Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

 

Q: What Bible translation does The Psalms Project use?

A:  I (Shane) use a combination of Bible translations, primarily the ESV, KJV/NKJV, NIV, LSB, and NASB, to put the lyrics together. I also study the Psalms extensively with commentaries from Boice, Goldingay, Ross, Henry, Spurgeon, Calvin, and others to make sure we are capturing “the essential meaning of every verse.” I do not follow any specific translation word-for-word, though some songs may come somewhat close. I try to balance faithfulness to the literal text with the aesthetic quality of the song. 

Q: What is your statement of faith?

A: The Psalms Project is a Trinitarian, Christian organization that adheres to the following Christian beliefs:

We believe that the Bible is the sole infallible rule of faith for the church, the final authority in matters of faith and practice, and we assert that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God. We desire to minister only in conformity with exegetically pure Biblical doctrine in the power of the Holy Spirit, allowing for freedom of style and cultural expression of said truths. 

We believe that there are core doctrines of the Christian faith that separate Christianity from counterfeit faiths and counterfeit Gospels. We affirm the following core doctrines of the authentic Christian faith:

· There is only one true God, who is the Creator of heaven and earth, and within the one Being that is God, He exists in three distinct, coequal, and coeternal persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

· Jesus Christ is God Almighty, yet was fully human on earth.

· Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

· Christ’s death and resurrection paid the penalty for sin that allows men and women to be saved from the power of sin through faith in Christ.

· God’s ultimate mission on earth is the obedience (discipleship) of every tribe, tongue, people, and nation to Jesus Christ.

· Jesus Christ is coming again to judge the living and the dead.

· God deserves all glory in all things.

We believe that there are “secondary” or “non-essential” elements of the faith that can be disagreed upon by authentic believers without compromising fullness of fellowship in God’s glory and mission.

 

Q: How many Psalms have you recorded so far?

A: So far, we have released six albums comprising Psalms 1-46 in their entirety, as well as Psalms 91 and 121 and some acoustic/alternate versions:

Q: When will the next album be out?

A:  Psalms for Sleep, an album of only our quietest, most soothing Psalm arrangements (including our new song for Psalm 91) was released June 17, 2022.

Volume 5: Psalms 39-46 was released on September 23, 2022.

Volume 6: Psalms 47-55 is mostly written and headed for the studio soon, but will likely not be finished and released until late 2023. You can support the Volume 6 Kickstarter Campaign by pre-ordering a Volume 6 bundle here.

Q: Are you really planning to put all 150 Psalms to music?

A:  That is the current plan, God willing. This is a mission God has laid upon my heart, and I will pursue it until it is clear that He does not want me to continue. At the current pace, which could speed up or slow down over the years, the project will be “complete” sometime in the 2040s. :)

Q: How are you going to set Psalm 119 to music?

A:  It’s going to be a rap song! No, seriously, I have no idea.

Q: What made you want to create this project, and how did it start?

A:  I've loved the Psalms since becoming a believer - their honesty and stirring poetry really gave me a picture of what real relationship with God looks like.

When I got the idea to put them to music, I was praying and worshiping on a mission trip, and I became intrigued by the idea of telling the ENTIRE story of the ENTIRE Psalm with music, rather than just taking out snippets. Plus, I loved the idea of putting the pure Word to modern music with modern, powerful instrumentation. 

Q: Should Christians pray the imprecatory Psalms?

A: I love this question! I did my best to answer that question in a blog post I wrote here. 

Q: Can our organization hire The Psalms Project for events?

A:  Yes. You can apply here to hire The Psalms Project for your event.

Q: Are the Psalms broken up into different categories? Which are the most important?

A: The Psalms are not as easily broken up into distinct categories as one might think - most of them combine a mixture of elements. Some, like Psalms 1 and 15 and others, are more straightforward wisdom literature to instruct in righteous living, and others like Psalm 8 focus on a certain theological topic (in this case, the created order - although this one even includes some praise!). 

I think the big takeaway is that worship includes all of these things - praise, supplication, lament, theological declaration, intercession, obedience, and more, and the fact that the Psalms intersperse all these things together without separating them should be instructive for us.

We believe that ALL Scripture is God-breathed, and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) Therefore ALL the Psalms are instructive for us as to how we are to worship God.

 

Q: Do you sell CDs? Album downloads? Lyric PDFs? Shirts? Hats? Mugs? 


A: Yes! You can find all these items and more on our website store. Thanks for supporting our music and helping us make more of it!

Q: How many musicians have been involved with The Psalms Project?

A: Through the first six albums, over 80 musicians have contributed to The Psalms Project, including Grammy nominees Phil Keaggy (guitar on Psalms 22 and 26) and Jeff Deyo (lead vocals on Psalm 21).


Q: What’s your favorite Psalm?

A: It goes back and forth between Psalm 32 and Psalm 40. 

Q: What’s your favorite Psalms Project song?

A: Psalm 46

Q: Do you do this for a living?

A: I do! It was a side project for ten years until I went full-time with The Psalms Project in 2021.

Q: How do you manage to do this for a living?

A: It’s possible because of the people who support me monthly and make this music happen! Right now, about half of our support comes from monthly supporters and half comes from CD/merchandise sales and streaming income. We’d love to gain more monthly support so that we can offer our music and merchandise at even lower prices to those who would benefit from it most. 

If you’d like to join my Inner Circle and support The Psalms Project monthly (and receive really awesome benefits, like hearing all the new songs as soon as they’re written/produced, behind-the-scenes updates, a T-shirt, and a LOT more), you can do so right here. If you’d prefer to support at a lower or higher-tier level than offered in Inner Circle, you can do so right here on Patreon.


If I haven’t already, I’ll try to include my answer to your question here soon!

- Shane