Great hymns come out of great experiences. David said, “He has put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God” (Ps. 40:1). Through the centuries, God’s people have expressed their deepest spiritual experiences and insights in song. The most profound expressions of Christian truth seem to come only when the believer has been driven to the wall. The ring of reality is heard in the testimony of one who has discovered that God still keeps his promises to his children, regardless of circumstance. Whether the author is David or a songwriter of today, we draw spiritual sustenance from vicariously experiencing God’s work in the lives of others.
Since a growing Christian does not live in the past but in the ever-changing present, we constantly need new hymns that relate to our experience in the contemporary world in which we must live and grow spiritually. The Psalms frequently command us to “sing unto the Lord a new-made song.”
We often have a dual attitude toward new hymnody, however. On one hand, we crave fresh musical expressions of our faith, and desire variety in our diet of hymns and gospel songs. But at the same time, we seem to want to sing songs we already know, for what we know best, we love best. We resist change while simultaneously seeking it. Particularly in an age in which we often feel our traditional values are threatened on every hand, we may perceive “change and decay” as synonymous terms. We may seek reassurance and security in well-known hymns that express unchanging truth.
A substantial portion of our hymns are applicable to society without reference to time or geography. Yet, there have been tremendous changes in our society, and our standard hymnody often does not include hymns to reflect such changes.
The Word of God is relevant to man wherever he is, but our choice of hymns is often restricted to those whose imagery is rooted in a vanishing lifestyle. Texts written in a bygone era are sometimes dated in terminology and imagery, often related to a society with which an increasing majority of Americans have little, if any, firsthand knowledge.
There has been a marked and relentless migration from rural America into the city in the twentieth century, yet we still sing in our city churches, often uncomprehendingly, in imagery based on a pastoral society. Certainly such imagery is appropriate, since the Bible makes ample reference to nature when expressing divine truth, such as the pastoral imagery of Psalm 23. Also, Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd. We have an obligation to try to understand such imagery since God chose to use it; we cannot fully profit from God’s Word unless we do understand it. We shall continue to praise God for his work in creation in our heavenly worship (Rev. 4).
At the same time, we are reminded that Jesus ministered in the cities as well as the countryside, and that he wept over a city (Luke 19:41). The new Jerusalem God is building is a city. Urban imagery is thus also appropriate to our contemporary hymnody. Few hymns in the average hymnal speak directly to an urban, nuclear, technological society, however, and we need more that communicate to our contemporary urban community. Our hymnody is filled with references to nature, but with few allusions to cosmopolitan life. It is much more restricted than the Bible’s hymnal, the psalter, which speaks to men of all conditions in all situations and environments, and of how God works within them.
A review of several recent evangelical hymnals reveals a striking lack of hymns with contemporary imagery. Percentages ranged from a low of ⅒ of 1 percent to a high of 2 percent—not all of them of substantive value. Increased efforts to incorporate present-day imagery have been made in recent years, but for the most part these were outside evangelical circles. Recently, however, some evangelical publishers have tried to encourage development in this area. Such British collections as Sound of Living Waters, Fresh Sounds, and Cry Hosanna (the latter now available in America) have incorporated a number of texts with contemporary imagery. A number of American publishers have also been experimenting with innovative collections for congregational use.
Modern imagery is more frequently encountered in new solo songs than in hymnals. If one of these songs gains popular acceptance, it may be included in a hymnal. The aspect of such relative permanence requires that the contemporary imagery be of sufficient quality that it not be easily outmoded. For example, specific references to scientific discoveries are quickly outdated, for what seems to be contemporary today may be hopelessly outdated tomorrow.
One of the problems in writing a contemporary hymn is how to affirm the sovereignty of God in a world filled with all kinds of desperate problems, and to project a spirit of love and confidence while avoiding cynicism and rancor. Sidney Carter’s “Standin’ in the Rain” is a powerful expression concerning prejudice, and his “It Happened on a Friday Morning” speaks of injustice. But neither will be accepted as a hymn by the evangelical church; there is no place for intemperance or irreverence in the music of the church.
On the other hand, Kenneth Cober’s “Renew Thy Church” responsibly calls for God to “break down the walls of prejudice and hate.” Hymns exhorting the church and the individual Christian to change behavior should still express love for the church, remembering it is the bride of Christ for whom he died. We are slow to acknowledge that the church can do any wrong, and this has led us sometimes to omit uncomfortable stanzas from otherwise accepted hymns. A good example is “The Church’s One Foundation,” whose original third stanza referred to internal dissension within the church.
In speaking to contemporary society, the Christian hymnwriter must not become secular in outlook. There is a distinct difference between challenge and confrontation. A hymn should not only discretely present life as it is, but also confidently affirm what life can be through Christ. Hymns are needed that remind us that God is still at work, even in our own society.
In many churches, the only hymn sung that contains any reference to urban society is Frank North’s “Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life”—written in 1903. More recently, Billie Hanks, Jr., expressed concern for the alienated and isolated city dweller in “Lonely Voices” (1967). Anne Ortlund’s missionary hymn, “The Vision of a Dying World” (CHRISTIANITY TODAY hymn contest winner, 1966), compassionately describes the plight of these same people in her phrase, “The city dweller cringes lone / Amid the garish light.”
In a depersonalizing society, it is important that contemporary imagery emphasize a personal God. “God of Concrete, God of Steel” is more avant-garde than truly contemporary. It tends to provoke laughter rather than worship because it relates God more to man’s creation than to man. Richard Jones’s attempt to praise God as ruler over the worlds of power and speed as well as of truth and love is too impersonal.
We can make the transition from the God of earth and sky to the God of space fairly easily, for we perceive all this as part of his creation. It is more difficult to move from the imagery of trees, sheep, and stars to industry, science, and space travel. One of the most successful contemporary hymns is John W. Peterson’s “God of Everlasting Glory.” In it he stresses clearly how a personal God is revealed in his creation through scientific effort.
Imagery that is too specific sometimes renders a text quickly obsolete. A general reference to “all who dare the eagle’s flight” (“Almighty Father, Strong to Save”) will be more enduring than references to planes or spaceships. It is more comprehensive, and focuses one’s attention on God’s living creation—man—rather than on man’s mechanical invention. Likewise, a general reference to “traffic” incorporates whatever mode of transportation may be employed without naming particular modes of travel. Our need is not so much for specific references to aspects of contemporary culture as to broad references to the quality of that culture, the large concerns of contemporary humanity, and God’s ability and desire to meet our deepest needs.
In our quest for relevance, we must never forget that great hymns of worship will never go out of style. They should always be our first priority. While it is imperative that we continue to draw upon the great heritage we have been given, fresh hymns of devotion and experience should constantly be added to our congregational repertoire. We must never forget that it was when Isaiah saw God as he is, “high and lifted up,” that he saw himself as he was, “a man of unclean lips” (Isa. 6:1–5).
Our vocabulary in our new hymns should reflect a sensitivity to the character of God, even though the expression may be very personal. In our concern to speak directly and intimately with God, we have sometimes revealed an inability to express deep understanding. Some contemporary texts have tended to trivialize the gospel, and even God. As Donald Hustad has pointed out, “ ‘Heavenly Father, We Appreciate You’ falls short of the ideal!” Whereas we need some texts with a sense of immediacy and intimacy with God, we are also to be reminded that even in our contemporary society, he is still holy, majestic, and omnipotent.
