I often hear debates over the music in many churches today.  There will always be people who love the music they grew up in church with.  And when they hear something new they may complain that the church is getting away from the pure form of worship that hymns posess.  The problem arises in what they define as hymns.  On the other end of the spectrum, some want to move away from hymns because they don’t want the music to drive away the younger visitors in the hopes of keeping them coming so that they can hear the messages and become converts.  Again there is a problem with not appealing to the ways in which different people enter into true worship. 

Those who grew up with the old hymns will still enjoy the hymns.  Those who grew up with a more contemporary sound will have a preference for the contemporary worship music.  But neither should be exclusive.  There are also many churches that use a “country” style to hymns or more contemporary spiritual songs.  I personally would find that hard to worship to, but I can’t say it’s wrong.  It just doesn’t appeal to me.

But my real issue is that people, in trying to justify their taste in music will give some pretty lame arguments.  Some years ago a dear lady complained during the Saturday night service that it seems we only do contemporary music anymore.  Then she argued that the new stuff doesn’t talk about the blood and the hymns do.  Well the music for Sunday morning had already been selected and that wasn’t going to change, but of the 5 songs chosen four were contemporary, and one was a hymn (Defined as: it’s in the Hymnal. Conversely: not in Hymnal = not hymn.)  Three of the four “not-hymns” mentioned the blood of Jesus.  The “hymn” did not.  She quit coming I regret to say.  But this was not a deliberate attempt to prove her wrong nor to justify future selections.  She found another church where she was more comfortable.  And although we would welcome her back to worship and fellowship with us, she has a new pastor, and we are not in the business of stealing another shepherd’s sheep.

Some of the things people don’t take into consideration in their pro-hymn inclinations is that at one time those hymns were contemporary music, and in some cases were considered inappropriate for true worship. Also, not every song found in a hymnal meets every individual’s definition of a hymn.  Then there is the “test of time” criterion.  That is, that we should only be singing those songs that have endured the “test of time”.  What I deduce from that is that a song must be sung and loved in the church for a period of several years before it qualifies as a hymn, but until it does it should not be sung in the church because it hasn’t stood the “test of time”.  I’m glad that criterion was not enforced back before we had such beautiful hymns as “A Mighty Fortress”, “Amazing Grace”, “How Great Thou Art”, “He Lives”, “The Old Rugged Cross”, and many, many more.  I must add too that there are many hymns found in many hymnals that I’ve never heard sung in the church in my more than fifty years of faithful attendance.  So I would say that those have not endured the “test of time”.  I’m sure at one time they were well loved, and probably were significant to someone, or to a time period, but they seem to have lost significance.

Now, let’s look at the other end of the spectrum.  There are those who love the more modern, upbeat songs and think the old hymns are boring or irrelevant.  I’m sorry they think that, but I can understand that perception to some extent.  When I first started playing piano back in the ’70s I found hymns difficult to play, not because thay they were complicated, but because they seemed too simple.  The chords didn’t change often enough.  The standard 4-part harmonies were predictable and simplistic.  But over the years I’ve learned to add passion to the music.  I realized that passion had gotten lost in the formality and simplicity. 

That has happened not only with the music, but with the rites and rituals, the formulaic order of service, the pre-written prayers, and many other aspects of the church services.  It’s okay to have order and consistency as long as there is passion, passion for relationship with our Savior, passion for living the Gospel in our lives, our homes, our work-places, the market-places, passion for worship and praise to God Almighty, a passion for righteousness.  Sometimes the desire for the driving force of upbeat, exciting, loud music becomes a substitute mistaken for true passion.  But the message of the songs need to inspire true passion for worship, praise, adoration, thankfulness toward the Almighty Merciful God who gave us His own Son as a sacrifice on our behalf, so that we could become the righteousness of God. 

There are many songs sung in the church today that don’t inspire a passion in me.  Some of those songs are contemporary, some of them are hymns.  But thank God there are many of both that are inspired by the Holy Spirit that breathe into me and others the passion for the things of God.  It’s not about the music.  It’s about the life-giving force evidenced in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.  It’s about Singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord.  It’s about pleasing God with the joyful noise and the contrite heart.  And it is certainly not about criticising someone else’s preference in music (even if it is “Country”).

Tracy Henness