tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357993002975833949.post4830291248262575267..comments2023-06-22T04:39:18.584-04:00Comments on the tenth letter...: Hymns the UMC CatechismJay Miklovichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15414242753908645401noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357993002975833949.post-9901201806433429122010-12-15T11:12:02.915-05:002010-12-15T11:12:02.915-05:00Dawn-
I agree with your comment, and all other t...Dawn-<br /> I agree with your comment, and all other traditions take a serious hit when they lose the great hymns of the faith for those of less substance. My contention simply is that Methodism at its outset put all the eggs in the hymn basket when it came to memorization of doctrine. Therefore, if Methodism loses solid hymnody it indeed loses everything.<br /><br />My statement: <br />"Other traditions can survive being loose with their music because there is a consistent system for imparting their theology to their adherents."<br /><br />Is not saying that other traditions don't lose much if they lose their hymns... it is only to say that they do not lose everything, in the same way Methodism does.Jay Miklovichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15414242753908645401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357993002975833949.post-77483304865006138282010-12-11T23:35:47.514-05:002010-12-11T23:35:47.514-05:00"Other traditions can survive being loose wit..."Other traditions can survive being loose with their music because there is a consistent system for imparting their theology to their adherents. Methodists’ music is our system, so we do not have the liberty to be loose with it."<br /><br />I disagree with the above statement, at least with the first sentence of it. I can't speak for the Reformed or Roman Catholics but in my tradition of Lutheranism hymnody has historically played a large part in catechizing the lay people. The idea is communicating doctrinal truth through music. <br /><br />I think all traditions are impoverished through the replacement of solid hymnody with vapid praise music. It's like replacing meat and potatoes with cotton candy. Compare songs like "<a href="http://www.ccel.org/a/anonymous/luth_hymnal/tlh377.htm" rel="nofollow">Salvation Unto Us Has Come</a>" or "<a href="http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/wittenberg/hymns/rejoice.txt" rel="nofollow">Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice</a>" with songs like "<a href="http://www.delirious.org.uk/lyrics/songs/icouldsing.html" rel="nofollow">I Could Sing of Your Love Forever</a>" or "<a href="http://lyricsplayground.com/alpha/songs/t/theressomethingaboutthatname.shtml" rel="nofollow">There's Just Something About that Name</a>." There is literally no comparison. The first two teach the entire Christian faith from beginning to end and the second two teach little but sentimentality. The logical end of a constant diet of the latter is "the catechism/confessions aren't really that important. All that matters is that we love Jesus." For Lutherans, our hymnody supports what is being taught in the catechism and the confessions. Praise music largely undermines this teaching by its very nature.Dawn Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015045022304909372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357993002975833949.post-81642230209062843562010-12-09T13:47:21.440-05:002010-12-09T13:47:21.440-05:00Aaron, the UMC has plenty of written doctrine and ...Aaron, the UMC has plenty of written doctrine and is ok with that. (Note, I shudder at the reference to Bill and Gloria, but they are certainly alive and well in many UMC settings!!).<br /><br />My fear with the UMC is that Methodism used to pride itself on the fact that their hymnal served also as their confession of faith. (yes we have articles of faith outside of the hymnal, but the 'practical' confession was the hymnal itself.) I do not think it is bad to have the hymnal as the confession, but it needs to be recognized as such and the songs that get placed in it need to be guarded diligently. The issue that contemporary music causes for the UMC is that changing music to contemporary means throwing out the confession of faith itself, or at least rendering it practically obsolete.Jay Miklovichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15414242753908645401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8357993002975833949.post-36538670021756256282010-12-09T13:25:28.812-05:002010-12-09T13:25:28.812-05:00Same in CHOG... they pride themselves on being fre...Same in CHOG... they pride themselves on being free of a written doctrine but you can never take away Bill and Gloria ;-)Aaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16952768184922926107noreply@blogger.com