Suggested Sacred Music by David Cloud

[DennisD]

http://www.wayoflife.org/database/sacred_music_sources.html

The philosophy of music is changing rapidly among fundamental Baptist and other fundamentalist churches. It is becoming popular to “adapt” contemporary praise songs by selecting ones with Scriptural lyrics and toning down the rhythm. This is being done by Majesty Music, Soundforth, Bob Jones University and its president Steve Pettit, and West Coast Baptist College, for example. They excuse the practice in various ways, such as likening the use of contemporary praise to the use of a Lutheran or Methodist hymn, but it is a different thing altogether. While I have never heard of a fundamental Baptist church becoming Lutheran or Methodist by singing old hymns, many are moving rapidly in the direction of the contemporary philosophy by using contemporary music. (For documentation about the growing acceptance of contemporary music by fundamental Baptists see The Baptist Music Wars, available in print and as a free eBook from www.wayoflife.org.) 

The contemporary philosophy is 180 degrees contrary to a Bible-believing separatist position, and the music has transformative power. Nothing is building the end-time one-world church more effectively than contemporary praise music. For more on this see “The Transformational Power of Contemporary Praise Music” at the Way of Life web site. 

Please note that we cannot guarantee that all of the music produced by the following organizations and ministries is sound. We publish this list because it is difficult to locate good Christian music, and we desire to point the way to some of the music that we have found helpful. It is not possible for us to listen to every thing that has been produced by the following sources. 

Also, there is the matter of “taste” in Christian music. While there are definite biblical principles that must be applied to music, there is also a simple matter of taste. For example, my wife does not like quartets, but I like quartets as long as the music is spiritual and the message is scriptural and they don’t “showboat,” meaning put on a carnal performance. Some like operatic style and some don’t. Some like “bluegrass” style, and some don’t. This is the type of thing I am talking about when I talk about “taste.”

Ultimately it is the responsibility of each listener to prove the music by the Word of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. 

For tools in how to analyze Christian music, we recommend the video series “Music for Good or Evil,” which is available as free eVideo downloads or as a DVD purchase from wayoflife.org.

We also recommend the new books Independent Baptist Music Wars (2014) andWhat Every Christian Should Know about Rock Music (2015), which are available in print or as free eBooks from www.wayoflife.org.

We encourage our readers to contact us if some of the music by any of the following sources is found to be worldly or contemporary. 

Internet links change frequently. If any of the following links are inoperative, it is up to the reader to do his own Internet search to find the latest links and contact information. 

BAPTIST COLLEGE OF MINISTRY, Menomonee Falls, WI. www.bcmedu.org/ministry/cd-recordings.

BIBLE TRUTH MUSIC. Two good CDs by Bible Truth Music are “Hallelujah Singing” and “He Is Alive.” Bible Truth Music PO Box 1881 Newport News, VA 23601. www.bibletruthmusic.com.

CHRISTIAN PURITIES FELLOWSHIP. Conservative music titles from Foundations Bible College. P.O. Box 1166, Dunn, NC 28333. www.foundations.edu.

CLARK, MIRIAN JARRELS. “While He Is Near.” Piano/vocal arrangements. P.O. Box 292, Penn Laird, VA 22846. 

CONCORD & HARMONY. This is the music ministry of Alan and Ellen Ives. 328 Rosalia Street, Oshkosh, WI 54901. 920-235-5400 (Wyldewood Baptist Church), www.wyldewood.org/cah/. Two good choices are “Volunteers for Jesus” and “In Jesus Is All Meaning.”

DAVID E. SMITH PUBLICATIONS, 4826 Shabbona Rd., Deckerville, MI 48427. www.despub.com. Catalog consisting of over 2,500 items by over 50 writers. Includes graded solos and ensembles for woodwinds, brass, strings, piano, string orchestra and concert band. Featured are “Heritage,” a band method supplement utilizing hymns and sacred songs sequenced to traditional band methods, and “Hymnsembles” and “Hymns for Multiple Instruments” which are designed to work with mix-and-match or unusual instrumentations. Distributor for C.T. Smith Publications, Curnow Press, Majestic Music (not to be confused with Majesty Music), and Salvation Army.

FAIRHAVEN BAPTIST COLLEGE, 86 E. Oak Hill Rd., Chesterton, IN 46304. 800-733-3422, bookstore@fairhavenbaptist.org. A good choice is “Everything Is Possible” by the Fairhaven Baptist College and Church.

FAITH MUSIC MISSIONS, Boeke Road Baptist Church, P.O. Box 2463, Evansville, IN 47728. www.faithmusicmissions.com. Faith Music Missions has a line of conservative, drumless soundtracks. They produce congregational piano hymns on CDs “for the church or servant of God to use in lieu of a pianist or to assist their music program.” We would warn that some of the Faith Music Missions music CDs use a honky-tonk Southern Gospel rhythm. “Heavenly Place” by the Epleys and “Ed Russ and the Old-Fashioned Quartet” are examples. 

GODLY MUSIC, Stephen and Christina Rains. http://godlymusic.org.

GREER MUSIC MINISTRIES, Taylors, SC. Gordon and Jean Greer are former opera singers who have produced two CDs, My Savior First of All and Soldiers of the Cross. singingforsouls@bellsouth.net.

FAITHWAY BAPTIST COLLEGE OF CANADA, Faithway Baptist Church, 1964 Salem Rd., Ajax, Ontario L1S 4S7. www.faithway.org. A good choice is “We Wear His Name” by the Faithway Baptist College of Canada Servant Singers.

HERBSTER TRIO. This excellent father-son trio has several excellent CDs. The singers are accompanied by orchestral music. Two of their CDs that I particularly like are “Hymns of Grateful Worship” and “Faithful Servant.” Tri-City Ministries, 4500 Little Blue Parkway, Independence, MO 64057, www.herbsterevangelism.org/site/pages/catalog.aspx?fsId=12&returnUrl=catalog.aspx.

HIBBARD, DAVID, 291 Clayton-Aura Rd., Glassboro, NJ 08028. 856-863-4992, hibbardfamilyministries@juno.com or dhibbard@juno.com. An excellent CD isAlong Life’s Road: Songs for the Saviour. 

HYMNS TRIUMPHANT. There are two volumes of these, each containing dozens of hymns performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the London National Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Amen Choir. The arrangements are wonderful. They are available from the Old Fashioned Christian Music Radio Store, http://www.oldchristianmusic.com/mproductpages/london-orchestra+amen-choir--hymns-triumphant.html. 

MAJESTY MUSIC, P.O. Box 6524, Greenville, SC 29606. 800-334-1071 (orders), 803-242-6722. www.majestymusic.com/. Much of the music produced by Majesty Music is excellent, and Ron and Shelly Hamilton are among the most prolific and talented sacred music writers and arrangers today. We would warn that some of the newer Patch the Pirate tapes are moving in a slightly contemporary direction. When I tried to warn about this years ago, not as an enemy but as a friend of Majesty Music who has recommended their music for decades, I was treated like a fool. Obviously they think they are above correction, so I would suspect that the direction of Majesty Music will continue to be toward a more contemporary sound. Also, Majesty Music is promoting the “contemporary hymns” of Stuart Townend and Keith Getty, among others. See the report “Dr. Garlock Misses an Important Point,” Feb. 3, 2015, via the search engine at www.wayoflife.org.

MURRAY MUSIC MINISTRIES. Lovely recordings by Greg and Heather Murray. I particularly like “The Lord Is Calling.” P.O. Box 346, Bedford, VA 24523, 540-816-0284, www.murraymusicministries.com.

MUSIC EDUCATION MINISTRIES. http://www.musiceducationministries.com/shop.

OLD FASHIONED CHRISTIAN RADIO MUSIC STORE. This online store offers a wide variety of traditional Christian music. www.oldchristianmusic.com.

SACREDAUDIO. A large variety of sacred music albums and mp3 downloads 
http://www.sacredaudio.com.

SOUNDFORTH, Greenville, SC 29614. www.soundforth.com. Music tapes and arrangements, song books, choir and choral, children’s music programs, dramas. Also “A Guide to Hymn Playing” by Rebecca Bonam and Duane Ream. This is still a good source for sacred music, but they are adapting contemporary praise music and justifying it on bogus grounds, and we suspect that their standards will change over the next few years. 

STOUFFER MEN. Two excellent CDs are “Brethren, We Have Met to Worship” and “Come and Sing.” Stouffer Music P.O. Box 1185 Taylors, SC 29687. info@stouffermusic.com, www.stouffermusic.com.

THE WILDS Christian Camp and Conference Center. http://www.wilds.org/resources/music. This is a good source for sacred music, but they, too, are justifying the use of Townend/Getty and other “contemporary hymn writers.” 

The Directory of Contemporary Worship Musicians, a free eBook, contains extensive documentation about the danger of using Getty/Townend music. 

 

copyright 2013, Way of Life Literature

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Edited June 27, 2015 by DennisD

[Alan]

Dennis,

Thank you for sharing with us, "Suggested Sacred Music by David Cloud." The article, and list, is a welcomed addition to the posts here on OnLine Baptist and appreciated.

Alan

[Invicta]

Thanks Dennis.

David Cloud distributed this some years ago.  It is well worth repeating.  I keep telling my church that if we have songs by people like Kenrick and Townend, then youngsters are likely to look them up online and follow some similar charismatic songs, then more extgreeme ones.

[DennisD]

You're right Invicta, he distributed in 2007.  I think he made some updates due to new information and just recently re-distributed.