Negative worship trends have been a subject for satire and complaint on a few blogs over the last few weeks on the blogosphere. Chris Tilling has posted a series entitled ‘Winds of Worship’ (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). T.B. Vick has posted the words of a song that was sung in a church he visited recently. The Internet Monk has just posted a timely post on the manner in which Valentine’s Day has the potential to corrupt our understanding of the love of God and links to an article that he wrote on romance and the Christian message. The language of romance and narcissism in modern worship are easily two of the things that irritate me the most and are, I believe, two of the strongest arguments in favour of exclusive psalmody (a position that I do not hold).
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Well, can’t comment on psalmody on evangelical churches, having been to one, er, once, though I recognise the brainless Bible study scenario from my college CU. Poss. agree with point in older post of yours to which you link re the romantic/erotic imagery not being a good thing to have much of in public worship. But, I do not think there is a dichotomy (is that the word I want? possibly not, but I hope you get what I mean) between what one learns as a disciple, becoming a more proficient disciple, and a romantic love-relationship with Jesus. What is the whole point of the whole thing, of the meanign of the whole Christian wotsit anyway? Cultivating the virtues, destroying sin, or letting God do it for you, blah blah? Nah. It’s union with Christ. The rest is just tedious groundwork.
On the other hand: inclusive psalmody stinks!
An afterthought: I suppose you have the added consideration that you have no liturgical texts, so whereas there is a certain doctrinal minimum guaranteed even in the Latin rite, and hymns are just a paraliturgical devotional addition (never mind the oodles of catechetical stuff in the Byzantine liturgy, which doesn’t do random hymns), for you chaps the hymns have less competition for status, as it were.
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!