What Are You Singing?

My husband got me a copy of the book Devotedly by Valerie Elliot Shepard for Christmas. 

Valerie is the daughter of Elisabeth and Jim Elliot.  Anyone who knows me well knows that Elisabeth Elliot is one of my favorite authors.  Most of you have probably  heard of Jim Elliot, one of the five men martyred by the Auca Indians.  The book is excerpts from the letters and journals of both Elisabeth and Jim from the years before their marriage with text written by their daughter.  I have not completed the book but am reading it slowly day by day.  It is an excellent book and a wonderful view into how the two of them thought and lived in those years.

There are a lot of things that have stood out for me in my reading but I want to focus on just one of them for this post.  Having read almost everything Elisabeth Elliot wrote I know that in her childhood home hymn singing was important.  The family would sing daily and talk about the meaning of the songs.  Valerie mentioned that much of Elisabeth's theology was formed by those hymns.

I think I realized that was true but for some reason this struck me anew.  Hymns and the songs we sing during our worship, whether at home or in the assembly have a powerful impact on our lives.  We should really consider carefully what we are learning and what we are teaching by our hymns.  

So often, it seems, a song becomes popular because it has a catchy tune or snappy lyrics.  But what is it teaching?  Many people today will reject a hymn simply because it was written decades or even centuries ago without considering what benefit there might be in that hymn.  Likewise we might like a song just because it was one we sang in the church where we grew up.  Not all the older songs teach good theology.  If you look at some you will see that they are teaching salvation by works.  Others might teach cheap grace.  We must be careful.

Consider the newer songs, often called "worship songs."  There are some beautiful songs with deep meanings.  In Christ Alone comes to mind.  What a beautiful and deeply meaningful song.  Also some of the newer songs (as well as the older ones) are taken directly from the scriptures, particularly the Psalms.  On the other hand what about the song that says that Jesus thought of us above all when he was dying on the cross?  I take issue with that song because it is clear from scripture that he thought of the Father and the Father's will above all.  

What about the songs we teach children in Bible class?  I am in my sixties and I still remember well and can sing many of the songs I learned in those early years.  

Let's stop and think about what we are singing and teaching through our songs.  Reject those that contain false teaching.  Be sure to sing a variety of songs.  If you have a favorite song evaluate why that is a favorite.  

Whether we realize it or not we are forming our own theology and that of our children partially through our singing.

Be careful and keep on singing!