songs – La Vista Church of Christ

When Words Are Pressed Too Far: Understanding Poetic Language In Scripture And Song

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 18:45:44 +0000

by Becky René

Why Over-Literal Interpretation Can Lead to Misunderstanding

From time to time, concerns are raised about the wording of certain hymns. A particular line may be singled out and questioned on the grounds that it could give the wrong impression or, if taken at face value, appear to teach something inaccurate. Such concerns are often raised sincerely, and they deserve to be treated with respect. However, there is a danger that, in seeking precision, we may begin to press language beyond its intended purpose and, in doing so, create problems that do not truly exist.

The issue is not whether truth matters—it most certainly does—but whether we are interpreting language correctly. If we demand that every line of a hymn be a precise doctrinal statement, free from any poetic or expressive wording, we may find ourselves rejecting not only many hymns but also misunderstanding the very nature of language used in Scripture itself.

The Question of Objection

This raises an important question. If one individual objects to a line in a hymn and insists that it should not be sung, should the entire congregation yield to that objection? At first glance, it may seem reasonable to avoid anything that could potentially be misunderstood. However, if that principle is applied rigidly, it quickly leads to difficulties.

There are many expressions—both in hymns and in Scripture—that, when taken in an overly literal or technical sense, could be challenged. If we begin removing hymns on that basis, where does the process end? The problem is not the wording itself, but the way in which it is being interpreted.

The Nature of Poetic Language

Language is not always intended to be technical. In both everyday speech and religious expression, people often use poetic, figurative, or devotional language to convey thoughts that cannot easily be expressed in strict, analytical terms. This kind of language appeals to the heart as well as the mind. It communicates depth of feeling, humility, dependence, and reverence.
Poetic language does not aim to define doctrine with precision. Instead, it expresses truth in a vivid, memorable, and meaningful way. To demand that such language conform to strict doctrinal phrasing is to misunderstand its purpose.

Poetic Language in the Psalms

This kind of language is not limited to hymns. It is found throughout Scripture, particularly in the Book of Psalms. If we were to apply a rigid, literal standard to these passages, we would encounter serious difficulties.

In Psalms 58:3, the writer says, “The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.” Taken literally, this would suggest that infants are capable of speaking lies from birth. Clearly, this is not the intended meaning.

In Psalms 51:5, David says, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” If pressed literally, this could be used to support the idea of inherited sin, though that is not the doctrinal point being made.

In Psalms 14:1, we read, “There is none that doeth good, no, not one.” Taken absolutely, this would contradict other passages. It is a poetic description of widespread corruption.

If we apply one rule to hymns and a different rule to Scripture, we are not being consistent.

Applying the Same Standard to Hymns

Now consider what happens when the same rigid approach is applied to hymns.

In “Just As I Am,” we read, “Just as I am, without one plea.” Taken strictly, one might argue that this denies the need for obedience. Yet the hymn expresses humility, not doctrine.

In “Take My Life And Let It Be,” the line “Take my life…” might be criticised as passive. Yet it expresses willing surrender.

In “Nearer, My God, To Thee,” the phrase “a cross that raiseth me” could be challenged. Yet it poetically expresses the idea that suffering draws one nearer to God.

These are not doctrinal statements—they are devotional expressions.

A Necessary Distinction

At this point, an important clarification is necessary. Not all hymns are beyond criticism, and not all wording can be explained away as poetic language.

There are cases where a hymn does convey a doctrinal idea that must be examined carefully. For example, in the hymn “Only Believe,” the repeated line “Only believe” can easily be understood as teaching that faith alone is sufficient, without obedience. This is not merely a poetic expression—it reflects a doctrinal emphasis that must be tested and, if necessary, rejected.

Therefore, discernment is required. We must neither accept careless wording nor reject sound expression through misunderstanding.

Understanding the Real Issue

The real issue is not whether wording could be misunderstood, but whether it is being interpreted properly. There is a difference between language that actually teaches error and language that expresses truth poetically.

If we fail to recognize that difference, we risk creating unnecessary division and placing burdens where Scripture has not.

Conclusion

Poetic language is a legitimate and valuable form of expression in both Scripture and song. If we apply one rule to hymns and another to Scripture, we are not being consistent. At the same time, we must not assume that all wording is acceptable simply because it is poetic.

Balance is essential. We must neither accept everything uncritically nor reject sound expressions through misunderstanding.

Applications

In practical terms, we should approach both Scripture and hymns with care and understanding. Not every line is intended as a doctrinal formula, and we must be careful not to force it into that role. At the same time, we must remain alert to wording that genuinely conveys error.

We should also be cautious about allowing one individual’s interpretation to determine congregational practice. Concerns should be heard, but decisions should be made with careful consideration and scriptural reasoning.

Finally, we must cultivate humility. A willingness to listen, to think carefully, and to distinguish between expression and doctrine will help preserve both truth and unity.

Songs of the Saints: Ellis J. Crum

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sat, 26 Apr 2025 00:03:08 +0000

by Wayne S. Walker

Ellis J. Crum was born on April 11, 1928, in Bloomington, Indiana, the son of Ellis J. and Marion Lucille Rice Crum. Even at the age of five, he was telling Bible stories to large crowds. From the ages of eight to twelve, he spoke on subjects such as "Fighting the Good Fight of Faith" and "What Boys Can Do," often standing before audiences of 800 or more. His first sermon took place at the age of sixteen in Bloomfield, Indiana. Additionally, he attended the Stamps-Baxter School of Music in 1944, where he first began working on his dream of publishing a hymnbook.

Graduating from Linton Stockton High School in Linton, Indiana, Crum married Norma Nell Owens of Lyons, Indiana, on August 25, 1946, in Vincennes, Indiana, and enrolled at Indiana University in Bloomington. After two years of college, he moved to work in preaching with the church of Christ at Bridgeport, Connecticut. His evangelistic labors in North America took him from Connecticut to California, and from Canada to Mexico. The Crums had five children, two of whom were born when he was working with the church in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Beginning in 1958, for many years the Crums made their home in Kendallville, Indiana, and his work often involved home Bible studies, personal work training classes, camp directing, song instruction, and speaking at workshops, in addition to visiting over thirty countries, including several tours of the Bible lands and five preaching trips to Ghana in Africa.

In 1956, Crum published his first hymnbook, Sacred Selections for the Church. In 1977, Crum published Special Sacred Selections. Additionally, he acquired the R. E. Winsett Music Co. and merged it with Sacred Selections to form the Sacred Music Trust. Among the over 150 hymns which Crum has written, composed, or arranged, are some extra stanzas, found in Special Sacred Selections, for "Lead Me to Some Soul Today" with original single stanza by Will H. Houghton and tune by Wendell P. Loveless. Also, he provided the lyrics for the communion hymn “The Breaking of Bread,” which he set to the tune of “Break Thou the Bread of Life,” composed by William M. Sherwin. Brother Crum died at the age of 83 on Monday, October 17, 2011, in Lutheran Life Villages, Kendallville.

Songs of the Saints: Paul H. Epps

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sun, 20 Apr 2025 00:20:13 +0000

by Wayne S. Walker

Paul H. Epps was born on Mar. 20, 1914, in Booneville, Arkansas. Living in Muskogee, Oklahoma, from 1923 to 1945, he attended West Texas University in Canyon, Texas. His interest in music goes back to his early life when he studied rudiments and harmony in summer singing schools. Also, he graduated from the Hartford School of Music in Arkansas. In addition, he studied voice under W. W. Combs and began teaching singing himself in 1934. In 1937, he married Josephine Rachel Osburn of Muskogee, and they had three sons, Barry, Robert, and Joel. His baptism into Christ took place in November of 1942 at Muskogee.

In 1945, Epps began full-time song-leading work in Waxahachie, Texas. Also that year, he became associated with music normals, including Lloyd Otis Sanderson. For nine years, he labored as a song director with three congregations in Texas, after which he served as a local minister with churches in Texas, at Tenth and Bell in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and Enterprise Boulevard in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Having led singing in numerous gospel meetings alongside many well-known gospel preachers, he taught hundreds of singing schools in various churches and music camps, including the Camp Hensel Music School in Travis Peak, Texas, for over 25 years, as well as the Haskell, Texas, singing school for thirty years.

Epps was the author and composer of over twenty songs. "Jesus Knows and Cares" was one of his first published hymns. Written in 1961 and copyrighted by the Firm Foundation Publishing House, it appeared in Christian Hymns No. 3, compiled for the Gospel Advocate Co. in 1966 by Sanderson. When asked what prompted the theme of the song, Epps replied, "I was just thinking about the Lord 'knowing' and 'loving' us, and how deeply He cares for us....It's just a short step from that concept to the poetic, 'Jesus knows, Jesus cares.'" Since then, this song has appeared in many books published for use among churches of Christ, including the 1971 Songs of the Church edited by Alton H. Howard, the 1978/1983 Church Gospel Songs and Hymns edited by V. E. Howard, the 1978 Hymns of Praise edited by Reuel Lemmons, the 1986 Hymns for Worship edited by Shepard and Stevens, and the 1992 Praise for the Lord edited by John P. Wiegand.

From 1964 to 1967, Epps served as a minister at the Northside Church in Temple, Texas, and later returned to labor with that church from 1982 to 1988. Another of his songs, "God's Mercy and Grace," written in 1971, is also found in several hymnbooks. After living in Temple for nineteen years, he and his wife moved to Lewisville, Texas, in 2001. His death at the age of 88 occurred on June 14, 2002, in a Dallas, Texas, nursing center. A couple of other songs by Epps, which appear in the 1999 Into Our Hands, edited by Leland R. Fleming, include "I'll Keep Traveling the Glory Road," copyrighted in 1936 by Hartford Music Co., and "Jesus My Friend," written in 1980 with his son Barry. Another collaboration of father and son was "Strength Through Adversity" in 1976.

Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs

Jeffrey Hamilton — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 16:29:23 +0000

by Wayne S. Walker
via Biblical Insights, Vol. 15 No. 1, January 2015

We know from the New Testament and can infer from later writings of church leaders that Christians of the first century did sing in their worship, but we do not know precisely what songs they sang or exactly how they sang them. Some have thought that their singing may have sounded more like chanting. Also, some think that the singing of the early church may have reflected two influences, in addition to any direct revelation from God through inspired teachers. The first of these influences was the Hebrew Psalms of Old Testament temple rites, and the second was Greek hymns composed in honor of their gods, heroes, and famous men. It is possible, then, that these two influences may have suggested to primitive Christians a style in which songs of praise to Christ might be sung. However, all we know for sure is that they were told to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, as we read in Ephesians 5.19 and Colossians 3.16.

Psalms

The Old Testament Psalms were sort of like the hymns that God gave the people of Israel to sing. Some of our hymns are based on the Psalms, and a lot of songs that are not drawn directly from the Psalms often use language taken from the Psalms. Even Martin Luther’s great hymn “A mighty fortress is our God” reflects the thought of Psalm 46. During the early Reformation, the majority of songs sung by the Reformed and British churches were metrical versions of Old Testament Psalms, such as “All people that on earth do dwell,” based on Psalm 100, made by William Kethe, and taken from the Anglo-Genevan Psalter of 1561, and “The Lord’s my Shepherd, I’ll not want,” a rendering of Psalm 23 sometimes attributed to Francis Rous from the Scottish Psalter of 1650, which are both still popular.

Others have set their hands to rendering the Psalms in various forms, such as John Milton with his “Let us, with a gladsome mind” taken from Psalm 136; Joseph Addison with his “The spacious firmament on high,” a paraphrase of Psalm 19; and Isaac Watts with his Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament including “O God, our help in ages past” based on Psalm 90. Still others include well-known hymn writers like James Montgomery, Robert Grant, Henry F. Lyte, John D. S. Campbell, and even American gospel composer William J. Kirkpatrick with his “Hallelujah! Praise Jehovah” using Psalm 148.

However, I am not convinced that when Paul mentioned “psalms” in connection with hymns and spiritual songs, he was necessarily specifying the Old Testament Psalms, although they would no doubt be included. It is reasonable to conclude that the term could well refer to any meditative and reflective songs that would partake of the nature and character of Old Testament Psalms. Some have suggested that other religious songs that paraphrase Scripture passages besides the Old Testament Psalms might fall into this category. Examples of this might include George W. Doane’s “Thou art the way” drawn from John 14:6, and of more recent vintage, Thomas O. Chisholm’s “Great is Thy faithfulness” with echoes of Lamentations 3:23.

Hymns

The dictionary says our English word “hymn” means “a song of praise, adoration, thanksgiving, etc., especially one sung at a religious service.” We sometimes speak of songs like “My country, ‘tis of thee” and “O beautiful for spacious skies” as national or patriotic hymns because they are songs of praise about our country. W. E. Vine defines the word translated “hymn” in the New Testament as “a song of praise addressed to God.” Secular Greek writers often used the term to denote songs sung praising their gods and heroes. Nowadays, many people use the term “hymn” to refer to just about any religious song. However, hymnologists make a technical distinction between hymns and gospel songs, usually with the latter having a chorus and the former having none.

Using this criterion, Frederick Faber’s “Faith of our fathers” looks like a gospel song because it has a refrain after each stanza, but it is usually classified as a hymn. On the other hand, Philip P. Bliss’s “Almost persuaded now to believe” and Adelaide Pollard’s “Have Thine own way, Lord” have no chorus but are almost always categorized as gospel songs. Other bases for making a difference between the two have been suggested, but the fine line is sometimes blurred. As suggested, up until around 1750, almost all singing done in English-speaking churches was from the Psalms. Interestingly enough, it was the non-conformist Isaac Watts who first popularized “hymns of human composure (e.g., “Alas, and did my Savior bleed;” “Come we that love the Lord;” and “When I survey the wondrous cross”).

Since then, we have had English hymn writers like Charles Wesley (“Jesus, lover of my soul”), John Newton (“Amazing grace”), William Cowper (“There is a fountain filled with blood”), Henry F. Lyte (“Abide with me”), Charlotte Elliot (“Just as I am”), and Reginald Heber (“Holy, holy, holy”). There have been Welsh writers like William Williams (“Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah”); Scottish writers like Horatius Bonar (“I heard the voice of Jesus say”); and Irish writers like Cecil F. Alexander (“All things bright and beautiful”). And of course American writers from Timothy Dwight (“I love Thy kingdom, Lord”) and Ray Palmer (“My faith looks up to Thee”) to Maltbie Babcock (“This is my Father’s world”) and Henry van Dyke (“Joyful, joyful, we adore thee”); along with a host of others, have written hymns by which we can sing praises to God.

Spiritual Songs

The word translated “song” in the New Testament is the source of our English word “ode,” and according to Vine, “was the generic word for a song; hence the accompanying adjective ‘spiritual.’” Thus, a spiritual song would express spiritual truth by which we can teach and admonish one another. Most of what we call “gospel songs” would fall into this category. Although I have not seen anyone else who has affirmed this, my study in the history of religious music has led me to conclude that the modern gospel song was introduced by composer and publisher William B. Bradbury, with such favorites as “My hope is built on nothing less” with words by Englishman Edward Mote, and “He leadeth me, O blessed thought” with words by American Joseph H. Gilmore.

Bradbury certainly introduced to the world the “queen of gospel song,” Fanny J. Crosby. Who can tell how many hearts have been comforted by her gospel songs, such as “A wonderful Savior is Jesus, my Lord;” “Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!”; “Safe in the arms of Jesus;” “Tell me the story of Jesus;” “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine;” “Thou, my everlasting portion;” “Praise Him, praise Him!”; and “Jesus is tenderly calling thee home”? Initially, what today are identified as “gospel songs” were published in Sunday school songbooks and intended primarily for children. However, the popularity of Fanny Crosby’s works resulted in the inclusion of gospel songs in regular church hymnals.

The crusades of revival evangelist Dwight L. Moody and his song leader Ira D. Sankey also did much to popularize the gospel songs they used and published in their books. Many others in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, like Will L. Thompson with “Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling,” and Charles H. Gabriel with “When all my labors and trials are o’er,” have added gospel songs to our repertoire. Most recent songs written by those associated with churches of Christ are in the form of gospel songs, including Tillit S. Teddlie’s “Worthy art Thou,” “When we meet in sweet communion,” and “Heaven holds all to me.” And good brethren are constantly working to give us new expressions of praise and devotion to God in song.

Conclusion

As one studies the history of religious music intended for congregational singing, especially that in English-speaking churches, he will see the progression of psalms from around 1550 to 1750, through the classic hymns from 1750 to 1850, to the gospel songs from 1850 to nearly 2000. Yet, while most of the selections in most of our songbooks today are gospel songs, we still have many hymns and several psalms. Hymnologists are now noting the passage from the primacy of the typical gospel song to the more contemporary “praise and worship song.” It is only natural that as time passes, many older songs will fall into disuse and newer ones will take their place. Yet, we must always ensure that what we sing in worship can meet the qualifications of “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.”

Songs of the Saints: James W. McFadden

Jeffrey Hamilton — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 20:41:26 +0000

by Wayne S. Walker

In his book Hymns and History, Forrest M. McCann wrote, "Various individual Christians have published hymnals used more or less regionally in the United States and by segments of the Stone-Campbell Movement. Among these, without any effort to be definitive, are the following: S. H. and Flavil Hall, The Gospel Message in Song (1910); Redemption's Way in Song (1911); and the Cross and Resurrection (1920, 1927). The songs included were chiefly by the editors and their friends....F. L. Rowe, editor of the Christian Leader, published these hymnals." One of the songs that the Halls published in many of their books was "Beautiful Home." The text was written and the tune was composed by James Wesley McFadden, born on October 27, 1873, in Bethel Township, Monroe County, Ohio, to William Ray and Louisa May Day McFadden.

On July 16, 1893, McFadden married Mary Evalyn Morrison of Mt. Ephraim in Noble County, Ohio. The wedding occurred at Sycamore Valley in Monroe County, where the young couple lived, and he became an elementary school teacher. Their first eight children were born there. A lifelong member of the church of Christ, he preached some, taught Bible classes, and conducted funerals. In the early days of the century, the church was the center of family activities, especially during gospel meetings. The church usually had no full-time preacher, and his home always seemed to keep the preacher for the meetings. His grandson, James R. McFadden of Hilliard, Ohio, remembered seeing Flavil Hall at his grandparents' home when Hall was conducting a meeting. Hall published McFadden's song and helped him with a couple of spots.

Mrs. McFadden played the old-fashioned pump organ around which the musical family liked to sing. McFadden taught singing, both in the church and outside as well. One of their daughters, Addie Louisa Sharp Albaugh, who lived from 1908 to 1996, also composed a song, "The Realms of Somewhere," published by the Halls. McFadden's teaching career took him first to Tuscarawas County, in the Dover/New Philadelphia area, and then to Wheeling Township near Old Washington in Guernsey County, both in Ohio. While living in Guernsey County, two more children were born to the McFaddens, and they continued to reside there until McFadden's death on Feb. 18, 1933. His wife survived and lived until 1966.

My first acquaintance with McFadden's song was the result of visiting during gospel meetings with the church assembling on Cemetery Rd. in Hilliard, OH, where his grandson, James R. McFadden, was a member and would occasionally lead it from copies that had been pasted in the back of their songbooks. After asking for and receiving copies of the song, I obtained a copy of the 1927 revised and enlarged edition of The Cross and Resurrection in Song, edited by Samuel H. and Flavil Hall, which contained the song. Through the years, many good brethren have written songs that have been used for a while and then forgotten. This seems to be undoubtedly quite normal because, as time passes, new songs are written, and many older ones naturally fall into disuse. But there was something about this song that caught my attention the very first time that I heard it. While we already have many songs about heaven in our books, this is a good one that perhaps deserves "dusting off" and being given a second look.

Songs of the Saints: Tullius C. O’Kane

Jeffrey Hamilton — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 20:21:40 +0000

by Wayne S. Walker

A name which may be a little more familiar, or at least recognized, than Skene but still not as well-known as Campbell or Stone is Tullius Clinton O'Kane, who was born in Fairfield County, in the vicinity of Lancaster, Ohio, on March 10, 1830, and educated at the Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio, with a bachelor's degree in 1852 and a master's in 1855. After serving at his alma mater as a tutor in mathematics for a couple of years, he became a public school principal at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1857. In 1864, he became associated with the piano firm of Philip Phillips and Company, remaining with them for three years. Then, in 1867, he returned to Delaware and, for the next six years, travelled the state of Ohio as a representative of the Smith American Organ Company of Boston, Massachusets.

During this time, O'Kane attended county and state Sunday School conventions regularly and soon started publishing his own Sunday school song collections, for which he produced many tunes. The first of these publications was Fresh Leaves in 1868. Later that year, he published Additional Fresh Leaves, a Supplement to Fresh Leaves, which contained one of his best-known tunes with the hymn, "O Think of the Home Over There," written by DeWitt Clinton Huntingdon (1830-1912). A later edition of Fresh Leaves, printed around 1870, included a tune often accompanied with a chorus beginning, "We shall stand the storm," by O'Kane, or perhaps a traditional melody arranged by him, that has been used with several different hymns, including Isaac Watts's "When I Can Read My Title Clear" and "Am I a Soldier of the Cross?"

One of O'Kane's tunes that has become very popular among churches of Christ was composed for "Is It For Me, Dear Savior?" written by Frances R. Havergal (1836-1879). Miss Havergal's poem was published in her 1874 Under the Surface, but it must have been written earlier because the date usually given for the first publication of the song is 1871. The following year, O'Kane provided a melody and added a refrain for an anonymous poem beginning, "There Stands a Rock," which first appeared in the Sunday School Journal of 1871 (sometimes erroneously ascribed to a non-existent author S. S. Journal) and is also much used among brethren. These may have been first published in his 1873 Dew Drops of Sacred Song, Songs of Worship.

O'Kane's next work, Jasper and Gold, published in 1877, contained what is probably his most famous melody, "Evergreen Shore," used with the old hymn "On Jordan's Stormy Banks I Stand," which had been written in 1787 by Samuel Stennett (1717-1795). Again, O'Kane added the chorus, which begins, "We will rest in the fair and happy land by and by." Also, at some time or another, he arranged a traditional air for use with the hymn, "There Is A Spot" written by William Hunter (1811-1877), which may have first been published in Joy to the World, which O'Kane co-edited in 1878 with C. C. McCabe and John R. Sweney. Also, he assisted with the compilation of Songs of Redeeming Love No. 1 in 1882 and No. 2 in 1887 with McCabe, Sweney, and William J. Kirkpatrick.

The preceding paragraphs identify almost all of O'Kane's tunes, at least those that I am aware of, which have been included in books published for use among churches of Christ. Max D. Wheeler, in his 1992 booklet Reflections on Our Hymns, a compilation of articles he had written for the Christian Journal, affirmed that O'Kane "was a member of the Church of Christ." It seems to me that I have also read this statement made in some other book as well, although I cannot remember or find where just now. I have not been able to confirm the truthfulness of this claim, but neither do I know of any evidence to doubt it. This may explain why so many of O'Kane's melodies remain in our books but not in most denominational books. While searching through several hymnbooks from different sources, I found one other tune he composed for a text, "Church of God Whose Conquering Banners," by Mrs. Emily Bugbee, but I have no further information about it. O'Kane died in Delaware, Ohio, on February 10, 1912.

How do I handle someone objecting to “Precious Memories”?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 19:44:16 +0000

Question:

I enjoyed your online message based on the hymn Precious Memories. After having led this hymn in worship for almost sixty years, the preacher where I attend said if Precious Memories was sung, he would walk out and not sing it because it is unbiblical. He says angels do not have specific messages for us about the past, present, or future. I wish I knew what to say that would change his mind because I have no problem with the message of this song.

Answer:

You can always print out a copy of the lesson and hand it to him. Like many, he missed the figurative language in the song and is trying to apply a literal meaning that doesn't fit. The song states in the first line that memories are the unseen angels ("messengers") sent from somewhere. The lesson might not convince him. In this case, the world doesn't end if Precious Memories is not sung when he is present. "Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved" (I Corinthians 10:32-33).

Songs of the Saints: Robert Skene

Jeffrey Hamilton — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 22:51:27 +0000

by Wayne S. Walker

Unlike Barton W. Stone and Alexander Campbell, Robert Skene is probably not a readily recognized individual to many people. However, his name has been preserved in history as the composer of the tune for a song that has been quite popular among churches of Christ. Very little information is available about him, including the dates and places of his birth and death. However, it is believed that he was the grandson of Benjamin Skene, a long-time advocate of religious reform whose obituary was given ample space in the Millennial Harbinger of April 1859 (pp. 237-238). Benjamin had a son named Robert, who lived in Louisville, KY.

The composer Robert Skene edited a hymnbook entitled The Concordia in Louisville in 1861. Also he co-edited The Christian Psaltery in 1867 with Augustus Damon Fillmore, the father of James H. and Fred A. Fillmore, all associated with churches of Christ and Christian churches of the mid to late 1800s. But he is best-known for a tune composed most likely around 1869 for the hymn "On Zion's Glorious Summit Stood," by John Kent, who was born at Bideford in Devonshire, England, in Dec. 1776. A shipwright by trade, Kent acquired only a limited education but became known for his hymns, which were strongly worded, very earnest, and simple. Several appear in Samuel Reese's 1799 Collection, but this one was first included in Kent's 1803 Collection of Original Hymns. In all probability, he was an English Baptist.

Kent died on Nov. 15, 1843, but in 1861, his Collection was still being published in its 10th edition. It contained "The Author's Experience" and a biography of Kent by his son. The English Baptist preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon made use of Kent's hymns in his collections employed in his tabernacle in London. This melody was first published with Kent's hymn in the 1872 New Harp of Zion, edited by A. D. Fillmore and his son James, with an abbreviated form of the Sanctus, the origin of which is unknown. The hymn with the full Sanctus, which is sung after the third stanza, first appeared in Hermon: A New Collection of Sacred Music published in 1873 in New York City, NY, by Rigdon McCoy McIntosh.

All we know for certain about Robert Skene is that he lived in the nineteenth century. However, the evidence indicates that his forefathers were associated with those who called for restoring the ancient order of things in religion. Thus, there is reason to believe that he may have been identified with non-denominational, New Testament churches in the mid-to-late 1800s, most likely in the area of Louisville, KY. And whether his name means anything to us or not, every time we sing "On Zion's Glorious Summit Stood," we take something that he left us and use it to praise the eternal God of heaven and His glorious Son, Jesus Christ.

Songs of the Saints: Barton W. Stone and Alexander Campbell

Jeffrey Hamilton — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 22:16:51 +0000

by Wayne S. Walker

Anyone who has studied the history of the call for religious reformation and restoration in this nation in the early 1800s will certainly recognize these two names. Barton Warren Stone was born on December 24, 1772, near Port Tobacco in Charles County, Maryland. The preaching of James McGready converted him, he received a license from the Presbyterians to preach in 1796, moved to Kentucky, married in 1801, participated in the great Cane Ridge revival, and then withdrew from the Presbyterians in 1804 with the others who signed the well-known Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery. After that, his life was dedicated to preaching only a return to the apostolic order of things revealed in the scriptures until he died in Hannibal, Missouri, on November 9, 1844.

Alexander Campbell was born, most likely on September 12, 1788, near Ballymena in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. His Presbyterian minister father, Thomas, emigrated to the United States in 1807, making his home near Washington, Pennsylvania, and Alexander and the rest of the family followed a couple of years later, eventually settling in Virginia near what is now Bethany, West Virginia, where he died on March 4, 1866. He and his father also withdrew from the Presbyterian Church and began preaching only non-denominational, New Testament Christianity. These facts are well-known and have been briefly introduced here for background. However, it is likely less well known that Stone and Campbell were very interested in the church's singing, edited songbooks for use in local congregations, and even wrote hymns themselves.

In May of 1828, Campbell published his Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, adapted to the Christian Religion, containing 125 hymns. A second edition appeared in 1829, and a third in 1832. Meanwhile, Stone, assisted by Thomas Adams, had published The Christian Hymn-Book, Compiled and Published at the Request of the Miami Christian Conference in 1829, with 340 hymns. After Adams's death, he joined John Telemachus Johnson for a new edition in 1832. However, in 1832, after Campbell and Stone had determined that they were both preaching the same thing, they achieved a union in their efforts, and in 1834, also combined their hymnbooks into Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, Original and Selected--Compiled by A. Campbell, W. Scott, B. W. Stone, and J. T. Johnson--Bethany, Va. 1834, having 240 hymns. All these books had no music but contained words only.

At that time, almost all hymnbooks contained words only, with no music. Within ten years, hymnbooks with music became increasingly common, but Campbell vehemently opposed their use, claiming that printed music was a distraction during the song service, and he never wavered in this opposition. Most hymn poems were written in specific meters, and various tunes were composed to fit them. People usually memorized as many tunes as possible, and in a worship service, the song leader chose one that fit a particular hymn. It was common for a hymn to be sung in several different tunes. Campbell never allowed any of his hymns to be set to music, and no historical records indicate which tunes were used with his hymns.

In 1986, Max D. Wheeler was preparing material for a series of lectures on church music in the early days of the "restoration movement" and compiled a collection of hymns by leaders such as Alexander Campbell and Barton W. Stone. One evening, he decided to devise a musical arrangement for Campbell's hymn, "Upon the Banks of Jordan Stood," taken from the 1834 edition of Campbell's Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs. The poem was written as a narrative, beginning with John the Baptist's proclamation that Jesus is the Lamb of God, then describing the steps of salvation and the establishment of Christ's church, which is described as the "reign of God." After trying one thing and then another, Wheeler finally memorized the basic tune that sounded the best.

About a month later, he was recording with Ray Walker at a Dallas studio and scratched out a quick manuscript copy of the music, asking Ray to review it. By the next night, Ray had recorded it. The producer, Bill Shockley, liked it so much that he decided to include it in one of his production tapes and market it. A few months later, Bill Humble asked to use the song as the theme music for a video he was producing on the life of Alexander Campbell. It was first published in a new edition of V. E. Howard's Church Gospel Songs and Hymns and has since appeared in several hymnbooks used among churches of Christ and Christian Churches, including the 1992 Praise for the Lord, edited by John P. Wiegand. Also, Church Gospel Songs and Hymns includes a hymn by Barton W. Stone, "The Lord Is the Fountain," from The Christian Hymn Book of 1829, with a musical setting by Max Wheeler's cousin, Tommy Wheeler.

Why Not Use Both?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 19:44:43 +0000

by Matthew W. Bassford

Several weeks ago, I encountered an article called “The Devolution of Christian Congregational Worship.” [https://www.patheos.com/.../the-devolution-of-christian.../] Judging from the title, I predicted that it would be another grumpy get-off-my-lawn rant about contemporary praise songs and the damage that they are doing to Christianity. I was not wrong.

As always, I am struck by the inability of many in the worship wars to find a middle ground. I love the great hymns of centuries past, but I also am aware that there were just as many stinkers written hundreds of years ago as there are now. Many praise songs written in the past 20 years resonate with me, and I can accept and appreciate even ones that don’t for the sake of my brethren who love them.

I suppose that if you are tethered to instrumental worship of some kind or other, you have to pick a side. Organ music is organ music and praise-band music is praise-band music, and never shall the twain meet. However, within the churches of Christ, we don’t have that problem. It’s easy for us to sing “A Mighty Fortress” (circa 1529) and “Behold Our God” (circa 2013) in the same service without the result sounding discordant.

I think it’s a mistake to junk every hymn that wasn’t written in the past 20 years. However, I think it’s also a mistake to try to turn our worship repertoire into a museum. The only things that don’t change are dead, and new songs inject new life into our assemblies.

The key, I think, is for worship leaders to recognize and accommodate the different tastes that exist in a congregation of any size. The correct response to that old dude with the hearing aids in the back who grumps about “not knowing any of the songs” is not to reply, “OK, Boomer.” Instead, it’s to make sure that every service contains a few hymns that he does know.

Anybody who thinks that hymns from 100 years ago can’t be relevant to today’s Christians hasn’t thoughtfully considered the lyrics of those hymns. Maybe they’re not as accessible as the latest Hillsong smash hit, but all of us can benefit from examining our faith from a cultural perspective that is not our own. I suspect, too, that if Boomer feels like he’s not being ignored, he’ll be more willing to learn a song or two that he doesn’t know.

On the other end of the scale, you have younger brethren who are impatient with the status quo, who want to sing songs written in a culturally relevant style, who predict doom for the church if church music doesn’t sound like the world’s music. They shouldn’t be dismissed, either.

After all, new things are always uncomfortable, and that goes double for what we sing in worship.

75 years ago, the radio hymns like “Victory in Jesus” and “This World Is Not My Home” met with fierce resistance from brethren who thought they sounded like hillbilly music.
150 years ago, the revival hymns of Fanny J. Crosby and Robert Lowry were critiqued for their vulgarity.
300 years ago, Isaac Watts had to sell congregants on the idea of singing anything in worship besides metrical psalms.

So, too, it is with the praise songs of today. Most of them will be mercifully forgotten. The best of them will be incorporated into the repertoire alongside “When I Survey” and “I Am Thine, O Lord” to be defended by tomorrow’s traditionalists from whatever the next worship movement will be. There is nothing new under the sun, not even when it comes to new songs.

For now, the best thing we can do is anticipate the process's results. When we continue to sing from our musical heritage while adding to it the best and most useful of what is being written today, the results should be acceptable to everyone. They should ensure that God is glorified by our unity and our song.