Hymns made contemporary

DD2008

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Unfortunately, the Christendom is slowing moving away from the old hymns. I am not sure if the new generation of Christians will learn any...

They are rarely exposed to them which is sad because the old hymns are full of deep theological truths.
 
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JM

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I still use Gadsby's Hymns for a devotional and sing the ol' hymns when I sit on the step with my banjo. I use different tunes such as In the Pines for Amazing Grace, etc.

You can download a free CD's worth of music here: Red Mountain Music: Gadsby, Gadsby, Gadsby

Info about the music :

Gadsby’s Hymns was compiled by William Gadsby in the mid 1800s. Although William Gadsby contributed quite a few of his own hymns, the bulk of the collection is comprised of many different hymnists. Long-beloved writers such as Charles Wesley, Isaac Watts, John Newton, Anne Steele, Joseph Hart and William Cowper fill the pages of this wonderful hymnal. Gadsby’s Hymns has been so important to us that we could not stop writing from it. Even before we had completed our last collection of hymns, The Gadsby Project, we knew we would make another record devoted to these beautiful, forgotten texts. We decided to call this record Help My Unbelief. Many of the texts in these particular songs carry themes of doubt and longing. We believe that the Christian life is a complexity of emotions, a marriage of sorrow and joy. Valleys and mountaintops. Light and darkness. The hymn writers of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries seem to have captured these tensions with more honesty and depth than many contemporary writers. Because these writers have given us glimpses of their own doubt and unbelief, working through their hymns has given us much hope. Hope that we are not alone. Hope that sorrow, pain and hardship are not exclusive to our small, believing community here in Birmingham, AL. Rather, that Christians from different parts of the world, hundreds of years ago struggled with the same things. This is one reason why we sing hymns, to remember that the Church is bigger than just us at this moment. We hope you will join us in confessing, "Lord I believe; help my unbelief." Believing that in our doubts and fears Jesus will meet us with patience and grace.
 
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mlqurgw

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I agree. I used to not like hymns when I was first saved because I thought they were depressing, so I only really liked choruses etc. But then after reading hymns and thinking about it more, I don't like choruses anymore, I only like hymns now.
I love the old hymns. I do not like what is known as gospel music, what many call hymns now that were written in the late 1800's. Gospel music has far too much "I" in them. Men such as Ira Sankey, PP Bliss and the like, though some of what they wrote is good, put far to much focus on "me" and "you".
I am not a great fan of most "contemporary" music either though some of it is good as well. I tend to like songs that are theologically sound rather than just emotionally moving. I certainly am emotionally moved by songs but if my emotions are moved by a lie...?
 
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WannaWitness

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Does anyone here remember the Prism series of the '80s? They took a lot of the hymns, spirituals, and classic gospel songs and modernized them to the sound of the time. A bit bubblegummish in its time, but I liked it -- and still do!
 
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Kitty.

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Here's a band I found (on DesiringGod.org) and I figured I'd just post it if anyone was interested. They play original hymns but make them more contemporary:

Page CXVI / Hymns

I remember you showing me 'Come Thou Fount' by them. ^_^
 
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MichaelKelley

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They are rarely exposed to them which is sad because the old hymns are full of deep theological truths.

What are you talking about?? I am a Sophomore at the University of Tennessee at Martin and a part of the Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM). At 714 Worship and the Wednesday night College Service at First Baptist, Martin, we do play and sing contemporary songs, but we also sing the older hymns. We sing them to the same tune, but with the guitar and drums, they sound more contemporary but it's the EXACT SAME TUNE. I'm talking about here at Martin, I didn't click the link in the first post.

Occasionally, there will be a verse added to the hymns, like Amazing Grace. But, it's still the same tune.

Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)

Contemporary Song (Non-Hymn) - Stronger
 
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desmalia

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Here's a band I found (on DesiringGod.org) and I figured I'd just post it if anyone was interested. They play original hymns but make them more contemporary:

Page CXVI / Hymns

I listened to the sample tracks they have on the site. I really like the music, and the lead vocals are lovely. But they use a lot of repetition, and that I don't care for. Turns it more into a mindless chant, IMHO. Too bad.
 
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