August 10, 2003
Hymn and Her-esy
George Weigle asks Should some hymns be laid to rest?
...The first hymns to go should be hymns that teach heresy. If hymns are more than liturgical filler, hymns that teach ideas contrary to Christian truth have no business in the liturgy. "Ashes" is the prime example here: "We rise again from ashes to create ourselves anew." No, we don't. Christ creates us anew. (Unless Augustine was wrong and Pelagius right).
When we replace God with ourselves we do have a tendency to make ashes out of ourselves.
He suggests a fifty year moratorium on some hymns, which I don't think goes far enough. Some of these hymns should be doused with holy water and and a stake driven through their lyrical hearts and to make doubly sure a silver bullet or two for good measure. I would suggest an Index of Forbidden Hymns but it would probably be used as the hymnal at many churches.
Posted by Jeff Miller at August 10, 2003 7:10 PM | TrackBackAnd pass out cloves of garlic for everyone to wear to protect themselves....
Posted by Michelle email at August 10, 2003 10:16 PMA ban on Marty Haugen is a good start.
Posted by The Barrister email at August 11, 2003 12:09 PMYou go, brother!
although I still have a fondness for the music of "I am the Bread of life" - I just wince at the vox dei.
My husband chides me because I REFUSE to sing or play Gift of Finest Wheat. That song is musically atrocious.
For Lent, give me 40 days and 40 nights over Ashes any time!
We already have such an index: anything published by Oregon Catholic Press. We go to a mostly Latin mass, and our music is Palestrina, Byrd (not Robert, God Forbid, although he is a better fiddle player than civic figure), etc. When we have to go to some parish enslaved by OCP missalettes, it is painful. "On Eagle's Wings" makes me look around for my bird gun.
Posted by Erik Keilholtz email at August 12, 2003 2:20 AMWow, all my least favorite hymns have been mentioned. Nothing to add.
Posted by John Simmins email at August 12, 2003 7:53 PMGood grief, you guys! What do you like to sing? George Weigel is a fool.
By the way, we sang Ashes at our church on the Sunday following the LA riots 10 years ago, and it was one of the most prayerful congregational singing experiences I can remember. A prayer for forgiveness and a hopeful cry to God. The smoke was still rising from the burning Department of Motor Vehicles office across the street from the church.
Stumbled on this by mistake, but it's a good avenue to voice my displeasure with music in the church right now. All entertainment, feel-good, no substance and poor structure. Haugen and Haas have made a fortune by catering to people with a passive approach to worship. I am so tired of seeing african drums in church and rhythm instruments played during the Agnus Dei! Honestly, have we left our brains and our good taste behind?
Posted by Shelly email at November 12, 2003 4:30 PMI am laughing to myself right now because whether you like it or not these are the songs that I grew up and listened to in Church.
How would you feel if someone took away your childhood Church songs because "it's not how it used to be" (perhaps in Churches in 600 AD they didn't sing the same way--I assure you pipe organs weren't widespread, so perhaps we should scrap them)
Don't get me wrong, I love the Tridentine Mass, and I am not a fan of bringing in new-age world musical instruments into Church (unless I am in a different culture). But rather than tearing down the way that our worship and Church are going (if you truly believe the Holy Spirit to be with the Church), I think this question raises key questions that our modern Church has to deal with--namely
What did it mean to be Catholic pre Vatican II, and what does it mean now? Is it the same or different? Why? What can we do to reconcile the two if they are different?