Includes bibliographical references and index.

Pt. 1. Corporate worship. Sermon in song : sacred music as proclamation -- Sacred music as prayer -- Applause : for whom are you clapping? -- A biblical case for instruments in worship -- King David's praise team -- Leading in worship as accompanist -- Authenticity in corporate worship music -- Service music : what's it all about? -- Pt. 2. Hymnody and psalmody. Trinitarian hymnody -- Hymns in your church -- What Psalm ascriptions tell us -- Writing hymns -- Song in the Bible -- Biblical hymns of James Montgomery Boice -- Why every Christian should sing -- Pt. 3. Issues. Choir for hire : should church musicians be paid? -- What does a biblical music director look like? -- Teaching children music at church -- Music in the small church : where do we go from here? -- So you want a better organ -- Luther and bar song : the truth please! -- Misconceptions about church music -- What happened to hymns? -- Musical ignorance versus musical arrogance -- Pt. 4. Composers and composition. J.S. Bach and musical hermeneutics : Bach, the evangelical composer/preacher, Lessons from Bach -- Heinrich Sch�utz : a hermeneutical composer -- Felix Mendelssohn's Psalm settings -- Evidence of Igor Stravinsky's faith: the Symphony of Psalms -- The anatomy of a hymn tune -- Criteria for good church music -- Conclusion : three principles that would change church music today.