Expunging Hymnals from the Church: A Sign of Apostasy
Over the past 60 years, I have increasingly become annoyed to see Protestant worship services become shallow and tepid, and I think a big reason for this is that the hymnals have been taken out of their racks. Don’t get me wrong. I actually like the worship songs, mostly—unless they strike me as whiny, or as Christian “jingles”, or they are used as 7/11 songs: seven verses sung eleven times. And the choir directors, musicians, and singers are fine people, and earnest Christians. I don’t expect every music director to be as outstanding as Tobin Davis of Shadow Mountain Community Church (El Cajon, CA). I can be well satisfied with moderately good selection of music, moderately well played. But I think the music of the worship service is very important. As Halley’s Handbook says it, there are two purposes for Christian worship services: expositional Bible teaching and congregational singing. All that is required for congregational singing is a pianist (or orga