My colleague Steve Hutchens over at Touchstone has hit a nerve with his discussion of hymnody and worship, particularly in contemporary evangelicalism. Like Steve, I am often frustrated by what passes for corporate worship across the country. I do think, however, that the revivalist hymnody of the 19th and 20th-century is often a too-easy target for many of us.
Yes, there are some sappy, sentimental, and frankly unbiblical gospel songs from the revivalist tradition. One can sum up a myriad of sins in the lyrics to “I Come to the Garden Alone.” Nonetheless, there is a reason the gospel hymns of this time period resonated with Christians. They highlighted the imperative aspects of Christ following in ways that older hymnody often missed. This is not only in terms of an evangelical hyper-individualism. Songs such as “Rescue the Perishing” highlighted for at least two generations of American evangelicals what it means to pursue the Great Commission in heart as well as in deed. Evangelicals’ favorite invitation hymn, “Just As I Am,” turned congregants hearts toward the reality of ongoing sin and the need for blood atonement in strikingly personal ways.
The best of the revivalist tradition maintained the biblical mandate of Ephesians 5:19 to address one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Often we (especially confessional Protestants like me) will argue for “God-centered” hymnody. But there is a sense in which our hymnody can be too God-centered, when it loses the teaching and exhortative purposes for the whole congregation. The apostle Paul requires us to have a God-centered hymnody, yes, but an ecclessially focused hymnody as well. This is often missed in churches of “traditional” and “contemporary” bent, in which hymns are either merely doctrinal assertions about the majesty of God or in which praise and worship songs are sung with a worship leader asking each congregant to “close your eyes and imagine you are the only one here.”
Grandpa’s music wasn’t perfect, and neither was great-great-great-grandfather’s.
Even so, it captured an aspect of the worship of Zion we’d be remiss to forget.
