“A Practice of Singing Psalms: The Impact on People’s
Understanding of God, Understanding of Themselves, and their Worldview.”
“The Impact of Psalm Singing in Corporate Worship in the Canadian Reformed Churches:
Perspectives of the Congregants.”
Difference between the Thesis and Dissertation
While the DWS thesis explored the practice of psalm singing in corporate worship and surveyed congregants’ viewpoints on psalm singing in the context of corporate worship, the PhD study provides insight into the effect of regular psalm singing on individual people’s perspectives, views, opinions, decisions, behavior, and relationships, their worldview, and, most importantly, their faith and God, based on the influence of song lyrics on people in general and the specific implication of the inherent impact of God’s Word on people.
From Thesis to Dissertation
Responses to the DWS survey indicated there is a formative purpose of psalm singing on a personal level. One respondent shared, “[Singing psalms is] infusing God’s word into our minds and hearts through song, which is part of worshipping Him. Music is how we ‘hide God’s word’ in our hearts. Having his word in our minds and hearts is then incorporated into our lifestyle, thinking, decisions, behavior, relationships, etc.” Another person commented, “[Singing psalms is] to regain our perspective of who we are and who God is.” These statements suggest a formative aspect of psalm singing in corporate worship, which is also a Scriptural principle (1 Cor. 14:12; 1 Cor. 14:26; Eph. 5:18–21; Col. 3:16–17).