John Lamberton Bell

Graham Maule

"Eh-- Jesus--" "Yes, Peter--?".

JOHN L.. MAULE BELL (GRAHAM.)

Singing a new song is not an optional extra, but a faithful response to a divine command. This command is the opening phrase of Psalms 96 and 98. And, St John the Divine says, this is what the saints in heaven are doing all the time.But, on earth, things are not so easy. Sometimes it's because the latest new song in the old hymnbook is two centuries old. Or the congregation has been told by some sadist that it 'doesn't sing well'. Or sometimes the organist can only play what s/he hears on the radio. Or the guitarist can do anything, as long as it's only three major chords. However, even in such dire straits, the divine command has to be obeyed.So what if we kept familiar tunes - hymn tunes or folk tunes - and set words to them in 21st-century idioms? What if we gave some ancient psalms a makeover, replaced threadbare wedding and funeral songs or dealt with the things that people actually talk about when they're not in church? And what if most of the suggested tunes were so well known that - even if musicians took the huff - people could still sing the verses on their own?What if you looked under the covers of this book and began to upset the quiet of the place in which you are presently standing by beginning to hum?This book amounts to a modest proposal from the Wild Goose Resource Group on how to make the most of minimal congregational song resources in an accessible and resilient way.

100 Contemporary Texts to Common Tunes

Known Unknowns

John L. Bell

What we sing shapes what we believe - this is an incontrovertible truth as regards the song of the Church. It has led many Westerners to believe that Jesus was a silent baby (Away In A Manger) and a docile child (Once In Royal David's City). It has suggested that militarism is an apt metaphor for discipleship (Onward Christian Soldiers) and this misconception is closely allied to decay (Abide With Me). It has also led to the assumption that, as regards religion, 'the West is the best' (O'er Those Gloomy Hills of Darkness, etc). This is not to discount the value of these and other favourite texts. It is, rather, to suggest that the songs we sing reflect the theology of our times, and theology is always in process because God is always on the move. The songs in this collection are not the antidote but rather a supplement both to traditional hymnody and to the narrow spectrum of biblical and emotional content in much praise and worship material. They are songs intended, as the title (which comes from the words of Jesus) suggests, to liberate us from limited horizons.Hence there are: songs which shun dated, churchy language and instead embrace contemporary speech; songs which prove that the southern hemisphere has more to offer than Kumbaya; songs which take the world seriously, because God takes it seriously; songs which allow worship to be more than predictable praise; songs which challenge the dominance of a performance mentality because they are meant for all to sing. Because we have never set out to provide peerless performances of flawless music, we hope that this album will not just be something to listen to, but may encourage all of God's people to sing.

Biblical Songs for Worship

The Truth That Sets Us Free

New, revised and expanded edition of this much-loved unrecorded dialogue between Jesus and his eager disciple, Peter. Ideal as discussion starters or scriptural reflections in small groups and church services or for personal study. These scripts use up-to-date language and present a modern perspective on perennial issues such as faith, money, marriage, vocation, sex, healing, taxes, ecological concern, committment, children, the kingdom of heaven and many more.

Graham Maule

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