Foreword by Martin E. Marty -- 1. The problem. Is Saul among the prophets? -- Some presuppositions -- 2. The Old Testament. Sing to the Lord -- The axis of Old Testament criticism -- Law and gospel -- The principle of restraint -- 3. The New Testament. The ethic of grace -- Standards -- 4. The law and the musician -- 5. Beauty -- 6. Romanticism -- 7. Romantic church music -- 8. J.S. Bach. The archetypal Bach -- Bach and pietism -- Bach and the romantics -- Latter-day Bach -- Post romantic Bach -- 9. The body -- 10. Methods of criticism. A typical controversy -- 11. Good and bad music -- 12. Good and bad music making. Sentimentality -- Amen -- The organist and the organ -- Alternatives to the organ -- 13. Practical matters. The choir and its director -- More decisions for the organist -- The organist and the congregation -- Unison, harmony, and pitch -- Modulation, interlude, and varied harmony -- The choirmaster -- 14. Musicians, music, and church order.