Exclusive Psalmody: Hymns stay out!

The regulative principle of worship ('whatever is not commanded in worship is forbidden') spawned exclusive psalmody, the doctrine that only the 150 psalms in the Books of Psalms should be sung in a worship service. Googling "exclusive psalmody" produced 46, 400 hits. Amazing. You can listen to a RP pastor preach on the topic at
https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=13008950112

Watch the debate between Rev. Angus Stewart of the Covenant Protestant Reformed and Rev. Ian Foster of the Kilskeery Free Presbyterian Church about exclusive psalmody. Riveting . . . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RtICbBQVi8 (Northern Ireland)

The RPCNA is due to publish a new metrical psalter this year.

The one great advantage of exclusive psalmody from my point of view is that growing up we never sang any of the awful praise songs sung in some churches. Here is one of the worst ever:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-NOZU2iPA8 ("Jesus is a Friend of Mine" by Sonseed.)
On the other hand, would singing Ps. 83:9-11 inspire you?,"Treat them like Midian, like Jabin's army. Treat them like Sisera at Kishon's brook. At Endor they were all annihilated, And they became as dung upon the ground. Like Oreb make their chiefs, their lords like Zebah!"

The singing of the psalms in my church was beautiful because the congregation learned to sing parts, and we had some excellent singers. The Psalms is one of my favorite books of the Bible. But undergirding these doctrines is a hermeneutic that I no longer support. And sometimes I wonder if these principles haven't become the most important distinctives of the denomination. Growing up, what happened was that these principles created a moat of sorts, separating us from other churches in the neighborhood. I can't think of our church ever participating in a service with churches of other denominations. And that is sad.