All of God's lyrics, please

To the Editor:

I write in response to Peter Wallace's review of God's Lyrics in the June 2011 issue of New Horizon (p. 23-24). As I have not read it, I cannot comment on the book itself, so I wish to make clear I am focusing on a deficiency in the review.

Mr. Wallace presents his understanding of Douglas O'Donnell's arguments with what appears to be approval. He presents four characteristics of Old Testament song, and explains why, by these criteria, much of modern and classic hymnody is deficient (including "Amazing Grace" and "Jesus Paid It All"). Mr. Wallace's review would have been stronger had he asked how another source of worship song would measure up under these criteria: namely, the Psalter. In particular, Psalms 16, 51, 127, and 128, while much beloved, do not recount the Lord's acts in salvation history, nor do they celebrate his judgments. While one might argue they do encourage God's "ways of living," they are much more interested in recounting "just my experience." (Many other Psalms might be cited: I challenge anyone to count up how many Psalms meet all four of Mr. O'Donnell's criteria.)

It seems to me Mr. O'Donnell has identified the characteristics of songs which respond to significant episodes in redemptive history; however, if Mr. Wallace's review is accurate, he has not presented all "principles of hymnody from Scripture itself," at least not if one considers the Psalter part of the Scriptures. The review would have been stronger if Mr. Wallace had noted this deficiency.

I write at this late date because I believe some in our Churches wrongly believe censoriousness is identical with orthodoxy. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the criticisms leveled against much of the song used in worship today. If Mr. Wallace's review is accurate, Mr. O'Donnell's standards for hymnody are so narrow they have the effect of criticizing Scripture itself.

With Mr. Wallace, I believe congregations should sing these redemptive-historical songs, and all the other songs of Scripture, and I hope the new psalter-hymnal being prepared by the Committee for Christian Education will make them more widely available. With Mr. O'Donnell, I believe we need to learn our principles of hymnody from Scripture itself, but we must pay heed to what all the songs of Scipture actually say, not what only some say or what we might wish they would say. With all the pastors and members of the OPC, I hope, I believe we should treat everyone (including hymn-writers) with charity and also give expression to the full range of Christian experience in our worship of the Risen Savior.

grace & peace,
The Presbyterian Curmudgeon