September 9, 2002
ANOTHER VIEW:
Hymns provide 'solid food' for souls
___By Mike Farnell
___ I keep hearing and reading that hymns and traditional music are killing the church. I don't get it. Isn't God more powerful than that?
___In fact, the best hymns and traditional music strengthen the church when the hearts of the people are focused on God. Hymns prove particularly useful during crises--especially for the people who have exercised the discipline of singing hymns. So, as the anniversary of 9/11 approaches, we should thank God for the gift of hymns.
___Admittedly, hymns are generally rather difficult to sing. One must develop an attention span of multiple stanzas to reap the full benefit. And one must learn many different tunes to be able to sing the various texts well. However, in time, the obstacles become less challenging, and the rewards increase.
___Our hymnal is a rich resource of worship expressions. It is a collective commentary on Scripture and Christian experience, with many authors. It is a time-tested accumulation of wisdom from across the ages. The hymnal--if used--is almost a catechism. It becomes a part of the fiber of our Christian life that will endure our whole lives.
___"If used?" Many seem to be marginalizing hymns or even avoiding them completely. That puzzles me.
___The argument says you can get more people in church if you don't require them to do anything. Don't ask them to make a commitment, don't ask them to be good stewards, don't ask them to sing (or learn) hymns. Are not some of the same folks decrying a perceived degradation of American society? What about the degradation of the church with respect to congregational song?
___But what really troubles me is the loss of a real strength of the church. Hymns teach theology and discipleship. They bring encouragement. They offer comfort and assurance, especially during times of crisis. Those who abandon hymns lose a tremendous spiritual resource. Not singing hymns is tantamount to not asking people to memorize Scripture.
___One can find strength in sharing common experiences with those from the past.
___Who has not struggled with the same kind of evil that Martin Luther described in "A Mighty Fortress is Our God"? Surely any Christian who has lost a loved one can be reassured if they know "It is Well with My Soul." Many have been encouraged in recent days by Isaac Watts' paraphrase of Psalm 90, "O God, Our Help in Ages Past."
___We ought to learn more and more hymns. We ought to get beyond the detractors who simply do not like hymns. We ought to get beyond the "milk" of our preferences for pop music and nourish ourselves on the "solid food" of our hymnody.
___Mike Farnell is minister of music at Gambrell Street Baptist Church in Fort Worth
The Baptist Standard
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