Comments on: Rewriting the theology in hymns http://cdntheologianscholar.wordpress.com/2008/04/14/rewriting-the-theology-in-hymns/ "I wear the cheese, the cheese does not wear me!" (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 4) Mon, 23 Mar 2009 14:34:19 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Gretta Vosper http://cdntheologianscholar.wordpress.com/2008/04/14/rewriting-the-theology-in-hymns/#comment-19 Gretta Vosper Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:40:36 +0000 http://cdntheologianscholar.wordpress.com/?p=22#comment-19 Thanks for taking the time to pick up on one of the issues I look at in my book. Basically, the way I see it is, if you can't say it from the pulpit, you can't sing it in the pews. My experience has been that once individuals who don't understand why traditional hymns are not being sung are challenged to read the words out loud, they get the picture very quickly. My partner, Scott Kearns, has written a number of new songs but they are in a contemporary Christian style and a stretch for more traditional congregations. However, while recovering from major surgery, he reworked many traditional hymns to lift up the values we seek to live by and I hope they'll be available soon. In the meantime, check out Singing the Living Tradition from the Unitarian Universalists. They have already reworked many old hymns or written words to old tunes but you do need to read them carefully. Bring, O Morn, Thy Music, to the tune Nicaea (Holy, Holy, Holy) has a dreadful line about "...bird and beast and tree//Lo, they rise and vanish, vanish at thy bidding..." We had it selected for the week after Katrina and realized it just wouldn't work so, since it's in the public domain, we changed it. Best of luck with all this. It is dreadfully difficult at times so if there's anything I can do to help, don't hesitate to connect. Thanks for taking the time to pick up on one of the issues I look at in my book. Basically, the way I see it is, if you can’t say it from the pulpit, you can’t sing it in the pews. My experience has been that once individuals who don’t understand why traditional hymns are not being sung are challenged to read the words out loud, they get the picture very quickly. My partner, Scott Kearns, has written a number of new songs but they are in a contemporary Christian style and a stretch for more traditional congregations. However, while recovering from major surgery, he reworked many traditional hymns to lift up the values we seek to live by and I hope they’ll be available soon. In the meantime, check out Singing the Living Tradition from the Unitarian Universalists. They have already reworked many old hymns or written words to old tunes but you do need to read them carefully. Bring, O Morn, Thy Music, to the tune Nicaea (Holy, Holy, Holy) has a dreadful line about “…bird and beast and tree//Lo, they rise and vanish, vanish at thy bidding…” We had it selected for the week after Katrina and realized it just wouldn’t work so, since it’s in the public domain, we changed it.
Best of luck with all this. It is dreadfully difficult at times so if there’s anything I can do to help, don’t hesitate to connect.

]]> By: cdntheologianscholar http://cdntheologianscholar.wordpress.com/2008/04/14/rewriting-the-theology-in-hymns/#comment-18 cdntheologianscholar Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:46:16 +0000 http://cdntheologianscholar.wordpress.com/?p=22#comment-18 I agree. There are several songs that now that I have studied theology, make me cringe. But I find it's not just the hymns, it can also be some of the praise choruses. The church I'm serving in weathered the "music wars" pretty well. But there are some on the praise team who struggle with us playing hymns (they think they should be played on the organ and not with an electric guitar). On the other hand, we have some who think because a hymn has been sung in the church for over 50 years that it is "A-Ok". I'm glad that our young people are starting to wrestle through all of this. I agree. There are several songs that now that I have studied theology, make me cringe. But I find it’s not just the hymns, it can also be some of the praise choruses.
The church I’m serving in weathered the “music wars” pretty well. But there are some on the praise team who struggle with us playing hymns (they think they should be played on the organ and not with an electric guitar). On the other hand, we have some who think because a hymn has been sung in the church for over 50 years that it is “A-Ok”. I’m glad that our young people are starting to wrestle through all of this.

]]> By: Frank Emanuel http://cdntheologianscholar.wordpress.com/2008/04/14/rewriting-the-theology-in-hymns/#comment-17 Frank Emanuel Tue, 15 Apr 2008 01:32:21 +0000 http://cdntheologianscholar.wordpress.com/?p=22#comment-17 I tried to give hymns a fair shake, but I keep coming to the same conclusion. They have too many words. Sooner or later they screw it up. For me it is the last stanza where they shift categories to an otherworldly focus. That bugs me. So I end up modifying the hymn or sticking only to a couple verses. But I think this is an occupational hazard of studying theology. It has made me picky. It is like when I learned how to play guitar, it made me picky about the music, it changed my experience of the songs in the service. As a theologian I can't just sing in oblivion, I think about what I sing because I know that as a community what we sing speaks about who we are and also about who we are becoming. I want worship that doesn't work against the teaching ministry of my church. I tried to give hymns a fair shake, but I keep coming to the same conclusion. They have too many words. Sooner or later they screw it up. For me it is the last stanza where they shift categories to an otherworldly focus. That bugs me. So I end up modifying the hymn or sticking only to a couple verses.

But I think this is an occupational hazard of studying theology. It has made me picky. It is like when I learned how to play guitar, it made me picky about the music, it changed my experience of the songs in the service. As a theologian I can’t just sing in oblivion, I think about what I sing because I know that as a community what we sing speaks about who we are and also about who we are becoming. I want worship that doesn’t work against the teaching ministry of my church.

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