Composing Music for Worship

Composing Music for Worship is a unique, challenging and timely book that asks vital questions about the future of music for Christian worship. The increasing presence of background music in public places, the unlimited choice of recorded music cheaply available, the ease with which we can control our musical environment and ready access to musical perfection in the comfort of our own homes all have profound implications for churches and their music. While the availability of musical choice has exploded, organized religion has declined. Traditional institutions, including the churches, are increasingly avoided. What does this mean for music as a medium for conveying spiritual truths? What is the way forward for composers of Christian music? What music will speak deeply to worshippers and build churches into embodiments of Christian theology? What music will intrigue new people and attract them to the Christian good news? An impressive line-up of eminent musicians, representing a wide variety of music styles, consider these questions and explore the future for church music in all its expressions. The result is a cutting-edge examination of the challenges facing the churches in the modern age and a dynamic range of responses to those challenges. STEPHEN DARLINGTON is Organist and Tutor in Music at Christ Church, Oxford and director of music at Christ Church Cathedral. ALAN KREIDER was previously director of the Centre for the Study of Christianity and Culture, Regent's Park College, Oxford.He is presently teaching at the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Indiana.