Hymnals perpetuate a tradition of excellent musical culture in Christian churches, and excellent musical culture is necessary to fulfill the Apostolic command to sing to the glory of God. Churches that care about obedience to Christ should care about the way in which they go about singing. Hymnals help believers sing in parts, and so the music is more beautiful and stirring.

I was recently asked to fill out a survey for pastors about their use of hymnals. Their final question was:

“If you DO use hymnals for congregational singing, why do you view them as a worthwhile means of leading your church in worship?”

Here was my response:

A printed hymnal is good for so many reasons.

It is a canon of acceptable worship. It helps congregants know what is good to sing in worship (and, by converse, helps them judge what should NOT be sung in worship). A church that uses slides misses this. Everything is fair game, and it gives less direction to the people as to what is acceptable.

Even the most “Western” hymnal of 75 years ago is far more multicultural and diverse and catholic than the narrow window of junk from Nashville that churches are singing today.

The hymnals we use (Cantus Christi & Hymns to the Living God) include hymn and hymn texts from several continents, many nations, several different centuries.

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