psalmcentered

Psalm-centered (also written psalm-centered) is a term used in religious studies and liturgical contexts to describe devotional, liturgical, or musical practices in which the Psalms are the principal text or focus.

Origins and usage: The concept draws on the central place of the Psalms in Jewish and Christian worship. In Christian history, the Psalter has been central to congregational singing and prayer; in the Reformation, vernacular metrical psalters popularized singing of psalms; in contemporary contexts, psalm-centered approaches can be seen in churches that emphasize direct engagement with the psalms through reading, chanting, or paraphrase.

Practices: Psalm-centered practice can include recitation of psalms, chanted psalms, and the use of metrical psalms or modern musical settings that preserve or reinterpret psalm texts. It may also involve meditative reading, sermon-text connections, or prayer practices that foreground the themes and language of the psalms.

Context and variation: The term is used across Christian traditions and can differ in emphasis from tradition to tradition. Some movements stress the Psalms as a primary source for worship and devotion, while others integrate psalms alongside hymns, readings, and other biblical texts. In scholarship, psalm-centered approaches are discussed in relation to worship history, liturgy design, and biblical interpretation.

See also: Psalter, Psalmody, Liturgy, Worship.