FW: One Generation...

 

Weedon…   Feed: Weedon's Blog Posted on: Wednesday, July 9, 2014 3:34 PM Author: noreply@blogger.com (William Weedon) Subject: One Generation...   ...I was going to go through and clean up this paper, but I never can find the time. So I'm posting it, blemishes and all. It is what I delivered at the Making the Case Conference in Collinsville last month: Making the Case for Classical Christian Hymnody "Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable." Psalm 145:3.  On this I suspect Christians of every stripe could agree. The Lord is great and the Lord is greatly to be praised. But we might see the cleft that has developed in the Church if we venture to the next verses: "One generation shall commend your works to another and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness. They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and sing aloud of your righteousness." What has happened in some sections of the Church is that THIS generation has told all the other generations to shut up and keep silent. Instead of listening to their proclamation of God's majesty (who He is) and His wondrous works (what He's done) and being inspired by their witness to join in their song with our own, some would silence their song and replace it entirely with the song of the present generation. Instead of the Church's classical way of operating: supplementation, the rich treasury of hymns that goes back so far, growing and being added to by each generation, first listening to and learning to love the old praises of prior Christians as they tell us of God's wondrous works; we have instead supplanting - replacing of this heritage of proclamation in song that reaches century upon century back through the ages with the songs of now.a And we need to be honest about the nature of the songs of now. A friend of mine sought to use some of the modern sounds in his church one Sunday, but all the classic texts. It was very telling when a woman left that worship service in tears and she told the musicians on the way out: "You've taken away my music." They were befuddled because they'd striven so hard to use the musical idiom that that congregation had come to expect. Why would it be welcomed? She gave them the answer: "It's not what I hear on Christian radio." AH! The commercial interests driving so called Christian radio is to get folks to download and listen over and over again to the current song and then promptly to forget it when they need you to download the newest, latest, greatest hit. Do you see what has happened? The throw away generation, the disposable everything generation, has come to treasure disposable, throw away songs too. The demand for the music of today exclusively to reign supreme in the Church, whatever else it does, simply cuts off the prior generations in a way that the Church has not known before. We become an orphan Church that way, a church without our spiritual fathers and mothers. Anyone who knows me know that I love reading the Church fathers. Great stuff. And yet THE way that the prior generations have always spoken in the Church to the current generation is not in the dusty study of Patristics but in the living voice of the congregation. We take up THEIR song and it becomes OUR song and so their theology, their witness to Christ, continues to shape and mold us. But there's more. Dr. John Kleinig helpfully wrote about the theology that runs with the praise music that came originally out of the Pentecostal Church. The idea of this music is move a person. To move them spiritually from entering into the courts of God with loud and joyous songs of thanksgiving, to move them into the more mellow music of the inner courts of the temple with lush and quiet songs of praise, and finally for the congregation to peak, dare I say it, to spiritually orgasm in the singing in the spirit, often done in tongues and musically sustained by held chords and arpeggios and shimmering on the cymbals. Music here at its base is employed to achieve the desired emotional outcome. To bring a person to a feeling of the presence and closeness of God. This is in huge tension with the sturdy objectivity of the Church's historical musical deposit. For the Church classically simply did not see music as first and foremost a vehicle to move emotions. She knew that it does this. Luther confessed as much in any number of places. And yet that was just an inevitable result of music, but not it's task. It's task was rather to give voice to God's Word. To proclaim to one another the great things that God has done for us in Jesus Christ and to summon one another to taste and see the goodness of the Lord and to proclaim the person blessed who trusts in Him. We might wonder how this shift toward exclusive use of compositions of the present generation could possibly make its way into a Church like ours which has traditionally been a bulwark of preserving the music of previous generations. The answer, I believe, is that those who studied Church Growth were trained to match in church the music liked and listened to by their community. So that when new folks came in through the narthex doors they immediately would feel at home with the same sounds that filled their lives outside the doors. More than one writer has pointed out the disingenuousness of this approach, for the Church does not invite the old Adam to settle down and feel at home, but to his own execution. Nor, even sociologically, has it proven to be the case that unchurched folks expect the music at church to mirror the music they listen to when washing their cars on Saturday. You can read more about this in Daniel Zager's stupendous monograph "The Gospel Preached Through Music: The Purpose and Practice of Lutheran Church Music" (Good Shepherd Institute 2013). So it was with the best of motivations that our churches began to dump the deposit of the church's treasury of hymnody. But it wasn't wise. And it hasn't worked if the purpose was simply to bring in the folks from outside in droves. We're a smaller Synod today than we were prior to the time when classic church music reigned. But I must issue this caveat. Dr. Nagel was always fond of asking what's the opposite of an error? Not the truth! Just the opposite error. So the error of thinking that the Church's hymnody is fixed. You have the old songs and you should be content to sing them. Period. Full stop. Nonsense. With the Spirit extolling our Lord Jesus through the Word, the new song springs up in the Church continually. Not everything written in a generation will be found worthy of adding to the deposit, but the current generation tends not to be in the best position to evaluate the final worthiness of its own contributions. The generation to come will weigh and decide in which of our new songs they hear the words and promises of God most clearly issued for their consolation and upbuilding in the faith. But that the deposit grows with each generation is simply a given. The Church's song is richer now by far than it was at the time of the early church or even the Reformation. It keeps being enriched and for that all glory to God! So when we speak of making the case for classical Christian hymnody we mean defending the proposition that previous generations ought be given an ongoing voice in the church's praise, and this praise consists of meditating upon God's glorious majesty (that is, proclaiming WHO He is, and above all who He has revealed Himself to be in the Crucified and Risen One), and in meditating on His great works. We do both of these by proclaiming them together to each other in song in the presence of God. How far back does the treasury reach? Well, certainly biblical scholars will tell you that it reaches right into the pages of the New Testament. Philippians 2; Colossians 1; numerous portions of Revelation; 1 Timothy 3. You can find tantalizing bits of the song that the Christians sang to each other there. Maybe it was something like Philippians 2 that St. Paul and St. Silas sang together at midnight in the jail of Philippi. Outside of the New Testament, though, we have these ancient hymns that have come down to us and even made it into the liturgy. In the Divine Service, we sing the Gloria in Excelsis or Agnus Dei or Sanctus. In the Daily Prayer Services, we sing Te Deum Laudamus and Phos Hilaron. That last is particularly of interest to those who study the history of the hymns. You see, in literature, I think the first mention of Phos Hilaron (our "Joyous Light of Glory" from Evening Prayer, but also in the hymnal O Light Whose Splendor Thrills and Gladdens or O Gladsome Light of Grace), the first mention is in a little book by St. Basil the Great (and he died in 379). He writes: I will now adduce another piece of evidence which might perhaps seem insignificant, but because of its antiquity must in nowise be omitted by a defendant who is indicted on a charge of innovation. It seemed fitting to our fathers not to receive the gift of the light at eventide in silence, but, on its appearing, immediately to give thanks. Who was the author of these words of thanksgiving at the lighting of the lamps, we are not able to say. The people, however, utter the ancient form, and no one has ever reckoned guilty of impiety those who say "We praise Father, Son, and God's Holy Spirit." (Par. 73 On the Holy Spirit) Just like we have no idea who wrote the Gloria in Excelsis or the Te Deum (medieval legend notwithstanding), so with Phos Hilaron. It simply was a song Christians sang and have continued to sing throughout generations. Is it not amazing that we here in America today continue in our Evening Prayer to offer praises in a hymn that St. Basil the Great thought was positively antique back in the 370's? So the deposit goes very far back, especially if we think of those ancient hymns of the church that were not rimed or set in stanzas. But the riming and setting in stanzas goes back a long, long way also. The man traditionally regarded as the father of western Christian hymnody is St. Ambrose of Milan. Our LSB features three hymns attributed to this great father of the Church. We even get to know a little bit about how this form of hymnody took root and spread. Listen to St. Augustine in his Confessions, paragraph: Not long had the Church of Milan begun to employ this kind of consolation and exhortation, the brethren singing together with great earnestness of voice and heart. For it was about a year, or not much more, since Justina, the mother of the boy-Emperor Valentinian, persecuted Thy servant Ambrose in the interest of her heresy, to which she had been seduced by the Arians. The pious people kept guard in the church, prepared to die with their bishop, Thy servant. There my mother, Thy handmaid, bearing a chief part of those cares and watchings, lived in prayer. We, still unmelted by the heat of Thy Spirit, were yet moved by the astonished and disturbed city. At this time it was instituted that, after the manner of the Eastern Church, hymns and psalms should be sung, lest the people should pine away in the tediousness of sorrow; which custom, retained from then till now, is imitated by many, yea, by almost all of Thy congregations throughout the rest of the world. [Confessions IX:7:15] So Ambrose is popularly considered the father of hymnody as we've come to expect it: a poem consisting generally of  number of consistent stanzas that rime and often concluding with the doxology: an ascription of praise to the Blessed Trinity. If we listen to THAT generation proclaim to us the great deeds of God and call us to meditate with them on who He is and what He has done, we get something like this: Savior of the nations, come, Virgin's Son, make here Your home! Marvel now, O heav'n and earth, That the Lord chose such a birth. Not by human flesh and blood, By the Spirit of our God, Was the Word of God made flesh— Woman's offspring, pure and fresh. Here a maid was found with child, Yet remained a virgin mild. In her womb this truth was shown: God was there upon His throne. Then stepped forth the Lord of all From His pure and kingly hall; God of God, yet fully man, His heroic course began. God the Father was His source, Back to God He ran His course. Into hell His road went down, Back then to His throne and crown. For You are the Father's Son Who in flesh the vict'ry won. By Your mighty pow'r make whole All our ills of flesh and soul. From the manger newborn light Shines in glory through the night. Darkness there no more resides; In this light faith now abides. Glory to the Father sing, Glory to the Son, our king, Glory to the Spirit be Now and through eternity. Let's note a number of things about this. It clearly proclaims Christ. Proclaims Him as the Virgin's Son, God of God, yet full man, whose source was God the Father. It proclaims His deeds: His conception by the Spirit, his birth of the Virgin, His coming from God and returning to God even His descent into hell. It proclaims what He has won: the victory and in our flesh to make whole all our ills of flesh and soul. And it summons us one and all to join in praising the Trinity in and through Him. And consider that these words by Ambrose or from someone around that time, have continued to proclaim Christ in each generation. Year after year, when Advent arrives, this hymn is found on the lips of Christians to bring comfort to each other and to join their voices with that of all the previous generations, extolling the Lord's incarnation for us. So much did Luther value this Latin hymn that it was the first he rendered into German. When we sing this hymn each Advent truly "one generation commends your works to another and shall declare your mighty deeds!" Ambrose's hymns primarily are set to sanctify time and to celebrate the events commemorated in the Church's year: the great story of the life of Christ. They had their home first and foremost in the Daily Office, Matins and Vespers etc. But you couldn't really keep the hymns away from the Lord's Supper. They migrated. And did so even before the Reformation. Remember that "O Lord, We Praise Thee" was a folk hymn long before Luther took it hand. Or remember the hymn of Huss for the distribution. With the Reformation, the ancient heritage was conserved, even in many cases in Latin, but much was also put into the vernacular and of course it was added to. New hymns couldn't but continue to be birthed by the joy of the Gospel's clarity that took hold agin in those days. Luther's first great hymn was Nun Freut Euch. Listen: "Dear Christian, one and all rejoice, with exultation springing, and with united heart and voice and holy rapture singing: proclaim the wonders God has done, what His right hand the victory won; what price our ransom cost Him!" There's the theology of praise right in a single hymn stanza. Luther never ceased to marvel at music: "After all, the gift of language combined with the gift of song was only given to man to let him know that he should praise God with both word and music, namely by proclaiming [God's Word] through music and by providing sweet melodies with words." (AE 53:323) Or as Luther said in the preface to the Bapst hymnal: "For God has cheered our hearts and minds through his dear Son, whom he gave for us to redeem us from sin, death, and the devil. He who believes this earnestly cannot be quiet about it. But he must gladly and willingly sing and speak about it so that others also may come and hear it." (AE 53:333). So with the Reformation comes this explosion of new music, filled with the joy of the Gospel, and aimed at the consolation of those terrified in conscience or broken in heart. All designed to lift you up through preaching the promises of God into your heart via putting them onto your lips. Of the many great hymns that arose in that time, who deserve particular mention. They were by Philip Nicolai, Pastor in Unna, Westphalia. He saw his congregation decimated by plague. Between July of 1597 and January of 1598, Pr. Nicolai buried no less than 1,400 of his parishioners– 300 in the month of July alone. He could have fled the plague, but he didn't. He stayed put. He preached. He celebrated the Sacrament. He prayed. He buried, and he prayed some more. And he did one more thing. He wrote a book. A book he called The Mirror of Joy. It was all about the joy that filled his heart as he thought of the heaven his Savior had won for all upon His cross and to which He would one day bring His people as they share His risen life in the New Heavens and the New Earth. In the words of Luther, he "gladly and willingly sing and speak about it." At the tail end of his little book, he put three poems he wrote, two of which he also set to music. One is called: Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern (O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright) and the other: Wachet Auf, Ruft uns die Stimme. Wake, Awake! For Night is flying. In the face of unspeakable tragedy, to families where mothers had lost their sons, daughters their fathers, sisters their brothers, brothers their sisters, husbands their wives - with no family left untouched by the horror of death- faithful Pastor Nicolai sang the hope of heaven into his people as they waited for the day of the Savior's return and learned to sing in hope along with him even with tears in their eyes. No wonder these two pieces became known as the Queen and the King of the Chorales. They are triumphant in the cross. Just listen in to sections from either hymn: Almighty Father, in Your Son You loved me when not yet begun Was this old earth's foundation! Your Son has ransomed us in love To live in Him here and above. This is Your great salvation. Alleluia! Christ the living To us giving Life forever, Keeps us Yours and fails us never. O let the harps break forth in sound! Our joy be all with music crowned, Our voices, gladly blending! For Christ goes with us all the way— Today, tomorrow, every day, His love is never ending! Sing out! Ring out! Jubilation, exultation! Tell the story! Great is He, the King of glory! Or this: Now let all the heaven's adore Thee; Let saints and angels sing before Thee With harp and cymbal's clearest tone. Of one pearl each shining portal, Where dwelling with the choir immortal, We gather round Thy radiant throne. No eye has seen the light, No ear has heard the might Of Thy glory. Therefore will we eternally, sing hymns of praise and joy to thee. I don't know about you, but I think it's nigh unto a high treason when a Lutheran (well, when any Christian) is deprived of the comfort and power of such great hymns! And they abound. Those are just two. Note that they sing of Christ. They fling the comfort of Christ against the darkness. They hold tight to the joy of what shall be when Christ renews all things. They proclaim: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again, and they add the promise: "for you!" You might notice if you've been around our Church for any length of time, that SOME of our hymns are really, really long. Take Luther's delightful Christmas hymn: "From Heaven Above to Earth I Come." It's got an eminently singable melody, but it goes on for 15 stanzas. Yikes! What gives with that? That's a hint that the singing of hymns in the Lutheran Church, it's use of the classical Christian hymnody, from the start employed "wechselsingen" as Dr. Walther termed it: "back and forth singing" would be a good translation. So take "From Heaven Above…" and you might have the choir sing all together stanza one, then just the women of the choir on stanza two, then the men, stanza three, then all the choir on stanza four, maybe just four voices, one on each part for stanza five, then the whole congregation on stanzas six, seven and eight. Children's voices along on stanza 9. Women on 10. Men on 11. All on 12 and 13. Choir on 14 and then all on 15. What does this back and forth singing do? It enables us to preach to each other in the song. We literally sing the comfort the Gospel into each other's ears, hearing it and then in our turn sounding it forth. By the way, this way of singing is also key to getting the best way to sing, say, "Isaiah, Mighty Seer." Picture it like this: Choir 1: Isaiah, mighty seer in days of old, Choir 2: The Lord of all in spirit did behold, etc. with the whole congregation joining in on: Holy is God the Lord of Sabaoth! Luther's Gloria hymn works the same way. This back and forth is the royal priesthood at its work: proclaiming the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. It is the fulfillment of the Apostles' exhortation: Let the word of Christ dwell among you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in PSALMS, and HYMNS, and SPIRITUAL SONGS, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And the centuries roll on and the witness keeps ringing out. The nineteenth century was a time of rich meditation on the Church herself. Everyone was thinking about it and singing about it. So we have "For All the Saints" and "Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones" and so many others. The focus wasn't on Church for her own sake, but look at who the Spirit has called us to be in Christ! And through them all ring comfort: "And when the fight is fierce the battle long, steals on the ear the distant triumph song, and hearts are brave again and arms are strong! Alleluia! Alleluia!" In the 20th and 21st century a new flowering of hymnody took place and to the old songs were added numerous new proclamations of Christ. We don't have time to even begin to delve into the richness, but we must note the hymns of Stephen Starke ("We praise You and acknowledge You, O God, to be the Lord, the Father everlasting by all the earth adored…" - great paraphrase of the Te Deum and set to the Jupiter tune, proclaiming who the true King of the universe is!); Martin Franzmann (O thou who when we loved thee not, didst love and save us all; thou great good shepherd of mankind, O hear us when we call! Send us thy Spirit! Teach us truth! Thou Son, O set us free, from fanciest wisdom, self-sought ways to make us one in thee. Then shall our song united rise to Thine eternal throne where with the Father evermore and Spirit thou art one); Vajda (How could I not have known Isaiah would be there, his prophesies fulfilled, with pounding heart I stare: A child, a king, the prince of peace for me, a child, a king the prince of peace for me); so very, very many others. One last point I think needs to be made in favor of classical Christian hymnody. It has, somehow, survived the fragmentation of the Church. So a hymn written for a Roman Catholic eucharistic conference in 1976 ends up being sung in Lutheran parishes around the world: "You satisfy the hungry heart." Or an EWTN broadcast of the Roman Mass for Ash Wednesday, opens with the solemn singing of Luther's "From Depths of Woe." The Baptists might have owned "Just as I am" at the start, but it is sung universally by Christians. This united song of the Church gives me great hope. And it witnesses a very Lutheran thing: if it sings truth, we say, it is ours! We joyfully can take it to heart and praise God with it. So our hymnal is not merely limited to the stream of music that flowed directly from the medieval church to the Churches of the Augsburg Confession. Rather, when Geneva sang truth, we sang it with them. When Rome sang truth, we sang it with them. Did you know that Beautiful Savior was originally composed to be a song of Eucharistic devotion? Tis true! And yet its words are simple truth and so we take them gladly on our lips. Psalm 145 goes on to say: "All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your saints shall bless you. They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power to make known to the children of men your mighty deeds and the glorious splendor of your kingdom… The Lord is faithful in all his works and kind in all his deeds." One generation declares His great works to another in the classic hymnody of the Christian Church. And our calling in this generation is to hear their song, to sing it with them in joy, and then to add to it as best we may in our own day and age. When Isaiah pictured the Church, he described her in chapter 35 in these words: "And the redeemed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing, everlasting joy upon their heads. They shall obtain gladness and joy and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." The Church is one long procession of the people of Zion headed home, and the song we sing here at the tail end of the procession at the moment is one we learned from those who went before. Let us treasure the gift bequeathed to us and learn to love it and to pass on such a tremendous heritage to our children and children's children until the glorious appearing of Lord Jesus when we join the saints and angels in the song of the Lamb! Questions?   http://feeds.feedburner.com/WeedonsBlog View article...

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LHP Review: Commentary on Luther's Catechisms

 

Peters, Albrecht. Translated by Holger K. Sonntag. Creed (Commentary on Luther's Catechisms). St. Louis: Concordia, 2011. 588 Pages. Paper. $42.99. http://www.cph.org/ (P)   Peters, Albrecht. Translated by Holger K. Sonntag. Lord's Prayer (Commentary on Luther's Catechisms). St. Louis: Concordia, 2011. 222 Pages. Paper. $42.99. http://www.cph.org/ (P) Peters, Albrecht. Translated by Holger K. Sonntag. Baptism and Lord's Supper Commandments (Commentary on Luther's Catechisms). St. Louis: Concordia, 2012. 248 Pages. Paper. $42.99. http://www.cph.org/ (P) Peters, Albrecht. Translated by Holger K. Sonntag. Confession and Christian Life (Commentary on Luther's Catechisms). St. Louis: Concordia, 2013. 280 Pages. Paper. $42.99. (On sale: $36.99.) http://www.cph.org/ (P) We rejoice in the completion of the publication of Albrecht Peter's Commentary on Luther's Catechisms. Let's return to portions of our review of the first volume on the Ten Commandments: In accordance with LCMS governing documents, and since Albrecht Peters made regular use of historical-critical methods of interpretation (10, 56, et al) a "Surgeon General's Warning box" appears on the copyright page (4). It reads: This material is being released for study and discussion purposes, and the author is solely responsible for its contents. It has not been submitted to the process for doctrinal review stipulated in the Bylaws of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod and odes not necessarily reflect the theology of the Lutheran Confessions or the doctrinal position of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod. Is the book worth it for the publisher to go ahead and publish and the reader to buy and read? Most certainly! Consider our ongoing discussion about "graven images" with the Reformed, (mentioned in a parallel review). Peters explains the history behind this seeming "skip" over the text of R2/L1B. Consider Augustine and all of the iconoclastic controversies of Christian history (141ff). He lays out a convincing case for Christian teaching and practice. I will grant Peters his insights and thank the Lord for them, but like CPH and the aforementioned LCMS Bylaw language, I will not share with those whom I teach his false JEDP musings (Deuteronomist, 141), nor a partition of prophetic books (Deutero-Isaiah, 145). What God has joined together, let not man separate! Peters excels in organizing his thought and that of Luther. Chapters share a common structure: Wording of the Commandment, Interpretation, (and Arrangement in the Large Catechism) Characteristics of Luther's Interpretation Texts by Luther on the same topic Other helpful Bibliography The German Edition of Commentary on Luther's Catechisms by Albrecht Peters has long been the gold standard of research on the catechetical texts of the great reformer. This translation makes the wealth of research available in English for both the researcher and the catechist. This is the first of five volumes.  Future volumes with address the Decalogue, the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, the Sacraments, and Confession with the Table of Duties, Prayers, and the Marriage and Baptismal Booklets.  (publisher's website) Let's proceed with a fresh review of the rest. The German Edition of Commentary on Luther's Catechisms by Albrecht Peters has long been the gold standard of research on the catechetical texts of the great reformer. This translation makes the wealth of research available in English for both the researcher and the catechist.   Foreword by Gottfried Seebass Translated by Holger K. Sonntag, Thomas H. Trapp, and Daniel Thies Separate volumes address the Decalogue, the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, the Sacraments, and Confession with the Table of Duties, prayers, and the Marriage and Baptismal Booklets.  Let's take the volumes one by one. My focus will be on the kind of insights you will gain from buying, owning, and studying each volume in the series. Luther is responsible for our modern approach to the Apostles' Creed, in that we see three instead of twelve articles (33). Peters contrasts Imago Dei with Imago Satanae (95ff). Page 112ff give an outline of the Creed section of Luther's Large Catechism. Learn how "prophet, priest, and king" came together as a phrase (120ff). Consider Christ "for us" (134), a liturgical Christology (163), and Luther's comment on supposed marriage between humans and gods (167). Read four insights on the Third article (216ff). Conclude by learning why "Christian" is a translation of catholica (268ff).   Read about "The Lord's Prayer as Defensive and Offensive Weapon Against Satan" (22ff), the source of the content and pattern of the "What does this mean?" questions (60ff), refuge in baptism and references of Church Fathers (151), and a treatment of the 6th and 7th petitions as a double petition (173ff).   Consider "promise and faith" as Luther's guides to add Bible wording and teaching of the two Sacraments to the Western catechetical tradition (1ff, 27ff, passim), "The Gift of the Saving Work of Christ under Word and Sacrament (43ff), "The Faith of the Church and the Particular Faith of a Child at Baptism (122ff), and the author's insights on Luther's two front war of catechesis against both Roman and Reformed (198ff, passim).   This volume reminds the reader of the enormity of Peters' work: "he examined each of the later editions, the various expositions on Confession and Absolution, the Household Responsibilities, the Marriage Booklet and the Baptismal Booklet, as well as Luther's Household Prayers, which included the Morning and Evening Blessings and prayers before and after meals" (xiii). Sometimes the chapter titles are enlightening: "Individual Confession and Absolution as the Proper Form for the Office of the Keys" (3). Often, insights are highlighted in section headings: "Restructuring Private Confession and Absolution to Become an Exercise in Law and Gospel" (82). I loved reading about Luther's source material for prayer (235-251), my favorite chapter of the whole book and set!     I am not aware of any other resource even remotely like this set, so order the entire five-volume set of Peters' Commentary on Luther's Catechisms!   LHP QBR reviewed the first volume of this set back in 2010: http://lhpqbr.blogspot.com/2010/11/pulpit-review-ten-commandments.html     The Rev. Paul J Cain is Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming, Headmaster of Martin Luther Grammar School, Yellowstone Circuit Visitor (LCMS Wyoming District), a permanent member of the Board of Directors of The Consortium for Classical and Lutheran Education, Wyoming District Worship Chairman, and Editor of QBR.

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LHP Review: Music for Worship and the Christian Life

 

Refuge: Selections from The Book of Psalms for Worship. Pittsburgh: Crown & Covenant Publications, 2011. Audio CD. $15.00. www.crownandcovenant.com (H) Deliverance: Selections from The Book of Psalms for Worship. Pittsburgh: Crown & Covenant Publications, 2019. Audio CD. $15.00. www.crownandcovenant.com (H) Munson, Paul and Joshua Farris Drake. Art and Music: A Student's Guide (Reclaiming the Christian Intellectual Tradition). Wheaton: Crossway, 2014. 112 Pages. Paper. $11.99. www.crossway.org (LHP) Vieker, Jon D. August Crull and the Story of the Evangelical Lutheran Hymn-Book 1912 (Shaping American Lutheran Church Music). Minneapolis: Lutheran University Press, 2013. 87 Pages. Paper. $15.00. http://www.lutheranupress.org/Worship-and-Music-books (LH) Hawkins, Robert D. Prelude and Fuge on the Life of Harriet Reynolds Krauth Spaeth 1845-1925 (Shaping American Lutheran Church Music). Minneapolis: Lutheran University Press, 2012. 31 Pages. Paper. $15.00. http://www.lutheranupress.org/Worship-and-Music-books (LH) Hyslop, Scott M. The Precious Gift: The Hymns, Carols, and Translations of Henry L. Letterman (Shaping American Luheran Church Music). Minneapolis: Lutheran University Press, 2013. 126 Pages. Paper. $15.00. http://www.lutheranupress.org/Worship-and-Music-books (H) Finale 2014. Eden Prarie, MN: MakeMusic, 2013. Music notation/composition software. Windows/Mac. (Retail: $600; Academic/Theological: $350; Upgrade from Finale, previous version $139.95; Trade up from Allegro: $300; Trade up from PrintMusic: $400. Trade Up from SongWriter: $450; Switch from competitive product $139.) http://www.finalemusic.com/products/finale/ (LH)  Psalms, Hymns, Songs of the Spirit, and software are before us in this LHP Review. Refuge is 17 psalm selections from The Book of Psalms for Worship, recorded by a choir from the Syracuse Reformed Presbyterian Church. Includes Psalms 3B, 27A, 30B, 34B, 42D, 48A, 51C, 68A, 73B, 76B, 84C, 130B, 123A, 107C, 134A, 140A, and 149A. You can download the words for Refuge here. I appreciated hearing more traditional choir voicings and tone paintings on this recording.  Lutheran listeners will recognize 3B (Lutheran Service Book 442), 34B (405, 441), 48A (886, 891), 51C (490, 741), 73B (613, 766), 76B (909), 84C (377), and 123A (628, 705).  Choirs and congregations of the LCMS should be able to pick up these new Psalm texts paired with  well-known tunes upon a first singing.  Deliverance includes 20 psalm selections from The Book of Psalms for Worship, performed by Tim and Kaylee McCracken. Includes Psalms 3B, 12, 17A, 17B, 17C, 20A, 23D, 25A, 25B, 25C, 29A, 48A, 59A, 65C, 65D, 70A, 100C, 108A, 108D, and 141A. You can download the lyrics for Deliverance here. Still accessible, but less familiar on early tracks, Lutheran listeners will recognize 29A's St. Denio, 48A's St. Clement, 59A's National Hymn, 65C's Lauda Anima, 65D's Solid Rock, 100C's Lobe Den Herren, 108A's Nicaea, and 108D's Diademata. Singable. Edifying. Try metrical Psalms! We have featured reviews of The Book of Psalms for Worship and its various editions and recordings in previous reviews:   Nov 2010  http://lhpqbr.blogspot.com/2010/11/hymnody-review-psalms.htm April 2011 http://lhpqbr.blogspot.com/2011/04/liturgy-and-hymnody-review-psalms-hymns.html Dec 2011  http://lhpqbr.blogspot.com/2011/12/liturgy-and-hymnody-review-sing-more.html All are commended to you for your consideration. More music awaits us in the latest release from Crossway's series, Reclaiming the Christian Intellectual Tradition. We were surprised to see two large subject areas compressed together in such a thin volume. Do remember, these books are not complete courses, but the necessary supplemental worldview orientation each Christian needs in and after College. Munson and Drake guide the reader to think critically about why something is objectively, rather than merely subjectively good. Sacred and secular examples will help the reader appreciate the treasures of Western Civilization while learning to be more critical about pop culture and every fad and "wind of doctrine" in modern music and visual art. God made us to enjoy beauty wherever we find it, whether it's music or the visual arts. But sin finds ways to obscure what is right in front of our eyes and ears. Drawing on years of teaching experience, two professors offer tips for understanding, evaluating, and appreciating art in all its forms while highlighting the important ways in which art and music reflect the glory of God. This book will help you better understand and appreciate humanity's pursuit and imitation of beauty through artistic expression—a vital means by which we bear witness to the beauty of our Creator. Paul Munson (PhD, University of Michigan) is professor of music at Grove City College. Joshua Farris Drake (PhD, University of Glasgow) is associate professor of music and humanities at Grove City College.   We turn our attention to three titles by Lutheran University Press and Concordia University Chicago. An essential biography and history of what are for all practical purposes "lost years" for many American Lutherans, Dr. John D. Vieker writes of August Crull and the Story of the Evangelical Lutheran Hymn-Book.  August Crull (1845–1923) edited and compiled the first edition of the Evangelical Lutheran Hymn-Book (1889), thus playing a critical role in shaping the hymnic tradition of the Missouri Synod as it transitioned from German to English. This study tells the story of Crull's pioneering labor in the formation of this seminal hymnal and documents the twenty-year journey to its final edition in 1912, which became the first, official English-language hymnal of the Missouri Synod. JON D. VIEKER served for twelve years as assistant director for the Commission on Worship and since 2010 has served as senior assistant to the president of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. This is the second of a series of monographs published by the Center for Church Music, Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, Illinois—Shaping American Lutheran Church Music—highlighting persons, movements, and events which have helped shape the course of church music among Lutherans in North America.  Some LCMS Lutherans may read this volume and learn that the English District used to be a separate English-speaking church body. Some readers may learn about the existence of the English District for the first time!  Imagine a hymnal without music. The Lutheran Hymnal would not have been what it was to the LCMS and the Synodical Conference without the 1892 Evangelical Lutheran Hymn-Book the desire to have a tune book for it. That led to ELHB 1912. Vieker highlights the faithful worship history of the LCMS (and some of the typos and editorial disagreements along the way) in this wonderful volume. Robert Hawkins writes a biography of Harriet Reynolds Krauth Spaeth in the form of a literary Prelude and Fugue. She "was music editor of the Church Book with Music (1872), [and] she was the only woman ever to serve in that capacity. Worship wars are nothing new. Spaeth helped pave the way for the Common Service of 1888 (16), but her work and that of confessional Lutheranism faced and still faces criticism and praise, whether from Reed or Grindal (28). The author served for twenty-six years as professor of worship and music, and dean of Christ Chapel at the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, South Carolina. This is the first of a series of monographs to be published by the Center for Church Music, Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, Illinois—Shaping American Lutheran Church Music—highlighting persons, movements, and events which have helped shape the course of church music among American Lutherans in North America.   Part biography, history, a "behind the scenes look at LW, and hymnody collection, The Precious Gift by Scott Hyslop gives us The Hymns, Carols, and Translations of Henry L. Letterman. Henry L. Lettermann (1932-96) served as professor of English at Concordia Teachers College, River Forest, Illinois, from 1959 to 1988 where his talent for poetry became readily apparent. From 1979 to 1987 he served as a member and secretary of the Hymn Text and Music Committee which produced Lutheran Worship in 1982. His original texts, translations, and observations about the process of preparing this new hymnal provide fascinating insights. Scott M. Hyslop received a DMA in organ/church music from the University of Michigan. In addition to numerous compositions for the church, he has also published a biography of Paul Manz (Morning Star, 2007). He presently serves as director of parish music at St. Lorenz Lutheran Church in Frankenmuth, Michigan. Two Letterman texts made it into LSB,  835's "On Galilee's High Mountain," and "Lord Jesus Christ, the Children's Friend" (866). All three booklets are recommended. We pray for more additions to this series.   We've reviewed previous versions of Finale composing software in the past. This time, we REALLY tested it out.   Getting Started Getting started is easy. Whether you're setting up your score, picking a music font, or watching a QuickStart Video, Finale guides you to perfection. Entering Notes Enter notes your way – from MIDI to your mouse, from scanning to Finale's exclusive MicNotator®, no other software offers you more note entry options. Adding Markings, Lyrics, and More New in 2014 – Expanded Percussion Playback Finale automates and streamlines the process of entering lyrics, guitar tab, chords, and more. Editing Tools Finale makes it easy to perfect your score with handy editing tools like the Selection tool, Multiple page editing, ScoreManager®, and intuitive cut/copy/paste options. Hearing Your Music New in 2014 - More Garritan Sounds Finale includes world-class instrument libraries, support for external sound libraries, and several innovative tools to make sure your music sounds as good as it looks. Sharing Your Music New in 2014 - Backward and Forward Compatibility In addition to printed pages and audio files, Finale helps you create electronic documents that anyone can edit, print, and save. No one offers more ways to collaborate and share your music. Educator Tools New in 2014 - More Resources With exclusive features like SmartMusic® support, customizable music education worksheets, and the Exercise Wizard, Finale offers music educators more ways to save time. Composing and Arranging Timesavers New in 2014 - Expanded Linked Parts Exclusive idea-generating features, essential tools like transposition and range checking, and timesavers like Linked Parts are all included. Production and Sequencing Tools Finale is able to open or save as a standard MIDI file to work in conjunction with the industry's most in-demand production and sequencing programs. Video support and Finale's built in mixer are just two of many tools inside of Finale that help you prepare your score for final production. Finishing Touches New in 2014 - Improvements to Rests, Accidentals, SmartShapes and more. Finale is the industry standard because it offers ultimate control of the printed page. Using an older version of Finale? Finale is constantly being improved and new features are added each year. In the past few years these include: Linked Parts, easier chord entry, improved staff layout, percussion notation enhancements, improved lyrics, automatic rehearsal marks, and more. See what you've been missing. To put Finale 2014 through its paces, we had had ambitious plans. They all fell apart when my laptop seized up and died just before Thanksgiving. I was essentially without a personal computer (though I still had computer access) for nearly a month. And to be clear, NO, the Finale software was NOT to blame. We were able to rescue the data from my machine and successfully restore my data and Windows 8.1 to the very machine I'm writing on. Vacation time for my niece's Confirmation on Palm Sunday gave me time to pause and reflect and compose. It wasn't planned. I heard a "wouldn't it be nice to have..." from friend and in a quiet moment I heard a new original melody to an historic hymn text playing in my head. It found its way onto a notepad in my own secret code for when I don't have staff paper at hand. I finished the set of compositions the same way over the next few days at home. And a new Mass setting for Lutherans was born. Entry of the melody into the Finale 2014 software was easier than I had remembered. I still had minor challenges to overcome when correcting typos in a potential arranger's name I inputted through the Wizard. I still dread the laborious process of inserting lyrics or hymn texts, thought I have appreciated the semi-automations of Finale versions before this F2014. What do I love? A LOT. I sent of my compositions to a friend with an older version of Finale for arrangement. Boy, do I owe him! They arrived today to my great joy, and were recognized as Finale Legacy Notation Files by Finale 2014. I saved them in the new format, printed everything, and exported the files as .wav audio. Everything worked without a hitch. I can also print them in "hymnal" format bulletin inserts, just like I always dreamed of.  I wholeheartedly recommend Finale 2014. They have listened and responded to some of this reviewer's previous critiques and requests. I'm happy with the software. And I'm sure it will be even better in the next upgrade. Sing a New Song Unto the Lord! SDG The Rev. Paul J Cain is Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming, Headmaster of Martin Luther Grammar School, Yellowstone Circuit Visitor (LCMS Wyoming District), a permanent member of the Board of Directors of The Consortium for Classical and Lutheran Education, Wyoming District Worship Chairman, and Editor of QBR.

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Quick Summaries: Elders, Preaching and Pastors

 

Quick Summaries are pithy paragraph-long reviews of releases that cross our QBR desk.    These are reviews for when you don't have all day    to decide whether a resource is worth your time, money, storage space, or trouble. Overdorf, Daniel. One Year to Better Preaching: 52 Exercises to Hone Your Skills. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2013. 319 Pages. Paper. $17.99. www.kregel.com (P) Rossow, Francis. Gospel Handles: Old Testament Lessons. St. Louis: Concordia, 2014. ebook. www.cph.org (P) Helm, David. Expository Preaching: How We Speak God's Word Today (9Marks). Wheaton: Crossway, 2014. 125 Pages. Cloth. $14.99. www.crossway.org (P) Rinne, Jeramie. Church Elders: How to Shepherd God's People Like Jesus (9Marks). Wheaton: Crossway, 2014. 133 Pages. Cloth. $14.99. www.crossway.org (LHP) Newton, Phil A. and Matt Schmucker. Elders in the Life of the Church: Rediscovering the Biblical Model for Church Leadership (A comprehensive update of the previous edition, Elders in Congregational Life). Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2014. 256 Pages. Paper. $16.99. www.kregel.com (LHP) Hellerman, Joseph H. Embracing Shared Ministry: Power and Status in the Early Church and Why It Matters Today. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2013. 313 Pages. Paper. $17.99.  www.kregel.com (LHP) Kornacki, Alan. Lutheran Purgatory: Pastors Without Calls. Amazon Createspace, 2014, 72 Pages. eBook. $4.99 ($2.99 currently) http://www.amazon.com/Lutheran-Purgatory-Pastors-Without-Calls-ebook/dp/B00L84ZWZK (LHP)   This post is primarily for pastors. Elders and "hearers" of our congregations, feel free to listen in. /+ Caution! One Year to Better Preaching: 52 Exercises to Hone Your Skills has great potential in improving your preaching. Unfortunately, if you quickly work your way through all 52, you will feel beat up by the Law like little you have experienced before. Some exercises will seem designed to please every English Grammar teacher in your congregation (e.g., 17 Write in E-Prime) while others are neglected common sense (22 Pray for Your Listeners, 49 Write for the Ear). Lutheran preachers will appreciate some more than others (45 Make a Bee Line for the Cross, 48 Interweave Preaching and Worship) while grieving for those who need to be taught such things for the FIRST time. Recommended, but with caution. Take in intentional small doses. + I first learned of Dr. Rossow's "Gospel Handle" idea from Preaching the Creative Gospel Creatively. Then, I had him for a seminary course on C. S. Lewis. I have since appreciated his Gospel Patterns in Literature and the companion to this volume, Gospel Handles: Finding New Connections in Biblical Texts, a volume that solely focused on sample Gospel Handles and sermons based on the Four Gospels. "A Gospel handle involves the selection from a biblical sermon text of an excerpt that contains absolutely no Gospel whatsoever; the preacher then uses this excerpt as an approach, bridge, or handle to an account of the Gospel somewhere else in the Bible." This volume focuses on Old Testament Lessons, and gives examples of Gospel handles in the Pentateuch, History books, Poetry books, Major Prophets, and Minor Prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures. The book concludes with sample sermons, including a free text sermon on Job. Creative, Practical, Useful, and Affordable. Recommended! + Largely helpful and practical, David' Helm's 9Marks volume on Expositional Preaching: How We Speak God's Word Today could benefit Lutheran preachers. It is part of a series focused on Building Healthy Churches. Having preaching like this (67, passim), that respects the text and the Biblical hearer by proper contextualization, exegesis (instead of eisegesis), and theological reflection, a preacher can avoid the perils of an overly academic/intellectual treatise, an imperitival legalistic nightmare, a spiritualizing trainwreck, or a dehistoricizing myth of a homily. While we were generally pleased with this volume, similar ones (yet to come) left us disappointed. Recommended. Supplement with Walther's Law and Gospel. - Church Elders is absolutely insufficient as a text for Lutheran lay elders, Lutheran pastors may find some minor benefit and encouragement in this brief 9Marks volume. The main offense to Holy Scripture's doctrine of the Holy Ministry is equating the man-created office of lay elder with the Office of the Holy Ministry called elder in the New Testament. The author shows no knowledge of ordination, yet references many of the passages that pastors will be reminded of at an ordination or installation in the Lutheran Church. Lay elders share much in common with ordained elders. Both are filled with the Baptized. The distinction is not one of person, for both are filled with sinner-saints, but the distinction is one of Office. - I found it curious that 9Marks authorized two books on Elders by two different publishers. They are here reviewed in close proximity. Newton and Schmucker's volume is an updated edition of their previous release, Elders in Congregation Life. Elders in the Life of the Church: Rediscovering the Biblical Model for Church Leadership is better than the aforementioned and reviewed Church Elders, but is also insufficient for Lutheran use. The authors provide a lively and sometimes entertaining apologetic for Presbyterian-like teaching and ruling elders in Baptist or nondenominational congregations, but fall into the same eisegesis trap as the Rinne volume: they equate lay elders and ordained pastors rather than seeing the distinction Lutheran, Anglican, Roman and Eastern Christians have seen between the ordained Office of the Public Ministry and lay elders, the latter based upon Acts 6 and church tradition. Lay elders, or deacons, are an auxiliary, man-created office to assist the Pastoral Office. I see modern (and centuries-old) ideas of the word elder being read back into the Biblical text. How about a more thorough study of the word "deacon"? It is one thing to speak of THE BIBLICAL MODEL. There too many Biblical texts left unexamined by the authors. Not Recommended. / I remain curious as to why this book was written. Who is the intended audience? What change is desired by the author? I can appreciate a desire for "servant leadership" and for leaders who "relate to one another first as brothers and sisters in Christ." Those are helpful and godly ideas. I'm not sure that a study of the early church peppered with the latest church buzzwords will be the most convincing way to promote or accomplish those goals. I must reject the ordination of women to the Pastoral Office because Scripture does (13). The Chapter Title "When Jesus Is Not Enough (173ff) turned me off as a reader and I quickly lost confidence in the author.  + Our final book in this QS is by an author we've reviewed before with his fiction titles. This is non-fiction--scary non-fiction. "The Office of the Holy Ministry within the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is in crisis. It is under attack from pastors who act like corporate executives and arrogant overlords, from bureaucrats who believe a pastor is a failure if he doesn't act like a corporate executive or a used car salesman, and from congregations who believe pastors are merely employees to be hired, evaluated, and fired. Too many pastors have fallen prey to these attitudes and the actions which follow. We call them Candidates, but these men and their families are our brothers and sisters in Christ, and they are suffering. These Candidates, pastors without congregations, suffer in the closest thing Lutherans have to purgatory. These are their stories. Lord willing, we can end their suffering" (Amazon). We commend this for your reading, edification, and action, as the 2013 LCMS Convention acted in care and loving concern for pastors without a call. We thank the Lord for courageous District Presidents who are trying to find appropriate calls for our brothers-in-office in a churchly and Christlike manner.   More information about each of these titles may be found on each respective publisher's website.  The Rev. Paul J Cain is Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming, Headmaster of Martin Luther Grammar School, Yellowstone Circuit Visitor (LCMS Wyoming District), a permanent member of the Board of Directors of The Consortium for Classical and Lutheran Education, Wyoming District Worship Chairman, and Editor of QBR.

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Quick Summaries: Mark, Questions, Bonhoeffer, the Flood, and Catholics

 

Quick Summaries are pithy paragraph-long reviews of releases that cross our QBR desk.    These are reviews for when you don't have all day  to decide whether a resource is worth your time, money, storage space, or trouble. Oden, Thomas C. The African Memory of Mark: Reassessing Early Church Tradition. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2011. 279 Pages. Paper. $22.00 (On sale for $17.60). https://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=3933 (LHP) Wayne, Israel. Questions God Asks: Unlocking the Wisdom of Eternity. Green Forest, AR: New Leaf Press, 2014. 144 Pages. $11.99. www.newleafpress.net (LHP) Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Edited by Clifford J Green, Michael DeJonge. The Bonhoeffer Reader. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2013. 850  Pages. ebook. www.fortresspress.com (LHP) Hodge,  Bodie and Laura Welch, editors and compilers.  Illustrations by Bill Looney.  The Flood of Noah: Legends and Lore of Survival.  Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2014. 24 Pages. Interactive Hardcover. $18.99. www.masterbooks.net  (LHPN) Jahn, Curtis A. A Lutheran Looks at Catholics. Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 2014. 241 Pages. Paper. $16.50. http://online.nph.net/p-14973-a-lutheran-looks-atcatholics.aspx (LHP) We're back with more Quick Summaries. Enjoy! + I have enjoyed the writing of Thomas Oden. The African Memory of Mark is a 2011 eleven release with a fascinating thesis: John Mark was from North Africa. He also asserts that Mark was related to both Barnabas and Peter. Oden paints a powerful picture of Mark, based largely on evidence from African tradition, long-held and passionately held. This reassessment of Church tradition would be an unique addition to your library and background contextual study of the Second Evangelist. Because of the longer, more detailed Gospel accounts, Mark is sadly not paid the attention it is due. Mark the person gets similar treatment. This topic, a biography of Mark, deserves further study. I am interested enough in the authors thesis to double-check his claims in my further study. The select Bibliography will be a great place to start. Recommended.   + I had low expectations after my initial skim-through. This book was worth my time reading it. We do well to refrain from judging a book by its cover. Israel Wayne attempts to unlock the wisdom of eternity by studying Questions God Asks. I was concerned this would make Law overshadow Gospel. The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ as Wayne shows that the good Lord does what a good lawyer does, asking questions He already knows the answer to. From Adam and Eve to Hezekiah and Job to Jonah, this book puts on the Lord Jesus Christ and shows Him present for our benefit. /+ Decades after his death at the hands of the Nazis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer remains controversial. Yes, he pushed the envelope on what he said and how he said it to be fresh, yet faithful in his day. Yes, fans on the theological left and right read and interpret him for their own ends. Yet, what he wrote has meaning in itself that often and usually is unmistakably clear. This book/ebook by Fortress is a bargain for what you get. The Church Fathers of ancient times are at their best when they say what Scripture says and faithfully apply it to their own day. The same is true for Bonhoeffer. Consider this, especially if your budget cannot afford Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works. 800+ Pages, including his major theological writings. +  No, I have not seen the new movie about Noah. There's been enough bad press (and more ticket sales) to make the irreverent film a dud. Still, people are curious about the reality of Noah and of the true Bible history behind him and the worldwide flood that remade the globe. The Flood of Noah is an interactive hardcover for all ages. After all, why should the young have all the fun? Legends and Lore of Survival from cultures and oral traditions around the world are featured in text, graphics, charts, pull-outs, and booklets throughout. Recommended! ++ My only complaint with A Lutheran Looks at Catholics is that it may be the last in Northwestern Publishing House's ALLA... series. Though is is common for Lutherans to compare and contrast themselves with Roman Catholics historically, a compact, modern comparison and contrast resource has been needed. Curtis Jahn fills that gap in our pastoral care literature. Readers needing a quick assessment of where things stand should begin with Chapter 1 (Modern Catholicism) and Chapters 9 and 10 (Parish and Worship Renewal, A Few Global Trends in Catholicism). Pastors and laypeople alike will benefit from reading the entire volume. Recommended! More information about each of these titles may be found on each respective publisher's website.  The Rev. Paul J Cain is Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming, Headmaster of Martin Luther Grammar School, Yellowstone Circuit Visitor (LCMS Wyoming District), a permanent member of the Board of Directors of The Consortium for Classical and Lutheran Education, Wyoming District Worship Chairman, and Editor of QBR.

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Quick Summaries: Calvin, Apostates, Martyrdom, Cherry Creek, and Page CXVI

Quick Summaries are pithy paragraph-long reviews
of releases that cross our QBR desk. 

These are reviews for when you don't have all day 

 to decide whether a resource is worth
your time, money, storage space, or trouble.

Schroeder, Joel Allen, Director. Dear Mr. Watterson. (Documentary about the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes and its enduring cultural legacy) Pre-release online screener. http://buy.dearmrwatterson.com/ (LHPN)

Swanson, Kevin. Apostate: The Men Who Destroyed the Christian West. Parker, CO: Generations with Vision, 2013. Paper. 312 Pages. $26.95. www.apostatebook.com (LHPN)

The Project. Martyrs Prayers. Indianapolis: Saints and Survivors, 2012. (Audio CD, $12.99.) mp3 audio download, $9.99. www.themartyrsproject.com (HN) 

Zac Hicks + Cherry Creek Worship. The Glad Sound. Fort Lauderdale, FL: Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church, 2009. Audio CD. www.cherrycreekpres.org (LH)

Zac Hicks + Cherry Creek Worship.  Without Our Aid. Fort Lauderdale, FL: Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church, 2011. Audio CD. www.cherrycreekpres.org (LH)

Page CXVI. Good Friday to Easter. Boulder: SoundCloud/Page CXVI, 2014. mp3 audio download. Available April 15. http://pagecxvi.com/   http://pagecxvi.com/#store  http://blog.pagecxvi.com/ (H)


Today, we'll consider Calvin (the boy, not John C.), apostates and martyrs, and other music, specifically Hymns Resurgent.

+ Substantial, thoughtful, personal, and artistic in its own right, we like Director Joel Allen Schroeder's professional fan film approach to his film, Dear Mr. Watterson, "A cinematic exploration into the impact of the greatest comic strip in the history of the universe: Calvin & Hobbes. French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, & Swedish subtitles available. (The 90 minute feature film)" (film website)  We at QBR still miss the comic strip. Personally, it ended along with The Far Side while I was at university. I spent some Christmas money on the hardcover complete collection of both. We are hopeful that Mr. Watterson will respond to the film with more of our favorite tiger/boy team. Recommended for fans. Watch or buy online! Need an introduction to 3,160 strips of C&H? Pick up a paperback compilation and return for more.

+ It's hard to argue with the author of Apostate. I could understand those who would say he overstates his case. Given that so many have understated or ignored the damage to Western Civilization by Marx, Darwin, Nietzsche, Dewey, and Sartre, I'm willing to give Kevin Swanson the benefit of the doubt. This is spiritual warfare. Apostate exposes The Men Who Destroyed the Christian West. This is in-depth, riveting, informative reading. I read it in one sitting, but I do not recommend that approach or experience to others. The book reads like an autopsy report while the patient is living, yet likely terminal. I do not share the grim post mortem of the author, yet I wish to be generous in my appreciation for what will be difficult to accept yet true points about decline. Oremus! Kyrie! And Consider...


+/ I listened to Margaret Becker, Phil Keaggy, and Glenn Kaiser in the 1990s and wondered what they were up to today. This is it. Visit www.themartyrsproject.com/ for more information about a book (which I have not seen) that gave inspiration for these songs, which may give the current generation pause to think about what it means to be a martyr for Christ. Is Bonhoeffer a martyr? Some may question his status in that category. LCMS Lutherans should note that the video for Romero was partially filmed in Kramer Chapel of Concordia Theological Seminary since it had the same "modernist" feel as the hospital chapel in San Salvador where Romero was shot. While not music I would use in public corporate worship, it would be worthwhile for others to hear, consider, and upon which to reflect. Consider the words of Cardinal Francis George: "I expect to die in bed, my successor will die in prison and his successor will die a martyr in the public square. His successor will pick up the shards of a ruined society and slowly help rebuild civilization, as the church has done so often in human history." Perhaps this CD would be a good companion to the previous book.

We've considered a variety of groups and individuals recovering the use of historic Christian hymns in a fresh way. While not all are models we would encourage you to imitate on Sunday Morning, we do believe they are worthy of your attention.

+ Cherry Creek is a Colorado congregation that belongs to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Zac Hicks is based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and is Pastor of Worship at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church (home church of Dr. D James Kennedy, former pastor and of current Senior Pastor, William Graham Tullian Tchividjian). Together, Zac Hicks + Cherry Creek Worship have released two albums, The Glad Sound and Without Our Aid that highlight new arrangements of hymn texts by Phillip Doddridge, Isaac Watts, Reginald Heber, Charles Wesley, Johann Rist, William Kethe, and Ambrose of Milan, et al. Chord charts are here: http://www.zachicks.com/lyrics-charts-more/. I am thankful for yet another example of hymns being intentionally brought back into the worship life of Christ's Church. When you have time, consider the new music settings Hicks provides for Luther texts. You'll have a lot to read. Hicks is a prolific blogger.

+ Our friends at Page CXVI return with an album intended to conclude their set for the festival half of the Church Year. I commend them for that rediscovery (the Church Year) as well as their passion for hymns. Chord charts are here: http://pagecxvi.com/media/charts/PageCXVI_Good_Friday_To_Easter_ChordCharts.pdf 
Hear their take on "O Sacred Head How Wounded, "Go To Dark Gethsemane," "Three, "Roll Away the Stone," "Christ is Risen," "Christ The Lord has Risen Today," Townend's "How Deep the Father's Love For Us," and "Hallelujah." We encourage the band to look for hymns for the Pentecost/Trinity half of the Church Year.

More information about each of these titles
may be found on each respective publisher's website. 

The Rev. Paul J Cain is Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming, Headmaster of Martin Luther Grammar School, Yellowstone Circuit Visitor (LCMS Wyoming District), a permanent member of the Board of Directors of The Consortium for Classical and Lutheran Education, Wyoming District Worship Chairman, and Editor of QBR.