Hymnology Class of 2012 - Photos

My dear classmates, My sincere apologies for not posting these pictures sooner! I just came across this them on my computer, and I wanted to share them with you all. Please enjoy remembering all of our happy Hymnology adventures! :) With love, Rachel Frazier

Hey guys! I miss not having class already! So, I just watched this video and really enjoyed it if you have time (It's an hour long) you should really check it out. If you don't have an hour that's ok because underneath the video is a "menu" of what questions are at what time seeing as it's an interview. The interview is about Bob Kauflin and he resonates a ton of the things we have spoken about. Here's the link: http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/dg-live/dg-live-with-bob-kauflin--2#/watch/full

Here's one I'm watching right now so I can't say anything about it!

Bob Kauflin preaching: http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/conference-messages/words-of-wonder-what-happens-when-we-sing

Looking through all your songs and loving them ever more!

Need for Change?

In the writings of Joe Horness (contemporary representative) and Sally Morgenthaler (emerging representative), I have often sensed a common theme. It seems as if both of these movements have a fear of the church's antiquated past. This fear functions as an undercurrent for their respective positions on worship in the church. Although this fear has not been directly addressed before, it bubbled to the surface in today's reading.

In Horness's response to Sally's proposal, he says, "[W]e must constantly remind ourselves that to stay relevant and meaningful to people we really love and care about, we have to grow younger or our church will just grow old. (241)" Interesting statement... especially considering the fact that the church is approximately 2,000 years old!

Although I have appreciated hearing Horness and Morgenthaler on various issues regarding worship, this fear seems unfounded. If we really believe the Bible is the Word of God, there is no pressing need to remain culturally relevant. We have reason to believe that the same old things (reading, preaching, praying, singing the Word) will continue to work for every culture in every age just as they have done in the past. Why do we feel this constant need for change?

A Recipe for More Kirk McPhersons

I think Paul Zahl makes a good point in his criticism to Sally's article when he points out that "The practical burden laid on us by her idea, however, is considerable. In her changed universe, it is make-it-up-as-you-go-along-Sunday-to-Sunday world for worship leaders." Sally's idea of a worship service creates an immense responsibility for the worship leader to come up with something that is new, contemporary and different each week. Under this pressure a leader simply cannot thrive. This will create Kirk McPherson scenarios in the leaders of our churches. This is not the kind of leader or leadership we should desire in our churches. It creates leaders who are more concerned about finding the next new and creative idea than they are about feeding their sheep which in turn results in a congregation full of Biblically ignorant people because their leaders have neglected teaching them from the Bible. So, in this scenario we have burnt out worship leaders trying to feed a congregation of people who have yet to move from milk to meat in their knowledge of the Scriptures. I think we would all agree this is not the Biblical model for worship that properly brings glory to God.

“It is the remark of Dr. J. Edward…

…that it is the command of God that all should sing….Those therefore who have musical faculties and neglect to improve them are living in sin, for it is an ordinance of God’s worship in which all are commanded to join” (p. 198).

Dr. Kauffman has often remarked that it’s not impossible for anyone to learn how to sing, it’s natural, it’s part of being human, it’s wired into the brain. “Living in sin” sounds pretty harsh for an average churchgoer that “just doesn’t sing.” But singing is an experience that edifies oneself by preaching the gospel, edifies the body by hearing one another’s words and being united, and glorifies God by obeying his command to sing.

William Caldwell

As a singer I particularly enjoyed William Caldwell's Preface to Union Harmony:

"The giver of every good and perfect gift has been pleased to bless us with singing faculties, and to music we are indebted for one of the most refined and exalted pleasures which the bounty of heaven ever permitted to gladden the hearts of the children of men."

What a beautiful description of the gift of song that God has given us! But he didn't stop there..

"Then, most certainly, it is reasonable that we improve those faculties of our nature as we have opportunity that we may be prepared to exercise them in accents of acceptable praise to our Creator... Music like all other sciences must be critically learned, or it can never be performed correctly, and if it is the duty of one, it surely is the duty of all to sing... those therefore who have musical faculties and neglect to improve them are living in sin, for it is an ordinance of Gods' worship in which all are commanded to join."

God has given us a gift and Caldwell reminds us that we must use that gift to the best of our ability. I found this article freeing as it pointed out the duty we have to sing and to sing correctly by critically learning the science of music. I'm sure the rest of you can see how, as a music major, I appreciated and was challenged by this article. What a perfect summary for this class and challenge to a beginning of a semester.

Total Neglect

“The Total Neglect of Singing Psalms, by many serious Christians, for want of Skill in Singing Psalm Tunes. There are many who never employ their Tongues in singing God’s praises, because they have not the skill […] It is to be feared Singing must be wholly omitted in some paces for want of skill.” (180) Although I believe the main reason we no longer sing hymns and psalms is an artifactual reason I do believe that in one sense we don’t sing them because we now lack the skill. We no longer know how to read music and in many cases we no longer know how to read deep texts with understanding. How did this happen? I believe Thomas Symmes struggled with the same problem when he wrote, “The declining from, and getting beside the Rule was gradual and insensible.” (182) Just like Thomas we need to strive to teach our brothers and sisters and lead them back to the greener pastures we wandered from.