Editing Religious music (section)

===Hymns===
{{See|Hymnody of continental Europe}}
Christian music has diversified over time, reflecting both its centuries-old roots as well as more contemporary musical styles. Thousands of traditionally-styled songs of praise or worship, called "[[hymns]]" (from the Greek word ''hymnos'' meaning, "song of praise"), were written over hundreds of years. Eventually, these songs were compiled into books called "hymnals", from which pastors and [[wikt:congregant|congregant]]s would read during Christian services – a practice that continues in many churches today.

Prior to the eighteenth century, Christian hymnals were published as standalone texts without accompanying musical scores. The first American hymnal with both text and song was published in 1831. In Europe, the [[Anglican church music#History|Church of England]] did not officially allow hymns to be sung until 1820. Originally, hymns were sung by "[[lining out]]" the [[lyrics]], meaning, the pastor would sing a line, and then the congregation would repeat it. This was done because, at that time, books were expensive, so it was economical to provide the pastor of a church with one copy from which everyone could sing.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Townsend |first1=James |title=The Golden Age of Hymns: Did You Know? |magazine=Christianity Today |date=1991 |issue=31 |url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-31/golden-age-of-hymns-did-you-know.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=19 February 2019 |archive-date=20 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220063209/https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-31/golden-age-of-hymns-did-you-know.html |url-status=live }}</ref>