Congregational Singing in Faith Development Will be the Focus of Baylor University’s Northcutt Spring Lecture April 10

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WACO, Texas (April 4, 2018) – Baylor University’s Center for Christian Music Studies will host John D. Witvliet, Ph.D., director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and professor of worship, theology and congregational and ministry studies at Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary, for the Spring 2018 Northcutt Lecture Series.

The lecture will take place at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 10, in the McLean Foyer of Meditation in Armstrong Browning Library, 710 Speight Ave.

“Dr. Witvliet’s topic, ‘Tune My Heart to Sing Thy Grace: Congregational Singing, Trinitarian Theology and the Mystery of Divine Action,’ will address the important role that congregational singing plays in faith development and theological formation,” said Randall Bradley, D.M.A., The Ben H. Williams Professor of Music in Baylor’s School of Music. “Having written extensively on this subject, Dr. Witvliet’s perspectives will surely be enlightening and engaging.”

Witvliet’s areas of interest and focus of research include the history of Christian worship, worship practices in various denominations, biblical and systematic theology of worship and the role of music and the arts in worship. The Northcutt Lecture Series is designed to bring nationally and internationally known scholars in church music to Baylor University.

“Dr. Witvliet is one of the foremost scholars, authors and worship and music leaders in the world,” Bradley said. “Having established the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and continuing as the director of the institute, Dr. Witvliet is uniquely positioned at the intersection of scholarship and the day-to-day life of the church. In the last 20 years, no entity has done more to shape the direction of music and worship than the Calvin Institute. Dr. Wivliet’s innovative and steady leadership has developed this organization into its current role as a key shaper and influencer of church life in American and beyond.”

The event is free and open to the public, and Witvliet will focus his lecture on Christian congregational singing and the classic Christian conviction that God not only receives prayers and praises but also is involved in making them possible in the first place.

“I'll be exploring some fascinating historical examples of this type of worship and exploring how this intersects with Christian Trinitarian theology,” Witvliet said. “Then, we will discuss why this conviction about God’s activity is less explicit in some recent traditions of singing and why it’s important to bring it back, especially because of its pastoral significance for those who struggle in worship.”

Since its inception in 1985, the Northcutt Lecture Series has become an integral part of the academic and spiritual life of Baylor School of Music. Designed to bring nationally and internationally known church music scholars to Baylor, the Northcutt Lecture is made possible by an endowment from LeGrande and Cassandra Northcutt of Longview, Texas.

“The Northcutt Lecture is one of the most prestigious lectures on church music in the world,” Bradley said. “Since its inception in 1985 by LeGrande and Cassandra Northcutt of Longview, the lecture has attracted the top national and international scholars in the field.”

For more information, visit the Center for Christian Music Studies website.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 17,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.