Wednesday 7 January 2009

Hymns good and bad!

The 'worship songs' that are used in many congregations, both old and new, are a real mixture of stuff. In fairness, the older material is generally more theologically correct than is much modern stuff. Whatever we use, be it old or new, there must be one deciding criterion - is it faithful to Scripture? Do the contents of the hymn accord with the highest theology of the church's best periods?

Modernity is no guarantee of faithfulness, just as the antiquity of hymns does not, of itself, guarantee faithfulness to the Gospel.

That said, it could be argued that there was much more solid theological awareness in the olden days than there is today. Take, for instance, the hymns of hymn-writers like Charles Wesley, Philip Doddridge, Isaac Watts, to name just three, and you will find a balanced biblicism and content that is sadly absent from many modern attempts at hymn-writing. Wesley's hymns have stood the test of time and usage, and are amongst the best loved and most precious in the entire repertoire of hymns. the only exception among Wesley's most popular hymns is the line in "Hark! The herald angels sing..." that suggest that Christ laid aside His eternal glory when He became man. The line is: "Mild He lays His glory by..."

For many years, I have found it impossible to sing this line, believing, as I do, that Christ never laid aside His glory when He became incarnate, but that His glory was concealed in flesh. But it was always there!

Another problematic line in Wesley is "Emptied Himself of all but love," a sentiment that I cannot endorse from the hymn "And can it be..." Where Wesley's theological head was when he penned these words, I do not know! Perhaps he was taking poetic licence, but that does not excuse the insertion of theological error into otherwise brilliant hymns of praise.

Another older hymn states that we want "another Pentecost," something that is as impossible as wanting another Calvary. These theological aberrations are most unfortunate, and are best avoided.

The newer 'worship songs' - the term 'hymns' has been dropped, presumably because it is not a modern word, and young people might object to it - are a mixed bag. Some contemporary songs are faithful to the teaching of Scripture, and these are a welcome addition to the repertoire. But some are not, mere man-made slush that is totally inappropriate in the worship of Almighty God.

I think the biggest problem caused by modernity in worship is the overwhelming desire to cater for the younger generation, almost to the exclusion of the older, more mature, Christians. Modernity has, as its corollary, the palsy-walsy attitude to God and to spiritual things that is so common today. Look at the state of dress, or undress, of some modern worshippers, and you'll see what I am saying. Look at the grossly casual presentation of many within the contemporary church, a presentation that would be inappropriate at work, or when presenting to the Queen. Bosses simply would not tolerate the casualness of their staff, nor would the Queen when presenting for a 'honour,' yet anything goes when it comes to entering God's holy presence for worship.

But whether it was the new man-centred focus of contemporary worship that led to the overly casual dress at worship, or vice versa, is hard to resolve. The singing of man-centred songs leads inexorably to man-centred worship and man-centred worship means that anything goes. God does not have a look-in!

In favour of exclusive Psalmody is the fact that what we are singing are the inspired words of God, however difficult to sing and understand at times. The reverence in worship is maintained, truth is to the fore, and the worship is God-centred. How sad to see a psalm like Ps.23, one of the most God-centred psalms in the psalter, being re-set and provided gratuitously with a refrain that is not in the original psalm, reducing it to a man-centred exhibition that undermines the entire ethos of that precious piece of sacred poetry.

While it is true that all the Scriptures testify of Christ, as he Himself stated, the reference to Christ in many of the Psalms is difficult to discern. Perhaps that's why ministers in exclusive psalm singing churches feel obliged to explain the meaning of the psalm before any attempt is made at singing it! Christ is most assuredly there, but finding Him can be a real challenge.

Were the church to return to the hymns of the best periods of her history, and to a proper mix of psalms, paraphrases and hymns, a sense of reverence would also return, and a taste for solid doctrine would follow, as night follows day. In this way, a tremendous teaching aid would be returned to its place, God would be glorified thereby, and the saints richly blessed.

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