They Just Don't Write Songs About Jesus Like They Used To...

Last time, I ranted about my career, this time, it's my other interest: music. On the night before my 39th birthday, I have the following observation...

I hear a lot of people complain about modern church music being repetitive & shallow. The whole "7/11" quote comes to mind.

Having spent several hours photographing, scanning and filing music that is between 20-40 years old, I'm wondering, have these people looked at the old stuff lately? "Classic" music is pretty repetitive too...

I Don't Know What You Came To Do
We've Come to Praise Him
God is Great and Greatly to Be Praised
Let There Be Glory and Honor to Jesus
Won't We Have a Time When We Get Over Yonder
Bind Us Together
Heavenly Father I Appreciate You
Above All Else I Must Be Saved
Learning to Lean on Jesus
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
I Need Thee, Oh, I Need Thee
Bless The Lord, Oh My Soul
I've Been Delivered
Hold to God's Unchanging Hand
Shouting on the Hills of Glory
Power in the Blood

I get it - we ALL think the music of OUR youth was the best, but really, people...all the songs listed above are awesome. I sang them growing up, and I still love them. But I must be honest...

Most of them have more than half the lyrics in the title. They repeat. A lot. None are particularly complex lyrically. Their composition is a good bit simpler than modern worship music, but frankly, so are the older hymns, most of which were based on classical music, rather than a 1-4-5 pattern.

For those who don't like the current style, God is just as capable of using guitars as He is Hammond organs, which were just as controversial when they entered churches. Yes, we NEED this old stuff, but we don't need to stagnate in it and reach for the revival of 20-40 years ago. And frankly, if we want to get back to the music of the "real" church, I guess we need to take up chanting in minor keys while dancing in circles, as the early church would have done. Instead, we are commanded by God's word through one of His most prolific song-writers to sing something NEW...

Sing unto The Lord a NEW SONG... Psalm 96:1, Psalm 98:1, Psalm 149:1; Isaiah 42:10

Now that I'm so close to joining the old crowd, I can freely express this as someone who is no longer young, and for the record, my Mom Lucy Johnson approves this message. ;)


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Location:E Peace St,Canton,United States