In Defense of the Hymn

I responded to another blog post about hymns, and I thought I would post that thought here for y'all:

In Defense of the Hymn
(To the tune of "There is a Fountain")

There are songs so sweet and special
They outlast the new stuff by a hundred years,
And if you pay attention while you sing
You'll stain the page with tears.

You will stain the page with tears,
You'll stain the page with tears.
If you pay attention while you sing,
You will stain the page with tears.

They speak of Jesus and say His name.
There is no confusion there.
You know you sing of the Lord's dear love,
"Him" or "You" could not compare!
"Him" or "You" could not compare!
You'll know you sing of the Lord's dear love,
"Him" or "You" could not compare.

There is doctrine in those dear old songs
That makes some preachers scared.
There is the blood, the cross, and the Risen King
Real conviction's waiting there.

Real conviction's waiting there,
Real conviction's waiting there.
There's the blood, the cross, and the Risen King,
And conviction's waiting there.

For, you see, the hymn is not about
"What can Jesus do for me?"
Instead, these songs cry,
"Here am I. I'll Go! Dear Lord, send Me!"

"I'll go, dear Lord, send me!"
"I'll go, dear Lord, send me!"
Instead these songs cry,
"Here am I, I'll go, dear Lord send me."
---------------------------------
Hymnwriters had no secondary motive, however noble. They were not trying to feed families, get airplay, be famous, raise money, get a Dove, crossover into the mainstream, nothing. The hymn is pure, undiluted worship. I think it is a tragedy that we have substituted a fair amount of Christian bubblegum for some really valuable meat that takes a bit more effort to chew.
Look up the history of "It is Well With My Soul" and "He Keeps Me Singing". The stories of these priceless hymns will be a blessing to each of you.

Keeping it Real

Yo, holmes (homes? homies?).
Good grief, I can't even pull that off in a blog, much less in "real life".

Every time I turn around these days, people are trying to "Keep it real", man. Especially Christians, who are actually just pretending to be Randy Jackson, hosting their own personal American Idol telethon. They'll confess openly to all manner of heinous sins just to "keep it real". They will dress however they want at church, because they are "keeping it real, dawg". Folks talk like they spend more time at hip-hop concerts than in God's Word, just to keep it real.

It's sounding real fake, if you ask me.

Apparantly, people think the most important thing is "authenticity". And, when you listen to some Christians today, being authentic sounds quite alot like the world sounds. There is a very tangible arrogance involved when folks give a testimony and it is a play by play, complete with soundtrack and laugh-track, of all of their sin. It is almost as if they are saying, "See, I'm still cool-look at all this fun stuff I used to do!" Kinda like they miss it...

I love the line in "The African Queen", when Kate Hepburn tells Bogey that human nature is "something we were placed on this earth to overcome." Ding-ding-ding-ding! We have a winner! Kate is right-we ought not glory in our past sinfulness. Instead, we should bring attention to what the Lord has done for us.

He saved us with His blood, He wants to changed our hearts, He is molding us into His own image.

If we want to be "authentic" Christians, we need to be humble. Humility does not draw attention to oneself, it draws attention to Christ. Humliity is not going to give you a detailed rap sheet, but humility will say, "The Lord has been good to me. He brought me up out of the miry clay, stablished my goings, and placed my feet upon a rock." When the Prodigal came back, (an "authentic" Christian if ever there was one), his father did not want the details. He did not care about the past.

We shouldn't either. Let it go.

How to Keep it Really Real

1. Pray. For real. Involve some confession of sin. Be specific. If you can't think of anything, guess.

2. Read the Bible. The real one-the KJV. I have a feeling that Christians will discover they have been reading a "reasonalble facsimile thereof" if they actually dared to read the Real Thing.

3. Go to church like you mean it. Wear a dress. It doesn't hurt, trust me. Oh, and real men wear ties.

4. Sing a hymn. From the hymnal, not the stinkin' overhead. Hold that book. Smell it. Sing every verse, including the third one. True authentic Christianity is found in two places: the KJB, and the hymnal.

5. Listen to the preaching. Not the "sharing" (gag), or the "talking" (puke), the preaching. If all you get is sharing and talking, find yourself some preaching. Take notes. Read them later. Go on, get crazy and sit in the front.

6. Participate in the invitation. If your church no longer does an invitation, ask the pastor to bring it back. There is no time folks are more "real" than at the altar. Make a decision for the Lord. Seal it at the altar like you really mean it. Follow through. Really.

I believe most places that are obsessed with "keeping it real" wouldn't know Real if it came and sat in their lap. Real Christians, and real churches aren't concerned with their "authenticity" or their image, or whatever else occupies the thoughts of the "Keeping it real" crowd. Real Christians are just out there serving the Lord, loving their families, and meekly inheriting the earth.