The Ugly Side of Hymns

The ugly side of hymns is not found in their lyrics or even in their arrangements. In fact, many hymns contain stronger and more robust theology than a large portion of contemporary worship songs today. The real ugliness surrounding hymns in many churches is not the music itself, but the religiosity and cultural identity that people sometimes attach to them. Let me explain what I mean.

As a pastor, I believe I am called by God and Scripture to lead the congregation and minister to as many people as the Lord brings through our doors. What I eventually realized, however, was that the musical direction of the church was effectively determined by the insistence of just two men—men whom no one was willing to challenge. Their preference was to cater exclusively to the older members of the congregation.

This was more than just a matter of musical taste. It reflected a form of sectarianism within the church and a reluctance to minister to anyone outside their comfort zone. It often felt as though the purpose of the music was not ministry but nostalgia—reliving a time when life seemed simpler. The songs they wanted were the songs that reminded them of their youth, regardless of how visitors or younger generations might experience them.

Let me be clear: I love hymns. I am grateful that we sing them. But I believe hymns can and should be presented in ways that minister to everyone who enters the church, not just a select few. Music has the potential to unite people, yet the enemy often uses it to divide them. Sadly, many churches have been torn apart by arguments over music. It should never be that way. To claim that instruments like guitars, drums, or keyboards are somehow evil or inappropriate for church is, frankly, one of the most misguided ideas I have ever encountered.

Scripture itself undermines that argument. David played the lyre—an instrument far closer to a harp or guitar than a piano. Assigning spiritual value to particular instruments is not really a theological issue. Most often, it is a form of spiritual superstition and religious traditionalism running unchecked.

Serious questions arise: how are younger generations supposed to learn Christian charity if leadership refuses to consider anyone else's perspective? This brings me back to my main point. The ugliness surrounding hymns has nothing to do with the hymns themselves. The problem arises when people make them the center of their entire spiritual identity and refuse to consider how their demand to follow these traditions may impact others. A church unwilling to have honest conversations about music and worship presentation is often a church that has little interest in welcoming new people. Sadly, churches that take this posture often decline and eventually disappear.

In some cases, that decline may even be inevitable. A church that refuses to engage with the changing world around it demonstrates a kind of spiritual immaturity. The mission of the church is not to preserve nostalgia but to reach people with the gospel. As Paul himself wrote, we seek to become all things to all people so that by all possible means we might save some. The real ugliness surrounding hymns appears when they are used as tools of exclusion rather than instruments of praise. Hymns are beautiful expressions of Christian theology and devotion, but they can be misused when they become barriers that make others feel unwelcome.

My prayer is that the Lord would grant wisdom and grace to churches struggling with these issues. May He give believers the humility and the charity necessary to move beyond personal preferences and serve their communities faithfully and graciously. And may He convict those who treat music as a weapon of religious control rather than as a means of glorifying God and welcoming others into His presence.