Redemption Song by Sean Demars

Why do Christians sing?

That question may sound simple, but it gets underneath far more than musical preference, Sunday morning style, or whether someone thinks the worship leader picked the right key. Congregational singing is not filler. It is not the spiritual warm-up act before the sermon. It is one of the ways God’s redeemed people respond to his saving work.

In Redemption Song: A Primer on Singing for the People of God, Sean DeMars helps Christians think biblically about why God’s people sing. Published by Christian Focus in 2025, this short and accessible book is built around the Song of Moses in Exodus 15. After God redeemed Israel from slavery and brought them through the Red Sea, Moses and the people sang. Redemption gave birth to praise.

That is still what God’s people do.

DeMars draws eleven insights from Exodus 15, showing that Christians sing in response to God, sing together, sing to God about God, sing the truth, sing the whole counsel of God, sing history, sing as leaders, sing to bear witness, sing with wonder, and sing with joy. That is a much better framework than the usual worship debates, which often generate more heat than light. And yes, sometimes more entertainment than theology.

This book is especially useful for pastors and worship leaders, but it is not only for them. Church members should read it too. Singing belongs to the whole congregation. The church is not an audience watching a few gifted people perform religious music from a stage. The church is a redeemed people lifting their voices together in praise to the God who saves.

That also means pastors should sing. They should sing clearly, visibly, and gladly. A pastor in the front row mumbling through the songs like he is waiting for the real ministry to begin is teaching the church something. Unfortunately, he is teaching the wrong lesson. The congregation needs to see that the Word preached and the Word sung belong together in the worship of God.

One caution may be helpful. Readers who are very new to biblical conversations about worship may find some of the book’s contrasts a little pointed. I do not think DeMars is wrong in what he argues. In fact, I think his biblical instincts are right. But a reader who has only thought about worship through the lens of personal preference, style, or emotional experience may need to read slowly and carefully. Some of the arguments may require a little pastoral patience to receive well. That is not a reason to avoid the book. It is a reason to engage it thoughtfully.

And honestly, that may be part of the book’s usefulness. Worship is one of those areas where many Christians have strong opinions but thin categories. DeMars gives readers better categories. He pushes us back to Scripture and reminds us that singing is not merely about what we like. It is about who God is, what God has done, and how God’s redeemed people respond together.

Redemption Song is a helpful resource for Christians who want to better understand worship, congregational singing, and the role of song in the life of the church. The book is short, but it is packed with biblical reflection. It would be a good read for pastors, elders, worship leaders, small groups, church staff, and church members who want to grow in the joy and responsibility of singing praise to God and one another.

Why are there so many songs in the Bible? Why should Christians sing in church? Why should they sing outside of church? Why does singing help us remember truth, express joy, and bear witness to the glory of God?

Redemption Song helps answer those questions with Scripture open.

I highly recommend it.

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