Is Contemporary Worship “in Spirit” and “in Truth”? by Michael J. Penfold Perhaps the pivotal passage about worship in all of Scripture is John 4:23-24: “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father […]
Did John Wesley Use Tavern Songs? When anyone questions the use of worldly tunes and music in praise and worship, someone will inevitably assert, “It’s fine – after all, John Wesley used pub tunes for his hymns”. This charge against John […]
The Tragic Triumph of Experience Over Truth by Michael J. Penfold Across vast swathes of evangelicalism, doctrine and theology have become dirty words. What “feels good” has won the day. Exposition has been surrendered to entertainment, preaching to performance, doctrine […]
Christian music festivals – a warning. by Michael J. Penfold Lifest is an annual 4-day Christian music festival that takes place in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA, each July. It attracts around 20,000 attendees per day and features around 100 artists performing on […]
Examining Contemporary Praise and Worship by Michael J. Penfold Assessing contemporary praise and worship (CPW) is a tricky task for two major reasons. Firstly, the phenomenon is less than 70 years old, and secondly, it is a varied and constantly […]
Contemporary Song Books Examined by Michael J. Penfold In 1874, as a result of Ira Sankey’s much loved choice of hymns at D.L. Moody’s evangelistic crusades in the UK, the Sacred Songs and Solos hymnbook was born. 110 years later, in […]
