They also sing a lot of hymns and gospel songs–though at times changing the wording to better suit the beliefs of their group. E.g. Some of them say Jesus was created as a spirit child by the Father and Mother in heaven. His body was created through the sexual union of Elohim (God) and Mary. And His cross does not provide full atonement for sin. (Though I hasten to add that there are a number of sects within Mormonism, and their beliefs vary widely and sometimes contradict each other.)

Regarding our traditional hymnody, it is not unusual to see these songs discussed in print as “Mormon hymns,” even when their Christian origin is quite clear. (E.g. such claims are made of Sunshine In My Soul Today, and God Be with You Till We Meet Again, neither of which is Mormon). I even had material sent to me “proving” that the gospel song Master, the Tempest Is Raging was written by a Mormon. That claim was so startling to me that I did quite a bit of research on it. I’m satisfied that it’s a total falsehood.

I believe the Mormons are striving mightily to be recognized as a legitimate Christian denomination, and that’s one reason for all of this. But any careful examination of their doctrines raises serious questions about their orthodoxy.

As to Abide With Me, ‘Tis Eventide, neither the author nor the composer of the tune were Mormons. It’s a wonderful hymn, and I do wish more of our hymnals included it. Even the Petersons’ grandiously titled The Complete Book of Hymns (Tyndale, 2006) makes no mention of it. It is found in One Hundred Sacred Favorites, compiled by Norman Johnson (Zondervan, 1973). It is also found in The Covenant Hymnal of the same year.

Hope that’s a bit of help.

Drop by any time. And if you’re looking for information on a particular hymn, maybe I can help. I’m always learning new things. Found a wonderful story about the hymn “My Faith Looks Up to Thee,” just the other day. Lord willing, I’ll be sharing it in a blog in the coming weeks.

Thank you for all that you share here, and thanks again for bringing this site to my attention. ~ Abby

It’s sad when churches abandon our heritage of Christian hymnody. I would agree that not all contemporary music is bad (nor are all hymns and gospel songs of high quality). But speaking generally, there’s a richness of doctrine and depth of devotion in many hymns that is unmatched by contemporary songs, which tend to be more me-centred and touchy-feelie.

Not all churches have left our traditional hymnody behind. Ours hasn’t. And I’ve preached in other churches where hymns are the main staple, with occasional newer choruses.

I wouldn’t be too worried about not having someone to play the piano or organ–though I think both or either can be used effectively. Singing without accompaniment can be a joy too. When you have hymn books in front of you (with music notation), and even a few folks who can carry a part, the result can be worshipful and inspiring.

I’m interested to know how you know that the tune for Amazing Grace was sung in bars. Actually, almost nothing is known of its origin for sure–even what country it came from. There have been some guesses, but nothing provable. It sounds like a variation on the old “Martin Luther used barroom tunes” notion–which he didn’t.

I’ve studied this subject for many years. Actually taught a college course on it. And I’ve heard all the arguments before, arguments that seek to justify bringing the world’s music into the church. And none of them really holds water. “Culture” should not be our guide. Scripture should, and sound biblical principles.

God bless. And have a great Christmas!

I hear from many small churches from all over the country who are leading worship services without any accompaniment because it seems that they have difficulty in finding an accompanist, although they do have a piano or an organ at their church. I think this is sad, because it does seem to indicate a decline of the old church tradition in our culture. I don’t personally think the new music today is wrong as indicated by several comments above… it’s just that much of it seems to lack in substance, and much of the new music seems to miss the mark in terms of being conducive for everyone to be able to express worsihp to our Lord.

Music speaks different languages to different areas of ages culture. What works for you doesn’t work for others. What works for others doesn’t work for you. You can’t assume that piano and organ is what is sacred and everything else is not. At one time in history both the piano and organ were new instruments and were frowned upon in the church. The melody to Amazing Grace was actually a tune sung in pubs!

And I don’t think we can pretend to know what God likes and doesn’t like. Our ways are not His. To Him, our best of anything is like filthy rags. What matters when we worship is our heart and our intentions. I just think we need to be careful when we say things like, “I can’t picture the Lord snapping His fingers”… Really, you know what the Lord looks like and what he does and doesn’t do? Wow. Besides that, I think in modern chuches, people don’t snap their fingers as part of singing contemporary worship songs anyway, so to borrow certain things from secular culture to put down a particular style of music in worship is in my opinion, a stretch.

But having interaction with people who love the Lord from all over, I know that there are people with the best of intentions when they give their hearts in worship,regardless of the style of the music.