Date

6-17-2026

Department

School of Music

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Christian Worship (PhD)

Chair

Zachary Jones

Keywords

psalms, psalm singing, worship, spiritual formation, singing, regulative principle of worship, Reformed worship.

Disciplines

Liturgy and Worship | Music

Abstract

Singing influences people. Song lyrics influence people’s views and behavior, both positively and negatively. Researchers indicate that influence through songs may occur subconsciously. Because songs can move people, activists and governments use songs, or the prohibition of songs, to influence the population. This is relevant for church leaders and Christian school teachers because Christian songs communicate doctrine. Within a Christian setting, songs influence people’s faith. However, when Christians sing God’s Word, the songs affect people exponentially because God’s Word does not return to him empty (Is. 55:11). God commanded the church to sing psalms (Col. 3:16). Singing God’s Word from Scripture’s songbook, the Book of Psalms, includes singing lament and imprecatory songs. Existing research focused on the impact of song lyrics or Christian music. This study focuses on the impact of singing the psalms on people who regularly sing them and are expected to be familiar with the psalm lyrics. Guided by previous research, this research attempts to understand how psalm singing affects people’s understanding of God, themselves, and their worldview through a phenomenological framework. Understanding the impact of singing psalms is crucial for church leaders, worship leaders, and educators involved in the spiritual formation of Christians. Psalm-singing communities will gain a better understanding of the impact of their practice, while other communities will understand the possible formative role psalms could have in their practice.

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