Hello and welcome to the Thinking Fellows podcast. My name is Caleb Keith, and today I am joined by my father, Dr. Sky Keith, but today also a special guest. We have with us, Dr. Steve Mueller from Concordia Irvine, who is a vice president and you're the chief mission officer at Irvine now. You have throughout the years been like everything on the

at Irvine. You were originally hired as a professor. That's correct. Yeah. Professor of Theology.

While I was here, you were Dean of Christ College and for some time before I think I got here as well.

And and now chief mission officer. So you've you've run the whole circuit here at concordia never

a dull moment yeah um last i was just going to say i think i embarrassed steve last time i was on

the show by saying i was in the first doctrine class he ever taught at concordia yeah and still

you turned out okay it's amazing god is good is good. I know. Look at that.

It was a great class. And then I was in, it had to be one of the last handful that you taught full-time, right? Yeah. And doctrine, too. So we bookended his doctrine classes, which is pretty cool. But today's topic is not doctrine or Lutheran Confessions.

It's hymnity.

So we're talking about why Christians sing hymns.

And another class that you taught while I was here that I know is a passion of yours

because you've written hymns as well was I think it was like Christians in worship and it had to do with...

Corporate worship.

Corporate worship.

Everything together about the worship of the Christian body.

Yeah.

And so I thought it would be awesome.

We were already going to be down here in Irvine this week to have you on to talk about this specific question, which is why do Christians sing hymns?

And so let's just open it with that very general one.

What is the base reason that

Christianity is known for singing? I mean, across denominations, whether it's styles of

worship or or various places around the world, Christians are known for singing. Sure. It's a tradition

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