Changing the subject: church music

Last updated on: August 18, 2011 at 7:32 pm by Roger E. Olson

Changing the subject: church music 2011-08-18T19:32:18-05:00 Roger E. Olson

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.

I find the weekend a good opportunity to change subjects (even if only temporarily). Most of us will be attending worship services this weekend. What kind of music will we hear and sing? As a theologian I am dismayed at the turn taken in worship music (especially congregational singing) in the last two to three decades. As a professor of theology teaching mostly Christian undergraduates and seminary students I’ve noticed a very definite decline in their understanding of Christian doctrine and ability to recognize and use biblical imagery. I think the two trends are linked together.

When I was growing up in church we sang hymns and gospel songs and choruses. It was the hymns that piqued my curiosity and interest in theology and the gospel songs that kept me informed about biblical imagery. I attribute much of my youthful interest in theology to the music we sang in church. My father was a pastor and made a conscious effort to get his congregations to think about the words they were singing. He led the singing and would often stop between verses of a hymn or gospel song and comment on the message.

I recall riding home from church and asking my father about some of the phrases in the hymns and songs. “Dad, what’s an Ebenezer?” “Why did that song say we are worms?” My dad always had a ready answer. Of course, later, I filled in some of the content missing in his answers as I studied theology. But it was the songs and his answers to my questions, as much as the sermons, that stimulated my interest and informed me about our beliefs.

Many of our evangelical churches are non-creedal. That is, we do not have formal, written creeds or statements of faith that we learn in a catechism class or repeat in church. For most Pentecostals, Baptists and other Free Church evangelicals, the hymn book served as our book of beliefs; singing hymns and gospel songs was how we passed the faith (in terms of beliefs and symbols) along to the young.

I believe the cessation of singing hymns and gospel songs has greatly contributed to the general ignorance of doctrine and biblical images and symbols among evangelicals who grew up in the 1980s and since. I’ve been teaching theology, including basic doctrine, in three Christian universities for almost 30 years now and I’ve seen this general ignorance growing. I think it is at least partly attributable to the fact that my students know very few hymns and gospel songs. (I should say for the benefit of my students reading this: You’re wonderfully bright and intelligent and quick to catch on. That you didn’t grow up singing hymns isn’t your fault. My comments here are not a reflection on your intelligence!)

I take my classes to the seminary chapel and have them sing great hymns and gospel songs that relate to the doctrines we are studying. For example, I always have them sing Charles Wesley’s hymns (especially “And Can It Be?”) and sometimes I have them sing 20 or more verses. When they wince at the length of some of his hymns I say “I’d rather sing 20 verses of a Charles Wesley hymn that sing the same chorus 20 times.” Of course, they laugh at me and probably consider me an old curmudgeon and a fuddy-duddy. They would say “old school,” I suppose. I admit it.

But it’s not just because I like that music (that I make my students sing it). It’s because hymns like Charles Wesley’s and Augustus Toplady’s and even Charles Gabriel’s gospel songs convey profound truths in powerful images drawn from Scripture. Of course, there are the occasional lapses. Some songs have such bad theology I use them as illustrations of what NOT to believe. (For example, “We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations” is a blatantly postmillennial hymn.)

I think the shift away from hymns and gospel songs to choruses in congregational singing has been much more deleterious than most people suspect. I’m not against praise and worship choruses; they have their place. (When I was growing up those places were youth group meetings and youth camp chapels.) I think blended worship is fine. But when we never sing the great hymns of the church, because we have no other means of passing the faith along to the young, we should not be surprised at the resulting drought of doctrinal knowledge and awareness of the rich images of Scripture.

Of course, not all hymns are doctrinally sound or biblically correct. As an Arminian, I despise William Cowper’s (pronounced “Cooper’s”) “God Moves in a Mysterious Way.” I would expect a Calvinist to like it. John Piper says he has it framed and hanging over the fireplace in his living room! Good for him. If I were to frame a hymn and put it over my fireplace it would be Wesley’s great hymn “And Can It Be?” (Ironically, the one time I visited Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis where Piper is pastor the congregation sang this thoroughly Arminian hymn!) I think the whole gospel is very beautifully expressed in it. And so is prevenient grace (“Long my imprisoned spirit lay, fast bound in sin and nature’s night; Thine eye diffused a quickening ray, I woke, the dungeon flamed with light. My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth and followed Thee.”)

I urge music ministers and worship leaders to re-introduce hymn singing in churches. But don’t just have the congregation sing these great songs of the past and present (Brian Wren has written some wonderful contemporary hymns) in a perfunctory manner. Use them as teaching tools. Lead them with passion and enthusiasm and comment on the words so that people will awaken to their meaning. Too often congregations sing songs without even thinking about the words or the messages.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

August 6, 2010

The problem with Calvinism is...

Next Post

August 9, 2010 Grace and free will: a parable

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Against Liberal Theology Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 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 November 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 August 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 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

I wanted a vineyard so badly that my wife arranged the owner's death through false witnesses. Who am I?

Select your answer to see how you score.

David Ahab Jezebel Naboth