, fellowship, instruction, and discipling ministry, to name a few. Music for worship is unique because in worship we gather as the Church to address God and make an offering of ourselves to him in praise, adoration and all that we are. However, it can also be argued that music for evangelism, instruction, etc. should have characteristics that are consistent with the nature of the gospel and the biblical record. That is, music based on a portion of scripture or that expresses a personal experience in the life of faith should have the characteristics expressive of eternal values. A text of great strength and meaning requires music of substance. Otherwise the two are incongruous.
But the book is more than a treatise on worship music; it raises the consciousness of the reader to the importance of the architecture and art in the worship space, along with such questions as where the choir and pulpit are located, whether the design causes one to think vertically or horizontally, etc. The medium may not be the (complete) message but it affects our perceptions of the faith that is being expressed in the sanctuary (or worship space) in ways of which we are often unaware.
One of the strengths of the book that makes it an excellent resource for group study is that the author poses many questions that can be used to stimulate discussion. May it be a help to many who are concerned for the Church and confused by the current trend to make worship a popular religious social event rather than what it ought to be - a service characterized by reverence, dignity, mystery and awe.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
Essay Chapter 1: The Congregation is the Praise Band
Essay Chapter 2: The Worship Music Debate Through the Ages
Essay Chapter 3: Contemporary Christian Music, Christian Pop Music: What Are We Really Talking About?
Essay Chapter 4: Assumptions, Fallacies, Reason, and Groupthink in the Worship Music Debate
Essay Chapter 5: Why Personal Preference Can Not be an Option for Selecting Music for Worship
Essay Chapter 6: Understanding and Applying Spiritual Discernment for Selecting Music Used for Worship
Essay Chapter 7: Does Secular Music Have a Place in Worship Services?
Essay Chapter 8: Music as Art in Church
Essay Chapter 9: The Influence of Church Architecture on the Worship Model
Essay Chapter 10: 21 Questions on Reclaiming Sacred and Traditional Music for Worship
Essay Chapter 11: A Scriptural Prescription for Selecting Music for Worship
Essay Chapter 12: Grace Notes
Finale
Afterword by Dr. John Hamm
Appendix A: Recommended Sacred Chorale Music Recordings
Appendix B: Recommended Pipe Organ Music Recordings
Appendix C: Be a Part of the Follow-Up Book
Appendix D: Supplemental material
About the Author
More Comments from Reviewers
"It's All About HYMN is not just a book about music, this book's also about faith, logic, art, culture, style, history, and even architecture! As a Christian book, It's All About HYMN stands with Sally Morgenthaler's Worship Evangelism, published fifteen years ago, in reminding us that music is (a) important in worship, and (b) not the point of worship. Both books emphasize God, His presence in worship, and His action in calling us (and our neighbors) to worship. And both are highly recommended."
Sheila Deeth
Author, blogger, and 2011 Global eBook Awards Judge
http://sheiladeeth.blogspot.com
When it comes to books on the church music controversy, It's All About HYMN is hands-down one of the more considerate ones but a read that challenges proponents of CCM to face up to the shortcomings of that genre of music for use in worship. Each chapter is peppered with both rhetorical and thought-provoking questions that need to be addressed by those in charge of presenting music for worship and those who participate in its offering. LeVie's writing reveals not only knowledge and application of Scripture, but well-reasoned assertions, proposals, and conclusions drawn from his research, which is well annotated at the end of each chapter. . . Besides offering convincing and supported arguments, LeVie interjects questions that demand serious thought for nearly every claim, opinion, and perspective that promotes the use of CCM or Christian Pop Music for worship services.
If you want an eye-opening perspective on this hotly contested issue that gently but firmly leads you through the false presumptions, fallacies, and half-truths that often characterize the worship music debate, It's All About HYMN is THE book that will do it.
Christian Worship Book Review
It's All About HYMN: Essays on Reclaiming Sacred and Traditional Music for Worship focuses on the view that the hymns we sing in church should be about bringing honor to the Lord and not bringing attention to ourselves. The book contains 12 different essays relating to different subjects regarding music in the church. Although this can be a controversial subject, the author does an excellent job of explaining his view of the topic without coming across as arrogant or condescending. This is not a book you can read quickly but if you do take the time to delve into the subject matter you will enjoy the insights of this well educated author.
Christian Review of Books Website
It's All About HYMN: Essays on Reclaiming Sacred and Traditional Music for Worship, by Donn LeVie Jr. (September 2008, 288 pages). $16.99 retail. ISBN 978-0-9814857-0-6.
It's All About HYMN is a book concerned primarily with music for worship. This needs to be made clear because many churches today do not make distinctions among the several legitimate and necessary activities of a congregation: Worship, evangelism, fellowship, instruction, and discipling ministry, to name a few. Music for worship is unique because in worship we gather as the Church to address God and make an offering of ourselves to him in praise, adoration and all that we are. However, it can also be argued that music for evangelism, instruction, etc. should have characteristics that are consistent with the nature of the gospel and the biblical record. That is, music based on a portion of scripture or that expresses a personal experience in the life of faith should have the characteristics expressive of eternal values. A text of great strength and meaning requires music of substance. Otherwise the two are incongruous.
But the book is more than a treatise on worship music; it raises the consciousness of the reader to the importance of the architecture and art in the worship space, along with such questions as where the choir and pulpit are located, whether the design causes one to think vertically or horizontally, etc. The medium may not be the (complete) message but it affects our perceptions of the faith that is being expressed in the sanctuary (or worship space) in ways of which we are often unaware.
One of the strengths of the book that makes it an excellent resource for group study is that the author poses many questions that can be used to stimulate discussion. May it be a help to many who are concerned for the Church and confused by the current trend to make worship a popular religious social event rather than what it ought to be - a service characterized by reverence, dignity, mystery and awe.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
Essay Chapter 1: The Congregation is the Praise Band
Essay Chapter 2: The Worship Music Debate Through the Ages
Essay Chapter 3: Contemporary Christian Music, Christian Pop Music: What Are We Really Talking About?
Essay Chapter 4: Assumptions, Fallacies, Reason, and Groupthink in the Worship Music Debate
Essay Chapter 5: Why Personal Preference Can Not be an Option for Selecting Music for Worship
Essay Chapter 6: Understanding and Applying Spiritual Discernment for Selecting Music Used for Worship
Essay Chapter 7: Does Secular Music Have a Place in Worship Services?
Essay Chapter 8: Music as Art in Church
Essay Chapter 9: The Influence of Church Architecture on the Worship Model
Essay Chapter 10: 21 Questions on Reclaiming Sacred and Traditional Music for Worship
Essay Chapter 11: A Scriptural Prescription for Selecting Music for Worship
Essay Chapter 12: Grace Notes
Finale
Afterword by Dr. John Hamm
Appendix A: Recommended Sacred Chorale Music Recordings
Appendix B: Recommended Pipe Organ Music Recordings
Appendix C: Be a Part of the Follow-Up Book
Appendix D: Supplemental material
About the Author
More Comments from Reviewers
"It's All About HYMN is not just a book about music, this book's also about faith, logic, art, culture, style, history, and even architecture! As a Christian book, It's All About HYMN stands with Sally Morgenthaler's Worship Evangelism, published fifteen years ago, in reminding us that music is (a) important in worship, and (b) not the point of worship. Both books emphasize God, His presence in worship, and His action in calling us (and our neighbors) to worship. And both are highly recommended."
Sheila Deeth
Author, blogger, and 2011 Global eBook Awards Judge
http://sheiladeeth.blogspot.com
When it comes to books on the church music controversy, It's All About HYMN is hands-down one of the more considerate ones but a read that challenges proponents of CCM to face up to the shortcomings of that genre of music for use in worship. Each chapter is peppered with both rhetorical and thought-provoking questions that need to be addressed by those in charge of presenting music for worship and those who participate in its offering. LeVie's writing reveals not only knowledge and application of Scripture, but well-reasoned assertions, proposals, and conclusions drawn from his research, which is well annotated at the end of each chapter. . . Besides offering convincing and supported arguments, LeVie interjects questions that demand serious thought for nearly every claim, opinion, and perspective that promotes the use of CCM or Christian Pop Music for worship services.
If you want an eye-opening perspective on this hotly contested issue that gently but firmly leads you through the false presumptions, fallacies, and half-truths that often characterize the worship music debate, It's All About HYMN is THE book that will do it.
Christian Worship Book Review
It's All About HYMN: Essays on Reclaiming Sacred and Traditional Music for Worship focuses on the view that the hymns we sing in church should be about bringing honor to the Lord and not bringing attention to ourselves. The book contains 12 different essays relating to different subjects regarding music in the church. Although this can be a controversial subject, the author does an excellent job of explaining his view of the topic without coming across as arrogant or condescending. This is not a book you can read quickly but if you do take the time to delve into the subject matter you will enjoy the insights of this well educated author.
Christian Review of Books Website
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It's All About HYMN is now available in
PDF format to public libraries as well as
college/university libraries by subscription
through EBSCO Publishing.
It's All About HYMN was the Winner of the
2011 Global eBook Award for Christian
Non-Fiction.