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Rise! The Woman’s Conquering Seed

December 11, 2019 · by Cameron Shaffer · in Uncategorized

Come, Desire of Nations, come,
Fix in Us thy humble Home,
Rise, the Woman’s Conqu’ring Seed,
Bruise in Us the Serpent’s Head.

Now display thy saving Pow’r,
Ruin’d Nature now restore,
Now in Mystic Union join
Thine to Ours, and Ours to Thine.

This is the fourth stanza from Charles Wesley’s original 1739 version of “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing” (originally entitled “A Hymn for Christmas Day”). It’s wonderful. I wonder why it’s not included in the song much anymore.

On Missional Mission-Drift and Psalmody

September 13, 2018 · by Cameron Shaffer · in Uncategorized

One of the great concerns of missional theology is the translation of theological language and practice across cultures. While the truth of the gospel does not change, the mode of communicating it can and must depending upon location. This was one of the arguments for the adaptation of rock and pop music in worship. Every musical style and genre will eventually run into the same problem: diminishing returns crossing cultures. A seminary professor of mine once told a story of visiting an evangelical church in Japan that was a slavish copy of American churches. The church had a praise team that dressed like a caricature of American worship leaders and played translated CCM. And it didn’t work, because it failed to account for the differences in American andĀ  Japanese culture.

As American and western culture changes, the use of rock music in worship stops meetingĀ the needs that lead to its employment in the first place…

On the Missional Use of Psalmody

August 29, 2018 · by Cameron Shaffer · in Uncategorized

When “contemporary” music hit the church scene starting in the 1960s, really picking up and winning out by the late 1990s, one of the arguments for the change in style is that it would be more familiar and appealing both…

On Giving the Old Testament CPR

August 20, 2018 · by Cameron Shaffer · in Uncategorized

As a followup to my recent post on the death of the Old Testament, I want to provide two direct solutions to breathing life back into the church’s use of it. The problem is not just that the Old Testament is often absent from the the life of the church, but in its presence it is not used well.

The simplest, most immediate solution is to starting singing the Psalms in worship. Not worship songs loosely based on a psalm, such as Matt Redman’s “10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)” inspired by Psalm 103, but singing actual psalms…

On God as His Own Interpreter

November 13, 2017 · by Cameron Shaffer · in Uncategorized

It is always easy upon reflection of a talk or sermon to identify something that I wish I had said. In the case of my recent talk on scripture’s authority, though, I really regret not including some comments on William Cowper. Friend of John Newton and a famous depressive, Cowper wrote many excellent hymns. God Moves in a Mysterious Way stands as one of the finest…

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