Exclusive psalmody
Encyclopedia
Exclusive psalmody is the particular worship practice of several small Protestant denominations worldwide which use a metrical version of the Book of Psalms from the Bible
as the only manual of songs that may be sung in their services. Denominations practising exclusive psalmody include the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America
and the Presbyterian Church of Eastern Australia
.
The practice of Exclusive psalmody is founded on a strict (sometimes called 'Puritan
') interpretation of the regulative principle of worship
. The Exclusive Psalmodists contend that since God has given Christians a collection of 150 worship songs and provides scriptural examples of them being sung, God requires these songs to be used in public worship and forbids others to be sung (2 Chronicles 5:13, 2 Chronicles 20:21, 2 Chronicles 29:30, Ezra 3:11, Exodus 15:1).
Whilst exclusive psalmody was once a distinctive of most Presbyterian, Calvinist and Reformed churches, it is now a minority position. Since the 19th century, interpretation of the regulative principle has shifted and there is now a consensus amongst many Christians, even conservatives, who subscribe to it that it permits the use of songs other than the Psalms, provided that the lyrics are compatible with the Bible. This allows the use of numerous hymns and modern worship songs.
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
as the only manual of songs that may be sung in their services. Denominations practising exclusive psalmody include the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America
Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America
The Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America , a Christian church, is a small Presbyterian denomination with churches throughout the United States, in southeastern Canada, and in a small part of Japan. Its beliefs place it in the conservative wing of the Reformed family of Protestant churches...
and the Presbyterian Church of Eastern Australia
Presbyterian Church of Eastern Australia
The Presbyterian Church of Eastern Australia is a Presbyterian denomination which was formed in Sydney on 10 October 1846 by three ministers and a ruling elder...
.
The practice of Exclusive psalmody is founded on a strict (sometimes called 'Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
') interpretation of the regulative principle of worship
Regulative principle of worship
The regulative principle of worship is a teaching shared by some Calvinists and Anabaptists on how the Bible orders public worship. The substance of the doctrine regarding worship is that God institutes in the Scriptures everything he requires for worship in the Church and that everything else is...
. The Exclusive Psalmodists contend that since God has given Christians a collection of 150 worship songs and provides scriptural examples of them being sung, God requires these songs to be used in public worship and forbids others to be sung (2 Chronicles 5:13, 2 Chronicles 20:21, 2 Chronicles 29:30, Ezra 3:11, Exodus 15:1).
Whilst exclusive psalmody was once a distinctive of most Presbyterian, Calvinist and Reformed churches, it is now a minority position. Since the 19th century, interpretation of the regulative principle has shifted and there is now a consensus amongst many Christians, even conservatives, who subscribe to it that it permits the use of songs other than the Psalms, provided that the lyrics are compatible with the Bible. This allows the use of numerous hymns and modern worship songs.
Denominations
- Australian Free Church
- Associated Presbyterian ChurchesAssociated Presbyterian ChurchesThe Associated Presbyterian Churches is a Scottish Christian denomination , formed in 1989 from part of the community of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland....
- Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Australia
- Free Church of Scotland (Continuing)Free Church of Scotland (Continuing)The Free Church of Scotland is a Scottish Presbyterian denomination which was formed in January 2000...
- Free Presbyterian Church of MalawiFree Presbyterian Church of ScotlandThe Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland was formed in 1893 and claims to be the spiritual descendant of the Scottish Reformation...
- Free Reformed Churches of North AmericaFree Reformed Churches of North AmericaThe Free Reformed Churches of North America is a theologically conservative federation of churches in the Dutch Calvinist tradition with congregations in the United States and Canada. It officially adopted its current name in 1974...
- Free Presbyterian Church of ScotlandFree Presbyterian Church of ScotlandThe Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland was formed in 1893 and claims to be the spiritual descendant of the Scottish Reformation...
- Gereformeerde Gemeenten
- Gereformeerde Gemeenten in Nederland
- Gereja Jemaat Protestan di Indonesia
- Heritage Reformed Congregations
- Netherlands Reformed CongregationsNetherlands Reformed CongregationsThe Netherlands Reformed Congregations, is a highly conservative denomination with congregations mostly in Canada, the United States, and the Netherlands.-Baptism:...
- Nigeria Reformed Church
- Old Order AmishAmishThe Amish , sometimes referred to as Amish Mennonites, are a group of Christian church fellowships that form a subgroup of the Mennonite churches...
- Oud Gereformeerde Gemeenten in Nederland
- Presbyterian Church of Eastern AustraliaPresbyterian Church of Eastern AustraliaThe Presbyterian Church of Eastern Australia is a Presbyterian denomination which was formed in Sydney on 10 October 1846 by three ministers and a ruling elder...
- Presbyterian Reformed Church
- Reformed Presbyterian Church of Australia
- Reformed Presbyterian Church of IrelandReformed Presbyterian Church of IrelandThe Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland is a Presbyterian denomination in Ireland.-History:The denomination's roots date back to the 17th-century Plantation of Ulster by Scots Presbyterian settlers...
- Reformed Presbyterian Church of Malawi
- Reformed Presbyterian Church of ScotlandReformed Presbyterian Church of ScotlandThe Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland is a Christian denomination. It is the original church of the Reformed Presbyterian tradition . The RPCS formed in 1690 when its members declined to be part of the establishment of the Church of Scotland...
- Reformed Presbyterian Church of North AmericaReformed Presbyterian Church of North AmericaThe Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America , a Christian church, is a small Presbyterian denomination with churches throughout the United States, in southeastern Canada, and in a small part of Japan. Its beliefs place it in the conservative wing of the Reformed family of Protestant churches...
- Restored Reformed ChurchRestored Reformed ChurchThe Restored Reformed Church is a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It was founded on May 1, 2004, by a minority of the Reformed Bond inside the Dutch Reformed Church who opposed that church's merger with two other Protestant churches into the Protestant Church in the Netherlands...
(Hersteld Hervormde Kerk) - Southern Presbyterian Church
- Strict BaptistStrict BaptistStrict Baptists, also known as Particular Baptists, are Baptists who believe in a Calvinist or Reformed interpretation of Christian soteriology. The Particular Baptists arose in England in the 17th century and took their namesake from the doctrine of particular redemption.-Further reading:*History...
s - Westminster Presbyterian Church in the United States
External links
- Exclusive Psalmody: A Biblical Defense, An argument For Exclusive Psalmody by Brian Schwertley
- Automatic Psalm Player All 150 psalms on automatic player so you can listen while browsing web