When the 318 fathers at the Council of Nicea asked the heretic Arius to explain himself he didn't speak but he sang his satanic doctrine. The holy fathers should not have been surprised by that, for song is it the medium by which the life destroying teaching spread throughout the Empire. But it wasn't only error that travelled by song. Generations of Christians have learned the Truth not from hearing teachers or preachers but from singing songs.
My father was acclaimed as one of the greatest preachers of his denomination but I only remember a handful of his sermons. What I remember from my youth are the songs. To this day I remember them all: It Is Well With My Soul taught me to not despair for God reigns over the tumult of this life. Holy Holy Holy taught me to only worship the Trinity and why. Joy Unspeakable affirmed to me that the Christian life is the best life. I'll Fly Away taught me that even though this life is full of joy it is mixed with suffering and there is something better waiting for us. How Great Though Art told me what is the only right response to God's condescension. A Mighty Fortress Is Our God proclaimed God's invincibility and the devil's defeat. In these songs I and millions and millions of other Christians learned ecclesiology, soteriology, Christology, and eschatology. All of the history of salvation, the most important things a man must know were taught to me by these songs. And they called me to Holy Orthodoxy, the fullness of the Christian faith.
But in the last 30 years or so, Protestants have to a large degree abandoned these doctrine laden songs. They have begun singing songs which though true, contain very little dogma. I do not understand it. Why are Protestants, who used to care so much about correct theology becoming like this? (Yes, this is true. The last Protestant church I went to was like this.) Why are they singing songs that merely repeat one line such as this pseudo Christian narcism?!?! You want to sing about "surrender"? Then sing about "surrender" in words that contain TRUTH AND LOTS OF IT. Come on Protestants! You are better than that! Sing dogma. Sing theology. Sing Bible. If you don't your children will go to Hell.
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