Hymns I Would Block for All Eternity: Sing a New World Into Being

Last updated on: September 15, 2022 at 11:53 am by Jonathan Aigner

Hymns I Would Block for All Eternity: Sing a New World Into Being 2022-09-15T11:53:59-05:00 Jonathan Aigner

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

One of the things one must understand about the gospel is that it is not primarily concerned with ethics. That might seem like a scandelous statement. I’m not saying that Christian ethics do not exist, only that they are an outworking of the gospel in the life of believers, not the gospel itself. The gospel is this: Christ crucified to save sinners. It is God’s work through Jesus to reconcile fallen humanity to him. We the fallen are quick to dismiss this, though. We want to qualify the gospel in terms that make sense to us. Earning favor with God makes more sense to us, doesn’t it?

So we substitute things that make perfect sense to us. Some of these things are just fine, in and of themselves, which makes them sound so good to our ticklish ears.

But that isn’t how the gospel works. In fact, it is a denial of the gospel. It denies that what Jesus offers is enough. And it falls into the old fallactious thinking that people are all-powerful.

So anytime I hear a message, or in this case, read a hymn text, that is focused on changing the world through ethical behavior, it gives me great pause. “Sing a New World into Being” (Not to be confused with the Catholic boomer hymn, “Sing a New Church into Being,” which I also wouldn’t mind blocking.) is representative of a new wave of hymnody that assume we have the power to move mountains. The audacity is striking; we can’t sing a new world into being. We don’t have that power, and our efforts to do so will always fail. The only one who can do that is God himself, who only needs to speak to make it so.

These hymns preach a works-based pseudo gospel that makes Jesus a chaplain-mascot alongside our own efforts to be nice and thoroughly inoffensive. Look at this one, stringing together nice thoughts, positive energy, and fashionable buzzwords. Some of these platitudes are meaningless, others politically coercive (another problem for another day), others fine and good. But whether they are good and a proper outworking of the gospel, they don’t contain the gospel itself: when we were dead in our sins and the way to reconciliation with God was shut, Jesus made a way by his death and resurrection.

We cannot manifest salvation for ourselves or anyone else. Our good works and positive thoughts only lead to death. Socio-political rallying cries and self-indulgent musical celebrations of our deluded, quixotic visions of pseudo-Judeo-Christian utopia are distracting and dangerous to the soul. We have to point people to the finished work of Christ which alone can make us good enough.

Don’t try and sing a new anything. That’s not a bold and hopeful theme. Pray. Pray that God’s kingdom come and his will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Turn to Jesus, who offered himself in our place when we didn’t even ask, when we didn’t even know we needed it.

Catholic

General Christian

Progressive Christian

Religious Music & Entertainment

Uncategorized

Previous Post

September 13, 2022

Hymns I Would Block For All Eternity: I Am the Bread of Life

Next Post

September 20, 2022 If You Watched the Queen's Funeral, Try Going to Church for Yourself

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Church of St. YouTube congregational singing congregational song contemporary critiques corporate worship Hymn of the Week hymn singing hymnody and hymnology hymns masturbatory worship Uncategorized worship Worship Quotes

Select a Month February 2023 January 2023 October 2022 September 2022 April 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 November 2019 September 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was called out of Ur to go to a land God would show him?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Moses Abraham Isaac Jacob