Connecting to Christ, not to traditions: Hymnals, Liturgy and the essential work of the Church
The trend toward the past in some Lutheran circles has been present for a few decades now, and it is taking stronger shape in a culture that does not seem able to hold on to anything for more than 24 hours. The movement here is understandable: we look back to what we consider solid and familiar. Pews, liturgy, hymnals are an example of it. We assume there was a time when the Church was better than it is today, and we think we should return to that model if we want the Church to remain and grow, or at least to faithfully decline. I have addressed the topic of the golden era of the Church in another essay. This text focuses on hymnals, and the trend to see in them one of the greatest marks of a faithful church. Hymnals are turned into something they were never meant to be: the only way in which a church that wants to be considered faithful to Christ and the Word can properly conduct the Divine Service and worship the Lord. There was this time when I was inquired, ri...
