Old and New: a Both-And approach to being solid

"What is old is solid, while what is new is liquid—unstable, unreliable." This truism has been gaining traction in some circles, especially in Christian debates when it comes to the Church practices. There’s this idea that many of structures, teaching and practices of Churches of our day is too fluid, too uncertain, and that is why many young people would be turning back to tradition to find solid ground.

But is that always true? Is old always solid, and new always unreliable?

When we think about it, we realize that this truism can and must be challenged. As an analogy - a car from the 1950s may have its charm, but we probably would not trust it more than a modern car with today’s safety features. A computer from 20 years ago might still turn on, but it’s definitely not as reliable as the one you’re using right now. Medicine has advanced, and that's why we don't really prefer a 200-year-old treatment over today’s life-saving options.

The same applies to faith and the Church. Tradition is not good because it is old. It is good when it is true. And anything new the Church develops that is true — faithful to Scripture, centred in Christ, and serving the work of the Gospel—is as solid as a 2,000-year-old liturgy. After all, what we now call old was once something new.

What Makes Something Solid?

In the Lutheran tradition, we hold onto certain practices and ways of doing things not because they are old, but because they confess Christ clearly. For example, the Creeds and the framework of the historic liturgy have endured not because of their age, but because they faithfully deliver God’s Word.

Luther himself was not afraid of change or innovation. Some of the examples include: he translated the Bible into the language of the people, composed hymns, wrote dozens of new books, promoted congregational singing, cleared liturgy from anything against clear teaching of Scripture, adopted the Aaronic blessing. And when we think about old and new, Luther in a sense vouched for blended/contemporary worship - he didn't push for going back to practices of many centuries in the past (which would have, for example, eliminated all musical instruments from worship) but kept in pace with the Church's practices of his day. But he didn’t change or create things just for the sake of change—he did it so that Christ would be more clearly proclaimed.

That’s the foundation: Old is solid when it stands on Christ. New is solid when it stands on Christ.

Old and New in the Church

The claim may be “We need to go back to the old ways because the Church today is too weak, too watered down.” And yes, we must always guard against false teaching and empty trends. At the same time, we must recognize that the Church is always living, always moving, always speaking the eternal truth of Christ into a changing world.

That’s why we use both old and new in the Church today:

• We preach the same Gospel that the apostles did, yet we use technology to reach people in ways they never could.
• We sing the same faith that Luther confessed, yet we write new hymns and songs to confess it in ways that speak to today’s world.
• We follow the same liturgical framework that has shaped Christians for centuries, yet we find new ways to teach it and apply it to daily life.

What Is Truly Reliable?

The real question is not old vs. new, but true vs. false. What is solid is what is built on Christ and His Word. Jesus said: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35)

A 1,000+-year-old liturgical piece is only as solid as it truly proclaims the Truth. A new song or practice in the Church is only as reliable as the Word of God it confesses. It must point to Christ, be grounded in the Word and proclaim the Biblical Truth. Then, it is not liquid or unstable. It is reliable and good. One can sing "Phos Hilaron" or"A Mighty Fortress is our God" and a song that proclaims "God is love", or "Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so" with the same trust that they both reflect the reliable and true teaching of the Word.

The Church does not stand on tradition or innovation alone. It stands on Christ alone. That is what makes her truly solid.