Overview

Sound Theology: A Reader brings to life in English for the first-time primary, curated sources associated with the pipe organ controversy in the Netherlands during the Reformation. Chief among the entries is Gisbertus Voetius's essay on Organ and Church Music from his magnum opus Politicae Ecclesiastica. In addition, other translations include professors, preachers, and laypeople's voices from archival manuscripts and first-edition monographs. Together, Sound Theology's two volumes tell a little-known but colorful and foundational story that shaped Reformed worship for centuries to come.

Full Product Details

9781666717341

Table of Contents

Reviews

""Dr. Engle has brought together a superb collection of Reformation-era writings for and against the use of organs in worship, expertly translated and presented for modern readers. Highly recommended!"" --Karin Maag, director, H. Henry Meeter Center for Calvin Studies, Calvin University, Grand Rapids, Michigan ""In Sound Theology, a Reader, Dr. Engle has provided direct access into the fascinating intersection of theology, worship, and lived religious experience. As so many worshippers today are aware, issues of worship are never simple, and Engle shows how the role of the organ became a robust point of debate from the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries. Helpfully, Engle has included a vast array of sources, including crucial figures, such as Rivet and Voetius, as well as lesser-known sources, such as letters from church and city councils. With helpful introductions and footnotes, readers will enter the organ debates of the early modern period and be prompted to reflect on their own theological priorities, convictions regarding worship, and experiences with church music."" --Kyle J. Dieleman, associate professor of theology and history, Dordt University Praise for Sound Theology (2023): ""Randall Engle explores Reformed liturgical theology through a seemingly narrow lens--that of the pipe organ. Narrow, perhaps. Deep, without a doubt. By tracing the controversy of the use of the pipe organ in Calvinist lands, Engle demonstrates how abstract theological tenets fare when exposed to ecclesial and political realities--replete with sparks and explosions! When the dust settles, readers will walk away with a more visceral and grounded conception of early Reformed liturgical theology."" --Martin Tel, director of music, Princeton Theological Seminary

Author Information

Randall Dean Engle is pastor of the North Hills Christian Reformed Church of Troy, Michigan, and professor of religious studies and director of Christianity studies at Oakland University, Auburn Hills, Michigan.

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