Author: Stan McDaniel

No. 15 – Christianity, Community, and the Holy Spirit: A Church Musician’s PerspectiveWorship, in my view as a Christian, is central to the walk of faith. There are two equally important types of worship, personal and corporate. Both have been essential in my life and career as a church musician. Personal (or private) worship in…

No. 14 – A “Servanthood of Song”Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness…

No. 13 – From “Sorrow Songs” to Concert Spirituals, and the Importance of Improvisational Forms in American Sacred Music“The Port Royal Experiment”, discussed in the previous installment, was an important juncture in American church music history. Lucy McKim Garrison’s passionate advocacy for the African-American spiritual as an important and unique example of American folk art…

No. 12 – Singing the Faith in WartimeEpisodes of armed conflict have occurred throughout America’s history, and despite the fact that any biblical defense of war is shaky at best, American Christians and their churches have had to respond. When historians write of the American Revolution and the War of 1812, seldom emphasized is the…

No. 11 – Song Leading: An Undervalued Art in Traditional WorshipLooking back, in the early years of my career in mainline Protestant church music, it seemed like there was almost an obsession with appearances. Concern over how things looked seemed to me to be taking precedence over the core mission – to facilitate active, fully…

No. 10 – The Musical Legacy of Cane RidgeThe word “spiritual”, referring to a musical form, is so commonly used that one might question the need to say anything further. For those hoping to know a bit more about the origins of the African-American spiritual beyond what is in Installment No. 13, “The Port Royal…

No. 9 – Toward a More Inclusive Church MusicThe inspiration for Servanthood of Song came from my almost fifty-year career as a church musician. Classically-trained as a singer, voice teacher, and conductor, I had to learn that church music, if it is to be the powerful witness it can be, must be understood as a…

No. 8 – Tracing the Origins of Contemporary Christian MusicI remember my first encounter with what has been labeled “contemporary Christian music” as being in 1988. Oh, sacred pop in the form of songs like “Morning Has Broken” and “Let There Be Peace on Earth” had been around for a while, and youth groups had…

No. 7 – Music, Worship, and Evangelism                 The writings of Robert E. Webber (1933 – 2007), taken as a whole, are essential reading for anyone hoping make sense of the complexities of the Christian landscape in 21st century America.  They are also, in my view, irreplaceable as guide to ministry during these challenging times.[1]  In…