The Church as Culture

[ohio jones]

It's my understanding that there's individuals with a gift for writing that can be found in nearly every group. Some of the poets' works were set to music as hymns. Aren't there some hymn collections that are from Anabaptist writers?

Anabaptist hymn writing got off to a productive start with the Passau martyrs, but soon encountered a long dry spell.

[Soloist]

I’ve also noticed that school performances seems to be the primary way that new songs slip in.

I don't know if you meant grade school or Bible school, but I was pleasantly surprised when the youth in our church came back from a youth Bible school in PA with some new songs. One of which I knew from my Evangelical Baptist days, by the Gettys. I think the Gettys are fantastic contemporary hymn writers, and more churches ought to seek out the stuff they've produced and published by others.

I was thinking grade school, but both are true

[barnhart]

It's my understanding that there's individuals with a gift for writing that can be found in nearly every group. Some of the poets' works were set to music as hymns. Aren't there some hymn collections that are from Anabaptist writers?

Anabaptist hymn writing got off to a productive start with the Passau martyrs, but soon encountered a long dry spell.

Are those printed in the middle section of the Christian Hymnary?

[joshuabgood]

I’ve also noticed that school performances seems to be the primary way that new songs slip in.

I don't know if you meant grade school or Bible school, but I was pleasantly surprised when the youth in our church came back from a youth Bible school in PA with some new songs. One of which I knew from my Evangelical Baptist days, by the Gettys. I think the Gettys are fantastic contemporary hymn writers, and more churches ought to seek out the stuff they've produced and published by others.

If you don't mind a decidedly reformed flavor =)

[Praxis+Theodicy]

I’ve also noticed that school performances seems to be the primary way that new songs slip in.

I don't know if you meant grade school or Bible school, but I was pleasantly surprised when the youth in our church came back from a youth Bible school in PA with some new songs. One of which I knew from my Evangelical Baptist days, by the Gettys. I think the Gettys are fantastic contemporary hymn writers, and more churches ought to seek out the stuff they've produced and published by others.

If you don't mind a decidedly reformed flavor =)

Yeah, true, although I don't think it's always as strong as some make it out to be. But I also probably don't mind so much of a "distinctly reformed flavor" as long as it's not talking about, like, double-predestination or anything.

I mean, the other week we sang a hymn that contained a line that was more Calvinist-sounding than any other song I had sung... on the same day, the brother giving the main message spoke against Calvinism. The song was from John D's hymnal, and the line would've strongly suggested Total Depravity.

[barnhart]

I’ve also noticed that school performances seems to be the primary way that new songs slip in.

I don't know if you meant grade school or Bible school, but I was pleasantly surprised when the youth in our church came back from a youth Bible school in PA with some new songs. One of which I knew from my Evangelical Baptist days, by the Gettys. I think the Gettys are fantastic contemporary hymn writers, and more churches ought to seek out the stuff they've produced and published by others.

If you don't mind a decidedly reformed flavor =)

I heard him interviewed and he mentioned in a light-hearted way turning down hymnbook compilers who wanted to tweak lines like "...on that cross cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied..."

[ohio jones]

It's my understanding that there's individuals with a gift for writing that can be found in nearly every group. Some of the poets' works were set to music as hymns. Aren't there some hymn collections that are from Anabaptist writers?

Anabaptist hymn writing got off to a productive start with the Passau martyrs, but soon encountered a long dry spell.

Are those printed in the middle section of the Christian Hymnary?

I think so, though I'm not overly familiar with the Hymnary. The original German language versions are in the Ausbund.

I heard him interviewed and he mentioned in a light-hearted way turning down hymnbook compilers who wanted to tweak lines like "...on that cross cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied..."

I'd want to tweak that one too, as much for copy editing as for theology.

[joshuabgood]

I don't know if you meant grade school or Bible school, but I was pleasantly surprised when the youth in our church came back from a youth Bible school in PA with some new songs. One of which I knew from my Evangelical Baptist days, by the Gettys. I think the Gettys are fantastic contemporary hymn writers, and more churches ought to seek out the stuff they've produced and published by others.

If you don't mind a decidedly reformed flavor =)

I heard him interviewed and he mentioned in a light-hearted way turning down hymnbook compilers who wanted to tweak lines like "...on that cross cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied..."

I like the "on the cross as Jesus died, the love of God was magnified." And that was explicitly rejected by them when a hymn publisher wanted to change it.

The other one some object to is the rather explicit perseverance of the saints lines.

[barnhart]

If you don't mind a decidedly reformed flavor =)

I heard him interviewed and he mentioned in a light-hearted way turning down hymnbook compilers who wanted to tweak lines like "...on that cross cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied..."

I like the "on the cross as Jesus died, the love of God was magnified." And that was explicitly rejected by them when a hymn publisher wanted to change it.

The other one some object to is the rather explicit perseverance of the saints lines.

I can accept substantial atonement theory and even penal atonement theory as long as they don't say anything more than the scriptures say AND they allow for other atonement theories that also have biblical support. What I have little respect for is choosing one and rejecting others even though they are based directly from scripture.

[GaryK]

I heard him interviewed and he mentioned in a light-hearted way turning down hymnbook compilers who wanted to tweak lines like "...on that cross cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied..."

I like the "on the cross as Jesus died, the love of God was magnified." And that was explicitly rejected by them when a hymn publisher wanted to change it.

The other one some object to is the rather explicit perseverance of the saints lines.

I can accept substantial atonement theory and even penal atonement theory as long as they don't say anything more than the scriptures say AND they allow for other atonement theories that also have biblical support. What I have little respect for is choosing one and rejecting others even though they are based directly from scripture.

I agree. I recently had a lady (I think from Michigan) call who was looking for a biblically sound church for a family her friend knew in Georgia and one of the questions she asked that would make a difference whether or not she could recommend our church was my view on penal substitutionary atonement. Apparently my hesitancy to embrace penal atonement theory as the only biblically supported theory wasn't good enough to get our church recommended as a biblically sound church. I haven't heard anything from her since.