Those New Songs!

A week ago I wrote a couple of post about the publishing of a new hymnal. In one of the comments someone asked me where God mandates that we sing new music - I was happy to oblige them with an answer. Anyway, I ran across this article from Dan Kimball and thought it interesting.

He includes a couple of letters in a blog post that people have written.

"I am no music scholar, but I feel I know appropriate church music when I hear it. Last Sunday's new hymn - if you can call it that - sounded like a sentimental love ballad one would expect to hear crooned in a saloon. If you insist on exposing us to rubbish like this - in God's house! - don't be surprised if many of the faithful look for a new place to worship. The hymns we grew up with are all we need."

Of course, this letter was written in 1863, and the song they were talking about was "Just as I Am".

Here's another one...

“What is wrong with the inspiring hymns with which we grew up? When I go to church, it is to worship God, not to be distracted with learning a new hymn. Last Sunday’s was particularly unnerving. The tune was un-singable and the new harmonies were quite distorting.”

This letter was written in 1890 and about the hymn “What A Friend We Have In Jesus”.

Funny, Huh?

Check out the full post HERE.