March 2009 New Horizons

What Makes a Great Hymn?

by Timothy and Lou Ann Shafer

What makes a hymn "good"? Is it good because we like it, because it is familiar, because it brings back pleasant memories of loved ones or special events or times? These feelings and associations are certainly very real to all of us, but they are subjective. Are there objective standards that we can use to evaluate hymns? Music is an emotional language that conveys meaning. It is this emotional language to which most of us relate when we listen to music or participate in it. But the building blocks (elements) used to construct the music are objective and can be evaluated in a clear and thorough way for craftsmanship and effective communication. When music is paired with a text (as in a hymn), it can also be evaluated in terms of how well it matches the affect (emotion) of the text and conveys its meaning. The Bible warrants this evaluation. We are to seek after that which is excellent (Phil. 1:9-11 and 4:8). Let's look at the excellent hymn, "Holy, Holy, Holy." We can discern its specific musical ... Read more

Since Christ Is Lord of Heaven and Earth

by Kilby Beisner

It was Friday night—I remember it like yesterday—and we were gathered in our living room for Bible study. Usually we would begin with a prayer and a few hymns, and then my dad would open the Word, perhaps read a commentary, and teach. Then another hymn would close our time before all of us flocked to the goodies in the kitchen. My sister played the piano to accompany us, and whoever was quick enough would choose the hymns we sang. On that evening, Frank chose "Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns," and my sister set into the music with zeal. And then we came in. I remember sitting there on the couch and hearing my own voice as we sang the first, rousing stanza of the song: "Shout, for the blessed Jesus reigns; through distant lands his triumphs spread; and sinners, freed from endless pains, own him their Savior and their Head." I remember hearing my own voice because it was one of the three or four I could hear. We were a group of about thirty on a good night, and believe me, we could be ... Read more

The Psalter and the Church's Personality

by Stephen J. Oharek

How many times have you heard this comment: "The community church down the road seems so happy and joyous, whereas your church seems so serious and somber"? Many Orthodox Presbyterians have heard such comments—comments that address the "personality" of a given congregation. In our defense, we do take God seriously, we do take the Bible seriously, and we do take our worship seriously. These are all indispensable hallmarks of Reformed churches that reflect our theology. But is it true that we lack joy? Must a congregation be either joyful or serious? Many churches do take on a one-dimensional personality. Yet the complexities of the Bible show us what it means to have more mature, less one-sided church personalities. And, as we will see, the maturation of our churches depends in no small part upon our willingness to allow the complexities of the Word of God to shape our worship, thereby shaping the personality of our churches. The Multidimensional Psalter The book of Psalms is a marvelous ... Read more

Irresistible Grace

by "Uncle Glen"

Irresistible Grace Dear James, The word on the street is that you are very fond of a young woman—a freshman, no less—from New York. Yes, this could be yet another instance of too much information. But what are you going to do when your parents are so close to one of your elders? Of course, knowing about your life is what elders do. That could explain why one critic of Presbyterian church government said, "Better the Spanish Inquisition than Geneva's Consistory." I have also learned that your new friend, Nicole, finds the worship at Franklin Street OPC dull—not at all like what she is used to at her home church in Manhattan. Up there, the numbers at worship are much larger, I know, and the music has more spunk than what you can generate out of Trinity Hymnal . Her church, I hear, also has many more programs and seems to emphasize "word and deed" over "word and sacrament." I will concede that Pastor Beach is probably not as commanding a presence in the pulpit as your friend's ... Read more