Enduring Words
The Return of the Hymn
Keith Getty @ countercultureblog has just posted an incredible article about the value of hymns in worship.
check it out,
mt
ht: kainos
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wow…oh wow…great article…Im gonna have to post that one.
I love Keith almost as much as his regular co-writer, Stuart Townend. Keith’s the ‘Hymnist’ at one of my favorite churches in Ohio, Parkside Church, pastored by Alister Begg. Check it out if you’re ever near Cleveland.
it is neat to think about how hymns and their truth edify us as well as bring us together with Christianity of all time.
Thanks for posting this! Great article! One of my favorite songs for worship is his ‘In Christ Alone.’ I can’t help but let the tears come through each time I hear or sing it!
Mandy, I would hope you would know my heart even in our brief discussions online. I am not going to criticize this article, but I do have concerns with it.
I have had the privilege to grow up in many different church atmospheres. I have had the chance to experience many different styles of worship music. So I have been a part of the hymn vs chorus discussion many times. I have come to the conclusion that there is no way to say that a modern chorus or an older hymn, are less or more “correct”. There is good and bad theology in both. There are self-focused older hymns and there are self-focused modern praise choruses. There are deep and biblically profound older hymns as well as modern choruses.
Here is my point. We have to stop discussing older hymns and modern choruses as “one or the other”, and start looking at all music we sing in church as “God centered or not”. When I choose songs to sing, it is not because it is a hymn or a chorus, it is because of what is sung. Keith made the statement that “We are what we sing”. In the context of what he was writing, he was correct…almost. The issue was not that they were lacking knowledge of God because of singing shallow choruses. They were praying that way because they were simply lacking a depth of relationship with God. What they were praying was their “Christianese” based on what they had heard in songs they were singing. In this situation, whether or not we sing an older hymn or a modern praise chorus does not matter. If all we know of God is from the songs we are singing we are seriously lacking a depth of relationship with Him. David sang, because of his relationship with God. God revealed Himself to David because David was seeking Him. David then expressed his love and knowledge of God through song. In this situation, maybe the correct phrase should be, “We sing what we are”. The students, Keith was talking about, only had”songs-depth” knowledge of God and that is all they new to express. I would agree with Keith that if they were singing a song (maybe a hymn) with a better theological expression of God and His wonder, there prayers would have sounded better. But, my point is, their hearts would have still been the issue.
I think it is extremely healthy to evaluate what we sing and why. I commend Keith for his plan to write and author “new hymns” for the church. I appreciate anyone trying to educate the church biblically. It’s what we do…edification. We need to be aware of what we sing and how it affects a non-believer a new believer and a seasoned believer. I do think however that the word hymn should be done away with. The definition of Hymn is “A song or ode to God or a deity.” We might be educating the church even more if we decide to call all music I church, “songs”. That way, I can’t argue that based on that definition, all I do is sing hymns in church
I hope you hear my heart. I am not picking on Keith at all. I think he has some wonderful wisdom. I want to express my concern and opinion over what is amazingly still an issue on today’s church.
Holy Crap that is a long post! Sorry, I just like to think out loud, uummmm…type out loud, uummmm…talk out type…I’ll stop now!
That’s a lot of out loud typing dude! Pray for me folks - I have to live with that guy =O
brent:
many thanks for your comment — i completely understand your heart and appreciate your well-thought-out words… i’m THOROUGHLY enjoying this discussion! i also believe that one “type” of song is not more or less correct than another. i also think that the discussion of hymn vs. modern song as “one or the other” has gone on far too long, and the bottom line SHOULD be a question of the songs focus and theology.
however, neither of these ideals are easy to achieve in our current church culture, as there are two prominent factors that keep these ideals from rising:
1) we DO have generational problems to address, and for all practical purposes, there are significant functional differences between the hymns and the modern worship songs. the reality that many pastors and worship leaders face is a generational mix of members that want their preferred songs. (and who can blame them? they want to express their heart to God in their way. isn’t that what worship is?)
the older crowd grew up in the faith of fanny crosby, john wesley, and the gaithers — and these songs are THEIR songs of faith. these songs map out revivals and baptisms and weddings and funerals and altar calls that dot the long line of their life. as our churches introduce chorus after praise song after chorus, the memories of their moments of faith fade in the background.
on the other hand, the younger generations are begging for music they can relate to. these antiquated lyrics just don’t make sense to them. and who wants to listen to organ music all the time? they can’t read music, but CAN relate to songs that sound a lot like the Pop hits they’ve grown up with. they want a faith that is new and fresh, not stale and based on the past. they are looking for something stimulating that is moving forward, as they move forward in their own spiritual journey.
2) the different labels/categories of church song still remains (ie: hymn, praise song, chorus, worship song, modern hymn, etc). its just too early to eliminate the distinguishing factors and labels, as the discussion of “old vs. new” is still underway. as stated above, the generations haven’t settled the issue yet. the older crowd is still around and still prefers older songs (hymns). many churches are choosing (quite successfully) to stick with the older, historic, traditional style of worship. other churches are introducing “contemporary” services to meet the needs of young families. still other churches are going contemporary altogether (with a token hymn here or there, modified for guitar-friendly music)… and others are trying to hash out both sides at the same time. because the discussion is still unresolved for many on a practical level, its impossible to achieve the ideal of melting the two into one… hymns, at the moment, are functionally historically and generationally “other than” modern choruses.
my dream for churches remains the same as yours…. ideally, we will find a mix of both. instead of throwing out the old, we will honor the heritage - the faith of our fathers - and continue with the rich theology and history that “hymns” provide for the Body.
we will also continue to compose songs that give voice to today’s generation - songs that we can sink our hearts into. songs that reflect our insides as they are exposed in worship to our God.
i also applaud keith’s desire to write new “hymns” for the church… he co-wrote “in christ alone” with stuart townend. these men have a handle on how to connect the generational gap that we face. i’m indebted to Getty & Townend for their efforts.songs like “in christ alone” are a perfect match for the heart of the church i currently serve in. these “modern hymns” speak to both generations.
Thanks for the discussion. I enjoy this as well.
First and foremost, thank you for the work that you and others are doing to lead the past and the future in one place. It is not easy. I have been in this situation and can say I did not do it well. You need a ton of wisdom and patience in what you do and I will pray for that as you continue.
Regarding your response, I think the argument of this vs. that tends to speak to content and I don’t think that can be an argument. There is poor content in new and old. We can’t defend older hymns as spiritually deep and complain that modern choruses are not. There is depth in both. I do agree 100% that many modern choruses are fluff, but that is not to discount modern choruses as a whole. The same goes for older hymns, many are full of depth and wisdom, but this can’t account for all older hymns as a whole. I tend to believe that the passions on each side deal more with style than content, but content is used as the “arguing” point. I think style is much more volatile (drums or no drums). I never had a complaint about a “newer” song if it was done stylistically “old”. I also have never had a complaint of an older hymn done in a newer style. I also agree with you that another contention point is generally focused on “history” or “tradition” (old and new). “This was sung at my alter call”, “I remember this being played at the funeral”, “I heard this on the radio and it spoke to me”. In my experience in discussion with people on both sides of the argument, I have found that the main focus is generally on “this is mine, I need this”. It is very self-focused. There is wonderful heritage and history in life and in the church, but this is not why we worship God, it is just the style in which we choose to do so. Both old and new need to be cautious that “style” is not why we worship.
Here is the rub. This is a spiritual maturity issue. How do we take babies on both sides of the argument and meet them in the middle. Unfortunately I don’t think some will ever meet in the middle. So now it comes down to whom we are as a church. This is where your job is the toughest of all! How do you essentially cater to those who won’t meet in the middle, week after week and make it authentic. I just referenced a quote on my blog from a book I just read. “You cannot follow Jesus and remain the same.” Both sides need to be softened through the Spirit. How does this happen? That’s why your job is amazingly difficult. It comes from leadership. It comes from the commitment to truth and integrity not just peace. It comes from the pulpit, saying we are a church that seeks to meet with God and glorify Him through our unity in song and action. You as a church have committed to a blending of styles and traditions. I think that is awesome! That is who your church is. You do this with confidence because you believe strongly in the “heritage” of old and the “passion” of new. But it can’t be done just to cater to 2 sides, it has to be done because this is who you as a church have decided you are. In those situations, it is easy then to tell someone to back down in their complaint or concern because you have, with unity, lead this church as the leadership sees fit. You are respecting old and new and you as a leadership see this as valid and biblical (which I do too).
I appreciate Keith’s wisdom and gifts as well. I will always look to his ideas and comments to knowledge of both sides. You guys are in this everyday and that is when the brain gets full with God’s wisdom. Please keep teaching me.
Hope I didn’t scare you away with my jabbering.
I do hope you see and hear my encouragement to what you and others do to lead both sides through this journey. It is difficult and also a blessing. Sometimes my words and thoughts get in the way of that and I want that to be clear.
Thanks!
[...] 7th, 2007 by klampert here is a great article from kieth getty. thanks Mandy: original post at [...]
brent:
not scared at all… just a little busy and wanted to take some time to think about your points. again, i appreciate them!
i agree with you that its more about style than content. i’ve even experienced that firsthand! the modern worship movement is returning to old hymns and adding new melodies and/or choruses to these beloved words. we tried this at my current church and the older folks were quick to express a dislike for this modernization of hymnody. my pastor’s explanation: “don’t mess with the old stuff”. LOL! oh well, at least we tried, right?
i also agree that both sides need to soften… as a worship leader at a church that feels “split” right now, my sole aim is to bring everyone to the middle in worship participation. this is a DIFFICULT task when congregants are not interested in budging. so, i take a few sentences to teach the history behind the hymn, or give the writer’s story for the praise song. hopefully, hearing the heart behind the song will open their hearts to the song!
unfortunately, i’m not in a position of authority to tell others to back down — but it needs to be done.
i appreciate your perspective on these matters, especially bc you don’t speak as a pastor or worship leader, but you are IN the planning process to know what this discussion is all about.
i’m posting a new conversation starter that just might drive you NUTS. LOL! but your comments about how WLs are at the front lines of this controversy really got me to thinking: it would be great to hear from others how this whole conversation plays out in the practicalities of their church. i hope to gain some personal insight from others’ experiences!
blessings,
mt
I am going to do a ton of thinking before I speak on your new post. IT LOOKS GOOD! I don’t want my opinions to be heard. I want to be founded in Him for all of this.
Maybe this isn’t a discussion for here, but I am sure curious how everything is going with a Pastor leaving and now…I am assuming…the search for a new one. I know first hand how that process can make or break relationships in the church.
I am glad you are speaking to Worship Leaders on the front line. I think there is a crucial necessity and unfortunately break down to the Pastor Worship Leader relationship. It can be a very oppressing or freeing thing.