Thursday, November 29, 2012

FW: Walther’s Hymnal: Complete Translation of the First LCMS Hymnal Rich in Orthodox Hymnody

 

More Walther…

 

Feed: Cyberbrethren Lutheran Blog Feed
Posted on: Thursday, November 29, 2012 8:12 AM
Author: Paul T. McCain
Subject: Walther's Hymnal: Complete Translation of the First LCMS Hymnal Rich in Orthodox Hymnody

 

Look what just came in, a magnificent piece of work: Walther's Hymnal: Church Hymnbook for Evangelical Lutheran Congregations of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession. This is a complete translation/edition of the first hymnal produced by The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, and arguably I suppose, the first orthodox and confessional Lutheran hymnal produced in the New World. Mr. Matthew Carver did a tremendous job preparing this volume. I'll reproduce below the image more information about the book. You can purchase a copy by calling 800-325-3040. As always, click on the image below for the "supersize" version.

Walther's Hymnal: Church Hymnbook is the first of its kind: an English translation of the first official hymnal of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. This was the hymnal that C.F.W. Walther edited and used, and that provided Christians throughout the LCMS a common experience during the Church's early years in America, in the same way that Lutheran Service Book provides a common experience for us today.

Now presented for the first time in English, this is an invaluable resource for history enthusiasts, church musicians, and anyone who wants insight into how our grandfathers sang and prayed. This is a chance to share in that song and prayer of the saints gone before us.

Matthew Carver, MFA, is a translator of German and classical literature. He resides in Nashville, TN, with his wife Amanda and their young son, where they pursue interests in art, orthodox Lutheran theology, liturgy, and hymnody.

 What Others Are Saying

Thanks to Matthew Carver, we now have Walther's hymnal, which guided the life of the Synod through its German-speaking period—six decades blessed with exponential growth.
—Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, President, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Walther's Hymnal will soon find a place in the libraries of all interested in thedevelopment of Lutheran hymnody in America.
—Dr. Carl Schalk, Concordia University Chicago

Matthew Carver has opened the closed door and provided English translations for all the hymns in Walther's hymnal, and many are translated for the first time.
—Dr. Robin A. Leaver, Yale Institute of Sacred Music

Walther's Hymnal will serve not only as a rich devotional resource for our time but also as an impetus for future hymn writers as they add to our rich heritage.
—Rev. Dr. Paul J. Grime, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne

This will be a welcome addition to the library of all who appreciate the Lutheran chorale, and for composers who are searching for "new" texts to inspire musical settings for use in the church, school, and home.
—Rev. Prof. Dennis Marzolf, Bethany Lutheran College

Matthew Carver's masterful translation of C. F. W. Walther's 1847 collection of German-language hymns opens a window on the mid-nineteenth-century revival of confessional Lutheranism in America.
—Dr. Daniel Zager, Eastman School of Music

In this labor of love, Carver has provided a wonderful resource for historians, pastors, and homes—and a wonderful tribute to Walther and our Lutheran hymnody.
—Rev. Thomas Egger, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis

Matthew Carver has recovered translations longhidden away in forgotten books, and he offers many of his own translations,thus giving us the complete poetic texts in a way that is beneficial and useful for pastors, teachers, musicians, congregation members, theologians, and historians.
—Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux, Bethany Lutheran College

…a book that will be a blessing to any lover of Lutheran doctrine, liturgy, and hymnody.
—Rev. William C. Weedon, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod


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FW: Walther’s Hymnal — Interview with the Editor/Translator Mr. Matthew Carver

 

Walther…

 

Feed: Cyberbrethren Lutheran Blog Feed
Posted on: Thursday, November 29, 2012 9:05 AM
Author: Paul T. McCain
Subject: Walther's Hymnal — Interview with the Editor/Translator Mr. Matthew Carver

 

Saint Louis, MO—Concordia Publishing House (CPH) is pleased to announce the release of the English-language edition of Walther's Hymnal: Church Hymnbook for Evangelical Lutheran Congregations of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession.

Walther's Hymnal is the first of its kind: an English translation of the first official hymnal of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). This was the hymnal that C. F. W. Walther edited and used; it provided Christians throughout the LCMS a common experience during the Church's early years in America, in the same way that Lutheran Service Book provides a common experience for us today.

This is an invaluable resource for history enthusiasts, church musicians, and anyone who wants insight into how our grandfathers sang and prayed. This is a chance to share in that song and prayer of the saints gone before us.

Walther's Hymnal was published through CPH's Peer Review Process. To find out more about Peer Review books, visit our website at cph.org/peerreview.

During an interview with the translator, Matthew Carver, he answered several questions about the benefits and background of the book:

Historically, why is Walther's Hymnal so important, and how is it useful to us today?
Walther's Hymnal is a picture in our own language of what our fellow brothers and sisters believed, taught, confessed, sang, and prayed in their own language in days long past—a treasure partly lost during our synod's necessary transition from German to English, and until recently only accessible to students or native speakers of German. It is a snapshot of what they thought was important and useful in the exercise of their faith. It is a product largely influenced by the synod's first president, C. F. W. Walther, and as such is an important witness in the history of American Lutheranism.

By such an examination of our forefathers' writings, we are given a mirror to see our own situation more clearly. Though we may deal with different problems today, we are often blind to them by virtue of being immersed in our own writings so heavily, and this historical mirror acts as a counterbalance to that.

Who will most want to read this book?
Walther's Hymnal will appeal to a range of people, from those with academic interests to casual historians to those interested in augmenting their devotions. But I think that whoever it is, those who will be most inclined to read, and re-read, this book will be the ones who like to sing and pray and be a Christian—who say, "Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner," and who hear when Jesus says, "Come unto Me, you weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest," and who respond, "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief." In my opinion this is the essence of what our forefathers present to us in this collection, and the kind of people they address, the kind of people that God creates through His Word.

Why will they benefit from this book?
The hymns, prayers, and readings of the church presented here offer solutions to an array of problems that we deal with in our daily life. They also speak with joyous conviction the confession of Christ that the church has made throughout the ages, and allow us to join in this with them in diverse and beautiful forms that harmonize with and vigorously and faithfully echo the trustworthy propositions of Scripture and our confessional books. The works of these Christian poets, if not always conveyed as poetically in translation, at least provide us with an apt expression of the sentiment that we as Christians know and feel but often do not know how to put into words. They are lessons about the human race's deadly fall into sin, they are clear announcements of the good news that Jesus paid the price for all the sins of the whole world, they are formulas of praise and thanksgiving for all of God's mercies, they are consolations for the mourning and afflicted from our brethren and our pastors before us, they are exhortations to a life of newness in Christ. Thus they are fitting frameworks for hearts and minds in which to meditate on and confess God's Word.

How did you come to be interested in translating this particular book?
It all started as a personal project and a labor of love. When I converted to Lutheranism around 2001–2002, I became increasingly familiar with Lutherans' exceptional body of hymnody, and increasingly enamored of it. In 2006, Lutheran Service Book came out, and that stirred this interest more. When singing in church or at home, I would take note of the authors and dates at the bottom of the page, some ancient, some medieval, some of Luther's day, and some of the present. Upon further investigation into the history of our hymnals, I found that a great number of our Lutheran chorales had been lovingly maintained, translated, and handed on; I also found that some had not been translated, and I wondered why. I came to discover that some of them were very hard to translate, while others expressed sentiments which have passed in and out of favor at various times in the past. I went on a search for translations of these lost hymns and was granted success to a degree. For the rest, I had to fill in the blanks myself. During my long search for the supplementary translations, I was encouraged to seek publication and share the work with others.

What are your thoughts upon the publication of this book?
It is all very humbling, especially when I compare my own work to that of all these venerable translators and hymn-writers. I hope mine at least convey a sense of the original. If they are singable, so much the better. But I am excited too about having such an extensive collection of authors and translators in one book. I know that to have my own copy and receive the instruction and encouragement of these authors as a reader, rather than just a translator, will be a welcome and rewarding experience.


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Wednesday, November 21, 2012

FW: When You Do Not Go to Church

 

Consider…

 

Feed: Cyberbrethren Lutheran Blog Feed
Posted on: Wednesday, November 21, 2012 6:01 AM
Author: Paul T. McCain
Subject: When You Do Not Go to Church

 

It never ceases to baffle and confuse me when I hear people make the comment, "You don't have to go to Church to be a Christian." I used to try to respond to this with rather long-winded explanations of the third commandment, and the gifts given, and blah, blah, blah. Lately, I've just decided to respond to those comments by asking, "Really? Where does our Lord in His Word teach that?" Hint: He doesn't! My friend, Pastor Weedon, offers this "take" on not attending Church.

"If I decided one Sunday just to skip Church that week, do you think anyone would notice? Ah, you say, but you're the pastor. Yes, they'd notice. I agree. They would. But it also makes a difference when YOU decide to skip Church this Sunday.

"Each Sunday is a gathering of the family – and when a beloved family member doesn't show up for the family gathering and meal at Christmas or Easter or Thanksgiving, there's a hole, a gap, a pain that everyone feels. We're all the less for that person not being with us to revel in the celebration of that day. Their absence diminishes the joy of the family. So when you choose to skip on Sunday, when you don't come together with your church family to join in offering the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving and to receive the gifts your Lord has for you, it's not just you that miss out. Your extended family – the Church – misses out. They are diminished by your decision to absent yourself. The singing is that much quieter. The "amens" that much softer. The spot where you usually sit and stand reminds us all of your absence.

"Surely old Neuhaus was dead right on this: Christian discipleship should begin with a very simple commitment that any given Lord's Day will find you in the assembly of God's people, singing His praise, offering your prayers, receiving His gifts. The *only* reasons for missing is because you're too sick to be present or because you're away traveling – and even in the later case, blessed are you if you find the family gathered in that location and join with them."

"Let us consider how to stir one another up to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." Hebrews 10:25


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FW: Great Stuff — Debunking a Myth: Contemporary Worship is not Inclusive

 

 

Consider…

 

Feed: Steadfast Lutherans
Posted on: Tuesday, November 20, 2012 11:15 AM
Author: Norm Fisher
Subject: Great Stuff — Debunking a Myth: Contemporary Worship is not Inclusive

 

Found on Matthew E. Cochran's blog, The 96th thesis:

 

When a congregation begins toying with the idea of contemporary worship, one of the usual driving factors is an attempt to be more "inclusive." "The Church needs to appeal to more people than the gray-hairs that attend every Sunday. Get rid of that tired plodding organ and get some more lively instruments in there! Why force modern Americans to sing nothing but 16th century German hymns?" The impression that advocates often give is that contemporary worship is something that opens the church up and broadens it. Nothing could be further from the truth. Rather than providing a breath of fresh air, contemporary worship is a narrow and constrictive force that can strangle a congregation.

First, the contention that traditional Lutheran hymnals are simply a collection of music that only old people could like is rather dubious. Consider: The commonly used Lutheran hymnal (LSB) includes songs dating back from almost two thousand years ago all the way to today. Most of its hymns were written centuries before any of our elderly were even born. If they enjoy it, it cannot possibly be because it was the music of their generation–something that only they would like. Generationally exclusive music is, however, precisely what contemporary worship seeks to impose. Rather than selecting the best from a broad ocean of church music that spans cultures, continents, & thousands of years of history, contemporary worship restricts music: first to the last few decades, then to America, then to a subset of the youth. Towards the end of his book, Who's Afraid of Postmodernism, James K. A. Smith describes a "radically orthodox" church service that he considers to more "catholic" than the services we may be used to. Nevertheless, the mishmash of eclectic chairs, jazz bands, and Anne Sexton poetry he advocates would only appeal to the neo-hipster, Whole Foods, communitarian demographic. That's about as far from universal as you can get. In the name of being inclusive, contemporary worship excludes everyone but the young and hip by trading the rich heritage found in the liturgy for a handful of passing fads.

Second, Contemporary worship restricts music's capacity to communicate. Every age has its own insights & blind-spots, and its preferred styles reflect these. One advantage to a broad hymnody is that the excesses of one age cover often the deficiencies of another. Contemporary worship lacks this safeguard. If you compare hymns written in the past 75 years or so to the hymns that preceded it, you'll quickly notice some general differences in the lyrical structure. Older hymns tend to be built around sentences and make statements. Modern hymns, on the other hand tend to be built around phrases and are designed to give an impression. While the former style serves a variety of purposes (confession, catechesis, prayer, praise, etc), the latter style is suited almost exclusively toward praise and self-expression (it's no accident they're usually called 'praise bands'). Now, while self-expression has very little place in the divine service, there's certainly nothing wrong with singing praise songs in church. Beautiful Savior, for example, is a classic hymn that makes use of this kind of phrase-based songwriting for precisely this purpose. The problem arises when almost every hymn is like that. Practically speaking, restricting a congregation to contemporary songs restricts them to praise music. By neglecting the ability to make meaningful statements in music, the hymnody begins to forget why we're responding to God with praise in the first place. When this goes on long enough, all that remains is a desperate attempt to use music to manipulate the emotions into producing what once flowed naturally from what God has done for us.

Finally, contemporary worship generally doesn't make people feel more comfortable or welcome–at least not in Lutheran churches. In the movie Better of Dead, there's a scene in which John Cusack's family invites a French exchange student over for dinner. In order to make her feel more welcome, the hostess serves a meal consisting of French fries, French toast, and French bread. Needless to say, regardless of the hostess' efforts, the student did not exactly feel comfortable. Frankly, this is pretty much how Lutherans come off when we pander to those young, hip Americans of whom we have only the most shallow understanding by attempting to adopt their musical styles in church. Those we pander to might (or might not) be too polite to say that such imitation looks more like a bad parody, but they're often thinking it.

Perhaps there's another thing we might learn from this analogy when we seek to invite unbelievers into the church. The Church is in the world, but not of it. No matter how we arrange our music, unbelievers who visit us are in a foreign land. The last thing an exchange student is looking for is a grossly inferior version of their own culture. The entire point of being an exchange student is to be immersed in something other. If the Church tries to make herself look like the world, not only will she do a poor job of it, but she will deny those who come to her the opportunity to find something more than what they already have. Our heritage is something any generation can be brought into. If we seek to be more inclusive and welcoming, we would do well to embrace it.


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FW: Great Stuff — Debunking a Myth: Contemporary Worship is not Inclusive

 

Consider…

 

Feed: Steadfast Lutherans
Posted on: Tuesday, November 20, 2012 11:15 AM
Author: Norm Fisher
Subject: Great Stuff — Debunking a Myth: Contemporary Worship is not Inclusive

 

Found on Matthew E. Cochran's blog, The 96th thesis:

 

When a congregation begins toying with the idea of contemporary worship, one of the usual driving factors is an attempt to be more "inclusive." "The Church needs to appeal to more people than the gray-hairs that attend every Sunday. Get rid of that tired plodding organ and get some more lively instruments in there! Why force modern Americans to sing nothing but 16th century German hymns?" The impression that advocates often give is that contemporary worship is something that opens the church up and broadens it. Nothing could be further from the truth. Rather than providing a breath of fresh air, contemporary worship is a narrow and constrictive force that can strangle a congregation.

First, the contention that traditional Lutheran hymnals are simply a collection of music that only old people could like is rather dubious. Consider: The commonly used Lutheran hymnal (LSB) includes songs dating back from almost two thousand years ago all the way to today. Most of its hymns were written centuries before any of our elderly were even born. If they enjoy it, it cannot possibly be because it was the music of their generation–something that only they would like. Generationally exclusive music is, however, precisely what contemporary worship seeks to impose. Rather than selecting the best from a broad ocean of church music that spans cultures, continents, & thousands of years of history, contemporary worship restricts music: first to the last few decades, then to America, then to a subset of the youth. Towards the end of his book, Who's Afraid of Postmodernism, James K. A. Smith describes a "radically orthodox" church service that he considers to more "catholic" than the services we may be used to. Nevertheless, the mishmash of eclectic chairs, jazz bands, and Anne Sexton poetry he advocates would only appeal to the neo-hipster, Whole Foods, communitarian demographic. That's about as far from universal as you can get. In the name of being inclusive, contemporary worship excludes everyone but the young and hip by trading the rich heritage found in the liturgy for a handful of passing fads.

Second, Contemporary worship restricts music's capacity to communicate. Every age has its own insights & blind-spots, and its preferred styles reflect these. One advantage to a broad hymnody is that the excesses of one age cover often the deficiencies of another. Contemporary worship lacks this safeguard. If you compare hymns written in the past 75 years or so to the hymns that preceded it, you'll quickly notice some general differences in the lyrical structure. Older hymns tend to be built around sentences and make statements. Modern hymns, on the other hand tend to be built around phrases and are designed to give an impression. While the former style serves a variety of purposes (confession, catechesis, prayer, praise, etc), the latter style is suited almost exclusively toward praise and self-expression (it's no accident they're usually called 'praise bands'). Now, while self-expression has very little place in the divine service, there's certainly nothing wrong with singing praise songs in church. Beautiful Savior, for example, is a classic hymn that makes use of this kind of phrase-based songwriting for precisely this purpose. The problem arises when almost every hymn is like that. Practically speaking, restricting a congregation to contemporary songs restricts them to praise music. By neglecting the ability to make meaningful statements in music, the hymnody begins to forget why we're responding to God with praise in the first place. When this goes on long enough, all that remains is a desperate attempt to use music to manipulate the emotions into producing what once flowed naturally from what God has done for us.

Finally, contemporary worship generally doesn't make people feel more comfortable or welcome–at least not in Lutheran churches. In the movie Better of Dead, there's a scene in which John Cusack's family invites a French exchange student over for dinner. In order to make her feel more welcome, the hostess serves a meal consisting of French fries, French toast, and French bread. Needless to say, regardless of the hostess' efforts, the student did not exactly feel comfortable. Frankly, this is pretty much how Lutherans come off when we pander to those young, hip Americans of whom we have only the most shallow understanding by attempting to adopt their musical styles in church. Those we pander to might (or might not) be too polite to say that such imitation looks more like a bad parody, but they're often thinking it.

Perhaps there's another thing we might learn from this analogy when we seek to invite unbelievers into the church. The Church is in the world, but not of it. No matter how we arrange our music, unbelievers who visit us are in a foreign land. The last thing an exchange student is looking for is a grossly inferior version of their own culture. The entire point of being an exchange student is to be immersed in something other. If the Church tries to make herself look like the world, not only will she do a poor job of it, but she will deny those who come to her the opportunity to find something more than what they already have. Our heritage is something any generation can be brought into. If we seek to be more inclusive and welcoming, we would do well to embrace it.


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