Sunday, 15 February 2009
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Isaac Watts: The Fight Over Using Hymns Instead of Psalms
I'm reading an interesting little book titled Then Sings My Soul. It's a collection of 150 well known hymns with a one page history of each. I was fascinated with the stories surrounding Isaac Watts. Some of you might recall that I used the illustration of organ vs. praise team in a previous post on how people become dechurched. This is not new. There was much ado when pianos were first introduced into church settings, as they were considered a "bar room" instrument. There still remains a lot of tension regarding hymns vs. choruses and even old choruses vs. contemporary praise music. Turns out Isaac Watts created a furor when he began writing hymns. I'll let author Robert Morgan tell the story:
As Isaac Watts quietly pastored Mark Lane Chapel in London, the growing popularity of his hymns was causing a tempest. “Christian congregations have shut out divinely inspired Psalms,” one man complained, “and taken in Watts' flights of fancy.” The issue of singing hymns versus Psalms split churches, including the one in Bedford, England, once pastored by John Bunyan.The controversy jumped the Atlantic. In May, 1789, Rev. Adam Rankin told the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, meeting in Philadelphia: “I have ridden horseback all the way from my home in Kentucky to ask this body to refuse the great and pernicious error of adopting the use of Isaac Watts' hymns in public worship in preference to the Psalms of David.”
Isaac Watts (July 17, 1674 – November 25, 1748) is recognized as the "Father of English Hymnody", as he was the first prolific and popular English hymn-writer, credited with some 750 hymns. Some of Watts' more well-known hymns are: "Joy to the World," "O God, Our Help in Ages Past," "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross," and "Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed."
Why do you think music creates such heated controversy within our churches?
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- From: BookMark61@xanga
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- About Me: Theology, sociology and psychology fascinate me. Why do we hold the views we do?
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Comments (22)
This is such a great post. I am so glad to see it featured on here.
People equate their idea of what Christianity is with what Christianity should be. People who disagree with them are attacking what they have decided is sacred.
In short, because we get so wrapped up in our ways... I think, in general, we neglect the fact that God can work through several different methods. In the Bible there was dancing, singing, poetry...you name it. I highly doubt they stuck to one sampling of each. Even the books of the Bible that are poetic in form had many different styles. People who think that one style of music is superior to the other have completely missed the spirit of worship.
FORTUNATELY, i believe it was because of the insistence on doctrinal purity and because of such a high view of scripture the earlier generations of christians had (today, that's hardly a consideration in most churches). so i deeply respect the desire to conform wholly to scripture as the leading guide for worship and faith in practice (sola scriptura).
the reason i see us singing hymns now, anyway, is for their doctrinal soundness, their singability, and... something else i can't remember (an actual criteria set out, that i've seen). we do sing the psalms, as well, in my church, and the thing i can say without hesitation is that you can pretty much be safe from error when singing scripture, and so there wouldn't be a time where i wouldn't endorse singing the psalms in worship, or even a "bible study" or weekly gathering of some sort... i wish more people DID sing scripture, or at least the psalms--then they'd know their bibles better!
this iz not justa xtian ishue in judaizm the orthodox & conservative value the humyn voyce over musikal instumintz ther ar also religious reezunz for this ie mourning the destrukshun of the temple & the prohibishun agaynst playing musikal instumintz on shabbat in the reform movemint musikal instumintz ar welkomd also the orthodx ban the heering of womynz voyces during publik prayer
personaly i follow the conservative model womynz voycez ar appropriate but musikal instrumintz ar not
It all comes down to the matter of the heart...
Its about singing praises to God and worshiping him. Psalms are fine, hymns and songs written/inspired(by God) in churches now.
Its not about us, its about God
@oordzofrur@xanga - my sentiments exactly!! The church I attend also sings the Psalms - and I totally see the importance of it. The Psalms and certain hymns were absolutely divinely inspired - we cannot say the same for much of today's music. (I'm not saying that newer hymns and such are wrong, just that they were not inspired like the Bible was inspired)
Isaac Watts was my great (x5) grandfather. (seriously...)
I don't know why music has to be such a debated issue. Music has always been a wonderful part of my spritual life. I don't know what I would have done without music in my life.
I was a teenager in the 1970s when contemporary music was beginning to infiltrate the church, and boy were there lots of battles over the use of contemporary music! In my defense of contemporary music, I used stories like this regarding Isaac Watts to illustrate that bringing in new music to the church created controversy before, and now that music is the music that is considered "holy" or at least "appropriate for worship." Why is it that anything new is suspect? People confuse tradition with holiness.
I think it's a hot topic because people feel so different on the extremes of the music. Me, I could go either way, really. At my church, we have traditional hymnals, which I really do like
But I don't think contemporary music is evil or anything either. Sometimes shallow, yes, but I don't really have a problem with it.
Good post. I don't have an answer to the question. I just liked reading about the history and equating the controversy.
i agree with bananaleaf_soapbox. tradition does not equal holiness. hymns or comtemporary, both are confessions of our love. what could be wrong with it. the bible mentions to praise God with new songs. hymns dont mean they are extra holy. they were written by men and so are comtemporary. personally whatever touches you better. for younger generations the new music would be closer to their hearts.
People tend to confuse worship and music-- we think that music equals worship, when in reality (and in Scripture) music expresses worship. (Among other things.)
Perhaps if we started with understanding what worship is (responding to God) and then sought ways to communicate that within our music, we'd all be better off.
Fantastic post!
@Pass_the_Aura@xanga -
I could not agree more with what you said about worship being "responding to God." It falls right in with Bruce Leafblad's definition.
Now for my response. Yes there has always been the controversy about what was deemed worthy for worshipping God. Should we sing hymns, or should we just sing the Psalms, or should we follow Zwingli who loved music but thought it too powerful and the temptation too great to mess with emotions so he did not use music at all?
To those who say "psalms only" I issue this warning; you must be very careful, there is much to be used in worship, but not ALL of the psalms are good for a worship service. What do I mean here? Let's take Psalm 137 for an example. This is a desperate cry from the author's heart. It is a personal devotion and not appropriate for a worship service. This is a psalm that MUST be accompanied with study to understand what the author is feeling when he writes the words:
"O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction,
happy is he who repays you for what you have done to us-
He who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks."
The waters do muddy a little when we see that many of the modern P&W songs are paraphrased scripture or psalms. "Better is One Day," is Psalm 84. And there are many, many others like that with "As the Deer" being one of the first in this contemporary movement.
As for Hymns, this is a very broad topic these days as to what qualifies as a hymn. But again, we often misunderstand what a "hymn" is. The "hymn" is the text, not the music. Most hymnals are kind enough to give you information about the song. I am going to use Holy, Holy, Holy as my example here. the hymntext was written by Reginald Heber (1783-1826), the tune that is often associated with it is named NICAEA (tune names are always given in all caps), which was written by John B. Dykes (1823-1876). Most people would figure that this hymn was inspired by Isaiah 6, but that is incorrect. The scripture that is represented here is Revelation 4:4-11. Much of the scripture is brought up in these three verses, and it really is an interesting study that I would encourage everyone to do.
Now on to modern hymnody, as one of the best ways to define hymnody is the music of the church. Everyone must do a study on Stuar Townend as well as Keith and Krysten Getty. Keith is a trained musician, who was actually one of the orchestrators for the Lord of the Rings movies. Krysten Getty and Stuart Townend both have degrees in literature and they craft some wonderful lyrics. Some of these hymns are; How Deep the Father's Love for Us, In Christ Alone, The Power of the Cross (Oh to See the Dawn, Speak Oh, Lord, The Communion Song (which is truly amazing), and Oh, Church Arise. Also in modern hymnody, you have Chris Tomlin taking old hymns and adding a new chorus to them, such as Amazing Grace, My Chains are Gone. This is a very old method of music known as a trope. Actually people started writing tropes before the renaissance.
I am sorry for the long response, but I do hope it was helpful.
@RX_8fan@xanga - I've actually met Keith and Kristyn Getty. They're lovely people and their music is tremendous.
I wonder how much of the debates on worship have been the fruit of people's emotive responses to buzzwords ("traditional", "contemporary," "hymn," etc.) that they don't bother to understand. A friend of mine led worship for a middle-school youth group. One day the girls in conversation mentioned how much they disliked "traditional hymns"; the consensus was that hymns were all old-fashioned and irrelevant. "What about the songs we sing in youth group," asked my friend; "which one of those is your favorite?" In unison, the girls immediately replied, "O, the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus!"
@Pass_the_Aura@xanga -
"which one of those is your favorite?" In unison, the girls immediately replied, "O, the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus!"
Now that is funny! I have heard that the Getty's are wonderful people. A couple of months before I came to New Orleans, they were involved with the unveiling of the new Baptist Hymnal (also published by LifeWay as "The Worship Hymnal"). Unfortunately I was not here to hear them, but all my friends just raved about them.
Judging from the responses above, seems like we all react to music, or other issues in some way.
Can you judge praise/worship music? SHOULD you judge it? Should it be along the dividing line of psalms vs hymns?
There are ways to make sense of worship music wrt quality, content, appropriate style. HOWEVER, you must also allow believers the freedom to say "I don't care what you think, I (like/don't like) it anyway."
Example: I do not like praise music that makes you guess at the worship content of the lyrics ('love is a river, a freely flowing river'). Any song that makes me wonder what it really means doesn't lead me to worship, and I don't want to sing if I'm not worshipping. But, some people may really think that leads them into the presence of God. They certainly should be able to worship Him in their hearts on that thought.
Example: I do not like hymns or praise songs that are impossible to sing unless you're a Christian music recording artist - many of those songs are not appropriate for congregational worship precisely because they are soloistic and don't lend themselves to group singing. They may well be worshipful, but not singable by your average voice. There are a great many hymn tunes that are nearly impossible to sing also.
Example: I do not like hymns or worship songs that call on me to associate a style with another cultural setting - and I'm not consistent! Because I like some styles for worship, and I don't like others. This is a matter of taste and preference, and most people have a similar experience with this. So, praise songs that sound like they were written by the Grateful Dead? Not so much for me. Jimi Hendrix? noooo (but I like Jimi otherwise). Frank Sinatra? Uh, no (but I like him elsewhere and otherwise too). On the other hand, a lot of melodies from classical music work well for singing. I like a lot of folk-style songs for worship also.
Final Example: I can't tolerate music that represents Christ and the Father in error. This is mostly a text issue, but one that every Christian should resist. As mentioned in another post, you really can't go wrong if you stick to putting music to scripture, but not all of that leads you to worship either! Like when David asks God to utterly destroy his enemies from the face of the earth. That certainly has its place in scriptural truth, but generally doesn't promote worship in a broad sense.
My pet peeves:
1) Tone deaf musicians who write their own music instead of just using the hymnal music. One such group sang on a 24 tone scale--no kidding.
2) Charismatic music that sounds like it was written by a two-bit ad agency. Music like this would be more appropriately used in a peanut butter, or pastry commercial. It is not sacred at all.
3) Soloists who think that Church is all about them, not about God. They act like prima donnas, at times. Egos do not belong in Church.
I do like folk music, even praise music if it is reverent. I also like classic hymns, and organ music. Some praise music is set to psalms and is really pretty. I do like psalms for hymns very much.
I have gone back and forth on this issue myself. Being a musician, I have always wanted to do what is pleasing to God, yet there is something to be said about being relevant.
I love the hymns, they have deep theological significance which I think is lost many times in contemporary music, and think it is tragic when people think they have to be pitched in favor of more contemporary music. I also love choruses, and other praise music and think they can have a place in a worship service. But as has been said, worship is not about us, what we like or think is appropriate, worship is about God, and us realizing we are NOT all that, and bringing our hearts and souls and laying them at His feet.
What is an appropriate mix? I have no clue, as it would be different for each body of believers, how the demographics are and such, but I think most importantly, we need to appreciate and love each other and know that we all have differing tastes and preferences. We shouldn't use that to stifle others, or say this is right, this is wrong out of hand, but we need to be loving, not self-centered, and work together to find that which will please God, and be acceptable.
Until three years ago, I was in support of including uninspired hymnody in worship, whether Public, Family, or Private worship. I, from Sola Scriptura, believe that Scripture is entirely sufficient for worship and that what is not warranted in God's Word is not permitted in worship. Since uninspired hymody (in addition to choirs, dance, instruments, Christmas, Easter, "bells and smells", &c.) categorically does not have Scriptural warrant either explicity or by necessary inference, I strongly believe that only the Psalms have a place in worship and that uninspired hymody (and the rest of what I mentioned) has no place at all in worship. Yes, the Bible has dance and instruments yet that was invariably tied to the OT sacrifices and sin offerings, that were done away with in Christ. ALL of the Psalms are appropriate and adequate for worship since (1) worship also includes Family Worship and Private Worship, (2) some Psalms-only pastors do explain the Psalm as he is lining it out for the congregation (and hence answers the study question), and (3) God gave His Hymnbook (the Psalms) to the Church and we in now wise cannot take away from in of those Psalms regarding singing them in Public Worship or other worship context. The paraphrasing of the Psalm or other Scripture is so dynamically translated that it does not adequately or accurately reflect what the portion of Scripture says and hence should not be used in worship. Hence, the waters do not muddy. Also, adding things to Scripture such as holy days (Christmas and Easter and saints' days), uninspired hymnody, instruments, and other unwarranted practices undermines the foundational doctrine of Sola Scriptura and are effectively demonstrating that Scripture is NOT all-sufficient for the Christian life. When one starts eroding a fundamental doctrine of Christianity, one stands on perilous ground and are heading back towards the Harlot of Rome and her Anti-Christ.
منتديات حوامل |
الولادة الطبيعية |
الولادة القيصرية |
الحمل والولادة |
دردشة حوامل |
اطفال الانابيب |
اعراض الحمل |
علامات الولادة |
علامات الحمل |
الاجهاض |
ملابس اطفال |
مراحل الجنين |
الوحم |
حساب موعد الولادة |
حساب الحمل |
طرق الحمل |
علامات الحمل بولد |
علامات الحمل بتوأم |
بعد الاجهاض |
اسباب الاجهاض |
الحمل بعد الاجهاض |
اعراض الاجهاض |
حكم الاجهاض |
حبوب الاجهاض |
الاجهاض المنزلي |
الاجهاض بالاعشاب |
تنظيف الرحم |
الدورة بعد الاجهاض |
الرحم بعد الاجهاض |
نمو الجنين |
مراحل نمو الجنين |
مراحل الحمل بالصور |
ولادة طبيعية يوتيوب |
الاجهاض المتكرر |
الوحم اثناء الحمل |
علاج الوحم |
اعراض الوحم |
متى يبدا الوحم |
تحديد موعد الولادة |
جدول الحمل |
طريقه الحمل |
حبوب ياسمين |
حبوب جينيرا |
حبوب مارفيلون |
ايام التبويض |
فترة التبويض |
ايام الحمل |
التبويض عند المرأة |
التبويض بالصور |
علاج تكيس المبايض |
تكيس المبايض وعلاجه |
منع الحمل |
ولادة طبيعية |
ولادة فيديو |
ولادة قيصرية فيديو |
اسماء بنات مواليد |
اسماء بنات |
اسماء مواليد جديدة |
حبوب منع الحمل |
التبويض |
تكيس المبايض |
المبايض |
فساتين حوامل |
فترة النفاس |
مراحل الحمل |
حبوب الحمل |
اللولب |
موانع الحمل |
اشهر الحمل |
سكر الحمل |
هرمون الحمل |
هرمونات الحمل |
علاج الحمل |
الجماع والحمل |
لمنع الحمل |
اضرار الحمل |
ايام الحمل |
اختبار الحمل |
اختبارات الحمل |
تحليل الحمل |
الولادة المبكرة |
صور ولادة |
فيديو ولادة |
اسماء مواليد |
ازياء اطفال |
صور حوامل |
علاج العقم |
ازياء حوامل |
نمو الجنين |
جنس الجنين |
حركة الجنين |
هدايا مواليد |
الولادة |
حبوب الحديد |
تسهيل الولادة |
مستشفى الوطني |
مستشفى العسكري |
مستشفى الدمام |
مستشفى الولادة والاطفال |
مستشفى الولادة |
الرضاعة الطبيعية |
الرضاعة الصناعية |
ملابس حوامل |
الحمل الكاذب |
الطلق الصناعي |
تأخر الدورة |
الالم الدورة |
حبوب الكلوميد |
الكلوميد |
حمض الفوليك |
حبوب الفوليك |
دخول في الشهر العاشر |
نزول المشيمة |
نزول الدم اثناء الحمل |
غذاء الحامل |
الجماع اثناء الحمل |
الجنس والحمل |
الأزياء |
علاج الغثيان |
علاج الإمساك |
الختان |
منتديات نسائية |
منتدى نسائي |
السوق النسائي |
الاكسسوارات |
المكياج |
العطور |
العناية بالشعر |
العناية بالبشرة |
الرشاقة |
الرشاقة والصحة |
العروس |
السوق التجاري |
الوظائف النسائية |
المشكلات الأسرية |
المطلقات |
الأرامل |
الدايت شوب |
ديكور المنزل |
ديكور المطبخ |
الطب البديل |
الصحة الغذائية |
الحمل الكاذب |
الحمل خارج الرحم |
حساب الوزن |
التحويل الهجري الى الميلادي |
حساب العمر |
التجارة الالكترونية |
بوابة التجارة |
منتدى التجارة |
منتديات التجارة |
منتديات تجارية |
أمازون |
بيدز |
بايز |
منتجات أبل |
آي فون |
البلاك بيري |
بنوتات |
منتديات بنوتات |
منتديات نسائية |
العلوم الطبيعية |
منتديات تعليمية |
منتدى التعليم |
منتدى التربية والتعليم |
دم الحمل |
تحليل الحمل المنزلي |
اسباب تاخر الحمل |
تنظيم الحمل |
الحمل الطبيعي |
بعد الحمل |
حساب الحمل والولادة |
صور الحمل |
المواد التعليمية |
العلوم الطبيعية |
تحاضير العلوم الطبيعية |
المواد العملية |
تحاضير المواد العملية |
اللغة الانجليزية |
تحاضير اللغة الانجليزية |
العلوم الدينية |
تحاضير العلوم الدينية |
اللغة العربية |
تحاضير اللغة العربية |
التربية الخاصة |
الاجتماعيات و التربية الوطنية |
تحاضير مواد الاجتماعيات |
المواد العملية |
تحاضير المواد العملية |
محو الأمية |
رياض الاطفال |
مجموعة اتفاق |
إتفاق |
تاخر الحمل |