Psalmody and the Reformed Psalter

1. Lectures Listen to the lectures in order. Those marked supplementary are optional.

   • Exclusive Psalmody (7-part series: 1/7 Inspired Song vs. Uninspired Song; 2/7 God's Covenant Songs in Worship; 3/7 Sufficiency of the Psalter; 4/7 Exclusive Psalmody and the Regulative Principle; 5/7 Exclusive Psalmody in Church History; 6/7 Exclusive Psalmody and the Westminster Standards; 7/7 Objections Answered) Greg Price 7 lectures; durations not confirmed Open source Doctrinal Reformed Presbytery in North America (Covenanter; holds the original Westminster Standards and the Solemn League and Covenant); series 'Puritan Worship' on... Art. 69 (text confirmed) admits beside the 150 Psalms the Ten Commandments, Lord's Prayer, Twelve Articles and the songs of Mary, Zacharias and Simeon; the Scottish line sings psalms only. Both are within the two confessional families. Keep both; teach exclusive psalmody as the Scottish position and Dort Art. 69 as...
   • What Shall We Sing? Part 2 Adam Kuehner 48 min (per search-result listing) Open source Doctrinal Southfield Reformed Presbyterian Church (RPCNA), metro Detroit Art. 69 (text confirmed) admits beside the 150 Psalms the Ten Commandments, Lord's Prayer, Twelve Articles and the songs of Mary, Zacharias and Simeon; the Scottish line sings psalms only. Both are within the two confessional families. Keep both; teach exclusive psalmody as the Scottish position and Dort Art. 69 as...
   • Regulative Principle of Worship (Lecture 10) Ligon Duncan Open source Doctrinal Reformed Theological Seminary The lectures read or assume the 1788 OPC/PCA text; the 1647 text gives the magistrate power to call synods (31.2) and the original Belgic 36 charges the magistrate to remove idolatry. The new school holds the 1647 and original texts. Keep the lectures for chapters where the text is unchanged (21, 25 in substance,...
   • Exclusive Psalmody Debate (2003 GPTS Spring Conference) Brian Schwertley and Benjamin Shaw Open source Source studied Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary

   Total: 0.8 hours

2. Reading Read in the order given. Public-domain and free texts are linked; purchases are optional and never required.

   • The Psalms of David in Metre (Scottish Metrical Psalter, 1650), with notes by John Brown of Haddington Church of Scotland (authorized 1650); notes by John Brown of Haddington; 1991 electronic edition by Presbyterian Heritage Publications 5 books, Psalms 1-150, with preface, notes and indexes Open source Primary text 1650. Free online
   • Psalm Singing in Calvin and the Puritans Joel R. Beeke 13 pages Open source Doctrinal 2010. Free online
   • History of the Genevan Psalter (parts 1-3) Pierre Pidoux 3 parts on one page Open source History Free online Swiss Reformed musicologist, not a confessional subscriber in the sense required for doctrinal instruction. Role set to 'historical-reading'; use for the history of the Psalter only.
   • The Genevan Psalter: 450 Years Arjan J. de Visser 3 pages Open source Supplementary 2011. Free online
   • What Should We Sing? Peter J. Naylor Open source Source studied 2008. Free online Argues against exclusive psalmody; confessional subscription not confirmed. Assigned as 'objection-studied' only.
   • The Psalms in Worship: A Series of Convention Papers Bearing upon the Place of the Psalms in the Worship of the Church John McNaugher (ed.); United Presbyterian Church of North America 572 pages Open source Comparison Read as comparison 1907. Public domain A very small Covenanter body (RPNA 'About' page loaded: Price is its pastor) which holds the original Westminster Standards but adds the Solemn League and Covenant as a term of communion and dissents from all other churches. Doctrine conforms to 1647; the ecclesiology of separation goes beyond it. Keep as the...

   Total: 588 pages

3. Assignment Write a research paper of 30 pages on a topic drawn from the lectures and readings of this course. Argue from Scripture, the Westminster Standards (1647 text) and the Three Forms of Unity, cite the primary sources you read, and state the points on which the sources differ.

   Open the assignment

4. Paired unit: What May the Church Sing?

5. Lectures Listen to the lectures in order. Those marked supplementary are optional.

   • What Shall We Sing? Part 2 Adam Kuehner (Reformed Presbyterian Church) 48:44 Open source Doctrinal Reformed Presbyterian Church, SermonAudio
   • Exclusive Psalmody Debate (2003 GPTS Spring Conference) Brian Schwertley and Benjamin Shaw (various speakers) 2:11:49 Open source Doctrinal Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, SermonAudio Schwertley argues Side A as a Westminster subscriber, but he is a theonomist and, to the reviewer's knowledge, was later deposed by his presbytery (Reformed Presbyterian Church General Assembly); this could not be checked online this session (search budget exhausted). Theonomy is not on the PRD removal list; the...
   • Selecting Psalms and Hymns for Worship (Special Edition) Camden Bucey Open source Supplementary Reformed Forum Reformed Forum pages state no church affiliation. To the reviewer's knowledge Waddington and Bucey are OPC ministers (American 1788 text); Ragusa's page links Messiah's Reformed Fellowship (New York); Sutanto's standing is not stated. he18 re-roled supplementary; ctc512 and ctc571 stay doctrinal because the topics...

   Total: 3 hours

6. Reading Read in the order given. Public-domain and free texts are linked; purchases are optional and never required.

   • Reformation Principles Exhibited: Declaration and Testimony of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in North America, ch. 24 'Of Christian Worship', esp. sec. 8 (Psalms to the exclusion of uninspired compositions) Reformed Presbyterian Church in North America (General Synod) pp. 90-96 Open source Primary text 1871. Public domain
   • The Psalms in Worship: A Series of Convention Papers Bearing upon the Place of the Psalms in the Worship of the Church (ed. John McNaugher, 1907) Various, United Presbyterian Church of North America; ed. John McNaugher Open source Doctrinal 1907. Public domain
   • Instrumental Music in the Public Worship of the Church John L. Girardeau Open source Primary text 1888. Public domain American subscribers (1788 text). Their material here concerns worship and Turretin's method, not the civil magistrate. Used freely under the PRD rule for American subscribers; the OPC reports are shown as a primary source with the page's own note that they are not constitutional. If any is used on WCF 20.4, 23 or...
   • Reports of the Committee on Song in Worship, OPC General Assembly 1946-47: Report of the Minority (John Murray and William Young), section 'Report of the Minority to the Fourteenth (1947) G.A.' John Murray and William Young (minority of the OPC Committee on Song in Worship) Open source Doctrinal 1947. Free online
   • Reports of the Committee on Song in Worship, OPC General Assembly 1946-47: Report to the Thirteenth (1946) G.A. (majority; Robert S. Marsden, chairman) Robert S. Marsden (chairman), R. B. Kuiper, Arthur W. Kuschke, John Murray, John H. Skilton, Edward J. Young, William Young Open source Doctrinal 1946. Free online
   • The Church Order Commentary, on Article 69 'Psalms and Hymns for Public Worship' (Christian Reformed Church) Idzerd Van Dellen and Martin Monsma Open source Primary text 1941. Free online Copyright 1941 printed in the book; the Library of Congress scan states it is 'unaware of any copyright restrictions', but renewal was not checked. It is also the only continental text for hymns beyond art. 69. Kept as free-online primary-text with the rights note; faculty to confirm renewal status or move it to...
   • Church Order of Dort (1619), art. 69 Synod of Dort Open source Primary text Free online
   • Deformation or Reformation? (Heidelblog) R. Scott Clark (Westminster Seminary California; URCNA) Open source Doctrinal 2010. Free online Both sides are present by real advocates, but Side B is uneven: Clark argues for inspired canonical songs only (nearer Dort art. 69, which also excludes 'all other hymns'), the OPC majority report argues for songs not confined to Scripture's words but is American, and the only continental hymn-permitting text is the...
   • Songs of Zion: A Contemporary Case for Exclusive Psalmody Michael Bushell Supplementary No link: find it in a library or bookstore. Purchase (optional)

   Total: 7 pages

7. Assignment Side A, exclusive psalmody (RPCNA Declaration and Testimony with McNaugher); side B, psalms plus canonical songs (Clark, URCNA) and the OPC majority report. Write a two-sided statement of 400 words for each side, then one paragraph naming the point of disagreement.

   Open the assignment

Every lecture and reading carries its role. "Under review" means the teacher's subscription to the Westminster Standards or the Three Forms of Unity is not yet established; "Read as comparison" means the material teaches the 1788 American text of WCF 20.4, 23 or 31 or of Larger Catechism Q.109, which the school reads beside the 1647 text. Nothing has been removed.