N.B. -- Please do not take this (necessarily) as a criticism of contemporary worship music, except in the broadest sense of the word "criticism" -- i.e., evaluation. What is good about each? What could use improving? Why? Is there a drawback to the complexity in the older songs? Also, stole the first comparison from John Dekker.
Two Songs With the Same Title But Very Different Purposes...
Jesus, lover of my soul, let me to Thy bosom fly,
While the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high.
Hide me, O my Savior, hide, till the storm of life is past;
Safe into the haven guide; O receive my soul at last.
Other refuge have I none, hangs my helpless soul on Thee;
Leave, ah! leave me not alone, still support and comfort me.
All my trust on Thee is stayed, all my help from Thee I bring;
Cover my defenseless head with the shadow of Thy wing.
Wilt Thou not regard my call? Wilt Thou not accept my prayer?
Lo! I sink, I faint, I fall—Lo! on Thee I cast my care;
Reach me out Thy gracious hand! While I of Thy strength receive,
Hoping against hope I stand, dying, and behold, I live.
Thou, O Christ, art all I want, more than all in Thee I find;
Raise the fallen, cheer the faint, heal the sick, and lead the blind.
Just and holy is Thy Name, I am all unrighteousness;
False and full of sin I am; Thou art full of truth and grace.
Plenteous grace with Thee is found, grace to cover all my sin;
Let the healing streams abound; make and keep me pure within.
Thou of life the fountain art, freely let me take of Thee;
Spring Thou up within my heart; rise to all eternity.
– Charles Wesley, 1740.
Jesus, lover of my soul.
Jesus, I will never let You go.
You've taken me from the miry clay,
Set my feet upon a rock, and now I know.
I love You, I need You.
Though my world may fall,
I'll never let You go.
My Savior, my closest friend,
I will worship You until the very end.
– John Ezzy, Daniel Grul & Steve McPherson, 1992.
And Two Songs With Different Titles But the Same Purpose (Love Songs For Jesus)...
Majestic Sweetness Sits Enthroned
Majestic sweetness sits enthroned
Upon the Savior's brow
His head with radiant glories crowned
His lips with grace o'erflow
No mortal can with Him compare
Among the sons of men
Fairer is He than all the fair
Who fill the heavenly train
He saw me plunged in deep distress
And flew to my relief
For me he bore the shameful cross
And carried all my grief
To him I owe my life and breath
And all the joys I have
He makes me triumph over death
And saves me from the grave
- Samuel Stennett
Your Love Is Extravagant
Your love is extravagant
Your friendship, (mm-mm) intimate
I find I'm moving to the rhythms of your grace
Your fragrance is intoxicating in our secret place
Your love is extravagant
Spread wide in the arms of Christ
Is a love that covers sin
No greater love have I ever known
You considered me a friend
Capture my heart again
- Darrell Evans
What a Friend I've Found
What a friend I've found
Closer than a brother
I have felt your touch
More intimate than lovers
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, friend forever
What a hope I've found
More faithful than a mother
It would break my heart
To ever lose each other
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, friend forever
- Martin Smith
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Communing with the Anglican Communion (MORE UPDATES)
CHECK OUT THE LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS ARTICLE!
I am a Baptist. I strongly identify with historical Baptist roots, by which I do NOT mean the temperance movement or the "freedom" (read: rank individualism) so many Baptists claim while attempting to ordain homosexuals or something like that. By historical Baptist roots, I refer to that community of believers so committed to what they believed to be the Biblical pattern of believers' baptism that they were willing to risk excommunication and even death by withholding infant baptism from their children and by being baptized as adults.
All that being said, it is a joy to be friends with Presbyterians, Anglicans, and others whose practices in the area of paedo-baptism I do not share, but whose beliefs in so many other areas I DO share!
But I have grown up and lived most of my life in America, where the Episcopal Church USA has shown itself time and again to be the Oholah and Oholibah of biblical revisionism and flat-out heresy! The World Anglican Communion, of which the ECUSA is a part, has repeatedly called for repentance from its straying daughter; the election of an openly homosexual bishop and the instating of a woman as Presiding Bishop over America were merely the latest in a long line of efforts on the part of the ECUSA to alienate millions of faithful Anglicans worldwide.
The actions of the ECUSA have shown them to be (as a denomination, of course -- this is not to say that faithful, believing Episcopalians do not exist within local bodies across America) presumptuous, arrogant, elitist, narrow-minded, and, dare I say it? Racist. They cavalierly make decisions anathema to the vast majority of their brethren in developing nations, assuming that whatever choices they make will be lauded by those poor, ignorant, third-world bishops and priests. For the ECUSA to flaunt its faithlessness, ignoring the pleas of African and Asian bishops to return to Scripture, is nothing less than what I said above: elitism and racism. We in the West know SO much better than you, they seem to say. We've successfully rubbed out any remnants of a medieval view of sin and are now liberated from feeling bad about ourselves! We're free to make our god look however we want him or her to look! Catch up with the West, you poor, backward savages!!
This week, 35 Anglican leaders are meeting in Tanzania. I will be praying for the Lord's hand to be on these men as they again extend a call for repentance to the ECUSA. May they all be stirred to spread the Gospel anew, and to root out the evil influence of man-centeredness. May this meeting be a turning point in the Anglican Communion, and a corporate return to Biblical faithfulness. Lord, pour out a spirit of repentance and grief for sin! Do not abandon these brothers or give them over to a depraved mind, but instead stir up renewal among them and re-visit them with your Holy Spirit!
And may "Bishop" Jefferts-Schori not hear her alarm clock and miss the whole meeting!
UPDATE: Seven Bishops from the global South, who collectively represent over 30 million faithful Anglicans, refused to receive the eucharist with Katharine Jefferts-Schori Friday. These men have declared that their provinces are in a state of "broken" communion with the Episcopal Church. 6 other bishops have stated that their provinces' communion with the Episcopal Church is "impaired."
Please continue to pray that God's perfect will is done through this difficult meeting. For more info, check out Virtue Online and CAPA.
UPDATE #2: Sorry to keep harping on about this, but you all have GOT to read this article from Virtue Online about biblical vs. unbiblical "reconciliation." Fantastic! I have a feeling this site is going to become one of my regulars.
I am a Baptist. I strongly identify with historical Baptist roots, by which I do NOT mean the temperance movement or the "freedom" (read: rank individualism) so many Baptists claim while attempting to ordain homosexuals or something like that. By historical Baptist roots, I refer to that community of believers so committed to what they believed to be the Biblical pattern of believers' baptism that they were willing to risk excommunication and even death by withholding infant baptism from their children and by being baptized as adults.
All that being said, it is a joy to be friends with Presbyterians, Anglicans, and others whose practices in the area of paedo-baptism I do not share, but whose beliefs in so many other areas I DO share!
But I have grown up and lived most of my life in America, where the Episcopal Church USA has shown itself time and again to be the Oholah and Oholibah of biblical revisionism and flat-out heresy! The World Anglican Communion, of which the ECUSA is a part, has repeatedly called for repentance from its straying daughter; the election of an openly homosexual bishop and the instating of a woman as Presiding Bishop over America were merely the latest in a long line of efforts on the part of the ECUSA to alienate millions of faithful Anglicans worldwide.
The actions of the ECUSA have shown them to be (as a denomination, of course -- this is not to say that faithful, believing Episcopalians do not exist within local bodies across America) presumptuous, arrogant, elitist, narrow-minded, and, dare I say it? Racist. They cavalierly make decisions anathema to the vast majority of their brethren in developing nations, assuming that whatever choices they make will be lauded by those poor, ignorant, third-world bishops and priests. For the ECUSA to flaunt its faithlessness, ignoring the pleas of African and Asian bishops to return to Scripture, is nothing less than what I said above: elitism and racism. We in the West know SO much better than you, they seem to say. We've successfully rubbed out any remnants of a medieval view of sin and are now liberated from feeling bad about ourselves! We're free to make our god look however we want him or her to look! Catch up with the West, you poor, backward savages!!
This week, 35 Anglican leaders are meeting in Tanzania. I will be praying for the Lord's hand to be on these men as they again extend a call for repentance to the ECUSA. May they all be stirred to spread the Gospel anew, and to root out the evil influence of man-centeredness. May this meeting be a turning point in the Anglican Communion, and a corporate return to Biblical faithfulness. Lord, pour out a spirit of repentance and grief for sin! Do not abandon these brothers or give them over to a depraved mind, but instead stir up renewal among them and re-visit them with your Holy Spirit!
And may "Bishop" Jefferts-Schori not hear her alarm clock and miss the whole meeting!
UPDATE: Seven Bishops from the global South, who collectively represent over 30 million faithful Anglicans, refused to receive the eucharist with Katharine Jefferts-Schori Friday. These men have declared that their provinces are in a state of "broken" communion with the Episcopal Church. 6 other bishops have stated that their provinces' communion with the Episcopal Church is "impaired."
Please continue to pray that God's perfect will is done through this difficult meeting. For more info, check out Virtue Online and CAPA.
UPDATE #2: Sorry to keep harping on about this, but you all have GOT to read this article from Virtue Online about biblical vs. unbiblical "reconciliation." Fantastic! I have a feeling this site is going to become one of my regulars.
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