Sunday, March 01, 2009

Songs Amillennialists Sing


I sang this song tonight in chorus with quite a few Amillennialists at my church. Would that more churches sang songs that deny the return of Christ and the responsibility of believers to be prepared for it to the same degree that this one does.

Words: John Cennick (1718-1755), alt. by Charles Wesley (1707-1788)
Music: Traditional English, arr. Martin Madan (1726-1790), Public Domain

10 comments:

Jamie said...

? -that last sentence was confusing, but I think I know what you were trying to say.

Bruce said...

Have there been any problems within the congregation as a result of not taking a more specfic stance on eschatology in your doctrinal statement?

As you know, the EFCA almost took out "premillennial" from their doctrinal statement, which would have allowed the scenario you describe and apparently now enjoy.

It is interesting to me that with all the talk of matters that do not prevent us from being Together for the Gospel, this difference is one that can be overcome not only at the conference level (except in California), but may be tolerated even at the local congregational level.

Oh, and by the way, we don't sing this song too often, but when we do, we usually use the tune REGENT SQUARE, which I more often associate with "Angels from the Realms of Glory."

Greg Linscott said...

What hymnal is the copy you posted from? The alterations in the lyrics are ones I had not seen elsewhere.

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/l/h/lhecomes.htm

We actually sang this hymn yesterday here.

Justin Nale said...

Ben, I don't think I get that last sentence either. Could you clarify?

Ben said...

Yeah, you guys are right, it's convoluted. But I'm making a point referring to the previous post about Premillennialist canards--people who accuses Amils of not believing in the return of Christ and not preparing people for it. Every Amil I've ever known believes it and preaches it faithfully, so what I'm saying is a bit tongue-in-cheek.

Ben said...

Bruce,

I'd be curious what you'd think if you tried this setting. It's fresh if nothing else, but I think you might like it better than REGENT SQUARE.

On your question, um, no, not that I know of. (Surprise!) I think the key is making sure everyone understands the gospel and understands that the gospel is the center of who we are as a church. It also has a lot to do with recognizing the theocentric/Christocentric emphases of eschatological texts rather than the eschatological details (not to imply that they are irrelevant or insignificant).

Ben said...

I think it came from Grace Hymns, distributed by Evangelical Press.

Anonymous said...

Having sung both tunes I agree with Ben--this one is superior to Regent Square.

And besides, we get enough of that one during Christmas!

Greg Linscott said...

I agree- HELMSLEY is a rich, stirring tune. It has become one I really look forward to singing. I actually sang it the first time with the CHBC congregation at the Weekender.

Bernie Wojcik said...

I like the tune here best...

http://www.igracemusic.com/ig3/