Why do Christians sing so much?

To some children singing is counter-cultural - Becky Peacock gives 4 answers Christian parents can give in response to the question: Why do Christians sing so much?

You’ve probably come across James Partridge, the primary school teacher, turned TikTok star who has risen to fame singing assembly songs. He’s been on BBC Breakfast, This Morning and The One Show, and performed over 50 sold-out shows in 2024. He performed at Glastonbury earlier this year and at Big Church Festival a few weeks ago. Why is he so popular? Because for so many, the primary school assembly was the only place that we sang. We all sang these same songs, over and over for years, whether we believed or understood the lyrics or not! Singing was a normal part of childhood, yet it is something that most of us leave behind as we grow up. Not Christians though!

Your church may be small, your music may be ropey, but each time we gather as God’s people to declare his praises we experience a glimpse of heaven

There are some adults who make a career or a hobby out of playing in bands or singing in choirs, but most adults in the UK will only really sing privately in the shower or drunkenly at a karaoke. Yet singing is still a major feature of every church all over the world. Most of us aren’t brilliant singers, our teenagers are too self-conscious, and our kids don’t understand the lyrics anyway so why do we do it? As my son’s friend asked, why do Christians sing so much?

1) Because the bible tells us to sing!

“Sing to him a new song: play skillfully, and shout for joy.” Psalm 33:3

Singing is mentioned more than 400 times in the Bible and over 50 of those are direct instructions for us to ……