Theology and History

Image shows podcast cover with text: Music and the Church with Sarah Bereza. At sarah-bereza.com

The Hillsong Movement Examined with Tanya Riches, on Music and the Church Ep. 8

Theologian and musician Tanya Riches discusses the new book, The Hillsong Movement Examined: You Call Me Out Upon the Waters, which she co-edited with Tom Wagner. This collection of 15 essays is the first scholarly book about Hillsong Church, a Pentecostal church with roots in Sydney, Australia. In our interview, Tanya discusses music at the church, …

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Bringing a Researcher’s Mindset to Music Ministry, with Carrie Allen Tipton, and the 4 Sundays of Advent, on Music and the Church Ep. 5

Interview: Dr. Carrie Allen Tipton is a musicologist who hosts the podcast Notes on Bach, sponsored by the Bach Society Houston. Notes on Bach is a monthly series of interviews with scholars and musicians who work with Baroque music and issues around music like theology. Today, we discuss the benefits of bringing a researcher’s mindset to the ministry …

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Image shows podcast cover with text: Music and the Church with Sarah Bereza. At sarah-bereza.com

The History of Contemporary Worship with Swee Hong Lim and Lester Ruth, on Music and the Church Ep. 3

Interview: Dr. Swee Hong Lim and Dr. Lester Ruth discuss their new book Lovin’ on Jesus: A Concise History of Contemporary Worship. It’s an exploration of the origins of contemporary worship—including contemporary worship music. In our conversation, we discuss the implications their research has on church music today: What should traditional church consider if they …

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Image shows podcast cover with text: Music and the Church with Sarah Bereza. At sarah-bereza.com

Canadian Mennonite Worship Wars with Jonathan Dueck | Responses to National Tragedy, on Music and the Church Ep. 1

Try This at Church: Does your church like brass on Easter Sunday? Don’t wait to book your musician(s)—schedule them now! Interview: Jonathan Dueck, Vice President Academic and Academic Dean at Canadian Mennonite University (Winnipeg, Manitoba), discusses his new book, Congregational Music, Conflict and Community. It’s about the worship wars in three Canadian Mennonite churches—and how statements …

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Can Music Communicate Faith?

I’m always amazed when I read this: “Bach’s art and his religion are but one and the same. … Bach…uses music as a medium to present the Lutheran doctrines of Christianity. His music thus leads to the Gospel.”—Gerhard Herz That statement is from the mid-twentieth-century, but plenty of present-day scholars make similar arguments. For example, …

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