A writer for Christianity Today says the debate over worship music is aimed at the wrong target. In an essay published November 10, 2026, the author argues that contemporary worship songs and traditional hymns share the same weaknesses. The solution, he writes, is not simply more hymnals. He says churches should return to the Psalms to widen how they speak to God. The author admits he is a traditionalist.
What the essay says
The author begins by agreeing with critics of modern worship songs. He names some lyrics as odd, including John Mark McMillan's song with the phrase "sloppy wet kiss." He also says some songs focus more on the worshiper than on God, and others use many words to say little.
He then turns to older hymns. Many, he says, make the same mistakes. He points to the Advent hymn "Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending." He says the late William H. Petersen rewrote parts of it to remove antisemitism.
The author says the real question is what a song allows the church to say and do before God. A song may proclaim God's holiness, confess sin, cry for mercy, or teach joy in God's presence. He writes that worship needs many of these actions, and that direct, emotional prayer in modern praise music has a place.
Context: the Psalms and Augustine
The essay notes that the Psalms have long been Israel's prayer book and the church's songbook. It cites groups of psalms such as the Hallelujah Psalms (146–150) and the Songs of Ascent (120–134). It quotes scholar Ellen Davis, who calls the Jewish prayer Ashrei, based on Psalm 145, an "alphabet of adoration." The essay also notes that Coverdale's Psalter shaped the Church of England's prayers from the first Book of Common Prayer in 1549.
The Psalms contain many first-person singular lines, such as "The Lord is my light and my salvation" (Psalm 27:1). The author uses Augustine of Hippo to explain this. Augustine taught that when the church prays the Psalms, the totus Christus, or "whole Christ," prays. Christ is the Head and the church is his body, so the "I" of a psalm is both personal and communal. Augustine wrote that "Christ speaks, and I speak" in such prayers.
What to watch
The author argues that worship leaders should not choose between personal and corporate voices. He suggests that praise can combine God-centered proclamation, personal first-person prayer, and the psalms' wide range of emotion. He does not propose specific changes to any church's song list. Readers can judge whether churches adopt these ideas in their own worship.
