From the RealRealityZone: “Seven reasons Lutherans should not jump on the contemporary worship bandwagon.” Read it here.
Dawn’s fine reasons apply also to Romantic hymns of the 19th and 20th century such as In the Garden, Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling, and the like.
See also Michael Horton’s “Are Your Hymns Too Spiritual?” here. For some fun read here.
The criterion for judging all hymn texts: Do the words promote the all-sufficient cross? Or do they imply that I must earnestly feel or do something to seal the deal?
While many contemporary Christian songs distort the gospel, there are exceptions, such as The Battle Belongs to the Lord, and Mary, Did You Know?
But take heart, Charles Wesley wrote over 6,000 hymns and only a handful have stood the test of time.