If you don't know the Gettys, they are among a few who are creating modern hymns — that is to say, music that is doctrinally rich, Cross-centered, and good music to boot.
It is just so sad for a church to fill its time with nothing but syrupy choruses and ditties, when we sit on a treasure-trove of timeless classic hymns, and artists such as the Gettys and Stuart Townend are crafting music that exalts God and nourishes the soul.
Afterthought: what if one bought Getty Music songbooks for "worship leaders"? Subtle? Like a sledge-hammer?
Update: reader Brad Williams correctly observes that I picked the wrong implement for the occasion. So here's the correction:
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22 comments:
Dan,
It's St. Patty's Day. You aren't hitting them with a sledge hammer. Today, they get the Shillelagh.
The reason that I unabashedly promote the Getty’s is that as a Christian musician I get asked all the time about the quality of today’s Christian music. I hear; “It’s too shallow, the music is simplistic or it’s too hard to sing.” I just point them to Awaken the Dawn. Enough said. Almost makes me want to be Irish.
Thanks for the link! We sing "In Christ Alone" at our church quite often. It's wonderful that there are still good hymns being crafted out there.
+1 Shillelagh
Those names seem to pop up a lot at our little chapel. :D
Julie
It's unkind to flaunt it, Julie.
I agree with you, again. Our church uses the Getty's music as well. They are solid and beautiful.
It is hard for me to fathom why believers want to sing the typical watered-down choruses of today that serve to stir the emotions (prime the pump), but do nothing to stir the soul with sound doctrinal truths. It is even harder for me to understand when I hear them say they don't like the old hymns. How can that even be?
Glorifying God is done by humbly, yet boldly, expressing His attributes through our thoughts, words and actions. The great hymns of old (and of new) consistently do that.
(What I thought of, when I saw "the gettys")
"Well its a well known fact Sonny Jim, that theres a secret society of the 5 wealthiest people in the world known as the Pentaverate...who run everything in the world including the newspapers and meet triannually at a country mansion in Colorado known as The Meadows."
"So Whos in this Pentaverate?"
"The Queen, The Vatican, The Gettys, The Rothchildes, AND Colonel Sanders before he went tits up. Ahh hated the Colonel with his wee beady eyes and that smug look onhis face...ooooh your gonna buy my chicken oooh!"
"Dad, how can you hate the Colonel?"
"Because you puts an addictive chemical in his chicken that makes you crave it fortnightly..Smartarse!"
No Shillelagh at hand. We'll have to resort to the Scottish Martial Arts.
We've done a lot of Gettys and Stuart Townend, along with SGM, but recently there's been a frustrating trend back to "random thoughts and notes" stuff. Very frustrating.
I wish some of these guys would really focus on writing more new tunes for old hymns. There's an untapped vein of great hymns with really dated music just begging to be mined...
Speaking of SGM, Mark Altrogge (I Stand in Awe, I’m Forever Grateful) has done a bunch of scripture songs under the banner of Forever Grateful Music.
From forevergratefulmusic.com: The Hide the Word series now has over 180 scriptures set to music for easy memorization.
I don’t think he’s Irish, so prolly not on sale.
Altrogge sounds Irish.
It is just so sad for a church to fill its time with nothing but syrupy choruses and ditties,
Far be it for me to correct such an accomplished wordsmith..but you forgot "vacuous."
Posting on facebook (and hopefully not offending my fellow elder and Song Service leader) in 5....4...
Yes, and vacuous! Vacuous!
Hmmm ... I'm guessing Germany. Maybe in Oktober we'll see a sale.
Dan, I've had songs rejected by publishers as "too theological."
But that's a shiny badge to wear.
You forgot trite, repetitious, inane, insubstantial, insipid, and vapid.
Oh, and lukewarm.
David,
Turn that little critique into an actual badge and stick it on your website.
It's been interesting to me to see my oldest son's preferences in worship music mature as he has. Back in high school it was whatever rocked. Things started to change while he was at The Master's College. And now that he's in pastoral internship he told me a while back that he thinks he'll puke if he hears one more Chris Tomlin song, and that he'd much rather sing some of the rich old hymns. And he's only 24...
Agree that the Getty's. Altrogge's, SGM, etc are finally reclaiming the worship music genre for Christ and His church.
"I wish some of these guys would really focus on writing more new tunes for old hymns. There's an untapped vein of great hymns with really dated music just begging to be mined..."
I agree, and one group doing this is Indelible Grace Music. They're worth checking out too.
A personal anecdote with definitive Irish flavor: I walked into an evening service at John MacArthur's church this past January, and the worship team was already starting to lead the songs. It took me a while to realize who the lead singer and the pianist were, but once I did I couldn't believe my "luck"! (Cut me some slack--it's St. Patty's day. I know better. Really.) The next thing I knew, it was announced that the Gettys have some CDs and sheet music for sale out on the patio after the service, and they would be autographing them! So I got some CDs and sheet music for both a friend (she's studying church music) and myself, and Keith Getty was very happy when he saw me with those music books! (Must be a musician, he said, and he loves that.) :)
I love the old hymns. The first time I heard In Christ Alone I thought it was an old hymn because it is so doctrinally rich and sound. My latest find (although it's been around a couple of years) is Pilgram Days from Indelible Grace.
I do love the Getty's music: great music, great truths, and hasn't Kristyn got a beautiful voice? Almost makes me want to be Irish too. Oh, wait: I am. And another thing in common, I suspect the Getty's (like me) never celebrated St Paddy's Day while living in Ireland.
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