Thinking about singing

COME, LET US SING
By Robert S Smith
Latimer Publications. 328 pages. £11.00
ISBN 978 1 906 327 606

In Come, let us sing, Rob Smith undertakes a thorough Biblical examination of the role of singing in the gathering of God’s people and encourages us to reform our practices accordingly.

Smith hardly wastes a word as he navigates through issues that many Christians disagree on (e.g. whether the focus of the Christian meeting should be on worship or edification). He avoids the need for endless anecdotes and tales from his own experiences, but at the same time it’s evident that Smith understands and empathises with the hearts of God’s children as he prescribes Biblical medicine.

As with any book on church music it would be hard to agree with all the conclusions that Smith comes to, either theologically or practically, but he makes sure that his conclusions come from a conviction that the word of God must drive understanding. I’m personally grateful for this approach, because it reveals his humility and dependence on God’s wisdom rather than his own. Two quotes in particular draw this out: ‘There is a perpetual need for our praises to be harnessed to God’s self-revelation’; ‘The central focus of Scripture will determine the central focus of our praise’.

I always ask the question of books: ‘Who is this for?’ It’s a weighty book with a 30-page bibliography, so I think it is a valuable resource for a pastor who is committed to the task of leading his congregation as the word of God is read, preached and sung. However, for the average church musician like me it would be harder going (it’s taken me a year!), even if equally valuable. Kindly, Smith has helped us out, as he has regularly inserted shorter nuggets in italics (like the ones mentioned above) to emphasise his main thinking.