May a Baptist sing Catholic hymns?

[rlvaughn]

May a Baptist sing Catholic hymns?

A critic recently approached me about our hymnal and rebuked us for (among other things) including hymns written by Catholics in our hymnal.

All truth is God’s truth, even if a donkey speaks it.

Whatever may be thought of our taste we have used it without prejudice; and a good hymn has not been rejected because of the character of its author, or the heresies of the church in whose hymnal it first occurred...

 

[Salty]

May a Baptist sing Catholic hymns?

Only if it is approved by the music committee, upon
recommendation by the non-Baptist hymn subcommittee
and only if presented by the extended acceptable music sub-subcommittee

 

[RighteousnessTemperance&]

May a Baptist sing Catholic hymns?

"All truth is God’s truth, even if a donkey speaks it."
​

Like. Way back, Don Francisco had a song some may recall about Balaam in which his main point was to maintain humility. It ends with...

So when the Lord starts usin' you, don't you pay it any mind;
He could have used the dog next door, if He'd been so inclined.
​

 

[Martin Marprelate]

'O loving wisdom of our God!
When all was sin and shame,
A second Adam to the fight
And to the rescue came.'

Great lyrics! Only trouble is, they were written by the guy who became Cardinal Newman.
I say, look at the lyrics, and don't worry about the author. Only possible exception is if you think that royalties may be going to the Church of Rome.

 

[rlvaughn]

Way back, Don Francisco had a song some may recall about Balaam in which his main point was to maintain humility. It ends with...
So when the Lord starts usin' you, don't you pay it any mind;
He could have used the dog next door, if He'd been so inclined.

I'm not familiar with this song, but I like those words.

"All truth is God’s truth, even if a donkey speaks it."

I say, look at the lyrics, and don't worry about the author. Only possible exception is if you think that royalties may be going to the Church of Rome.

I agree with this principle -- look at the words, the truth, and not who wrote it.

I must admit, though, that sometimes finding out something about the history of a song can tarnish it a bit. For example, knowing Frederick W. Faber wrote "Faith of our Fathers" in memory of Catholic martyrs makes it feel a little different after learning that than before knowing it. I guess there is both the ideal and the real.

 

[Squire Robertsson]

Probably not, as it would be out of copyright by now.

Only possible exception is if you think that royalties may be going to the Church of Rome.

 

[Ran the Man]

I sing Ave Maria. It is one (two actually,you have the Bach one and the Gonoud) of the great examples of western culture. I'm proud to sing it.
I tell you, we protestants need to stop killing culture.

 

[Covenanter]

'O loving wisdom of our God!
When all was sin and shame,
A second Adam to the fight
And to the rescue came.'

Great lyrics! Only trouble is, they were written by the guy who became Cardinal Newman.
I say, look at the lyrics, and don't worry about the author. Only possible exception is if you think that royalties may be going to the Church of Rome.

BUT - does this verse refer to the Mass ??? I was assured by a CofE curate that while Protestants can understand it as referring to the Holy Spirit, it was written to refer to the Mass.

4 And that a higher gift than grace
should flesh and blood refine,
God's presence and his very self,
and essence all-divine.​

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

May a Baptist sing Catholic hymns?

Not if he has Welsh blood coursing thru his veins. Being Catholic then makes little sense. Unless one wants to jump through the Seven sacraments and put ash on your head to remind one that physical death is reality.

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

I sing Ave Maria. It is one (two actually,you have the Bach one and the Gonoud) of the great examples of western culture. I'm proud to sing it.
I tell you, we protestants need to stop killing culture.

He was asking about Baptists not Protestants. As a Baptist, I don’t recognize Catholicism as anything but a cult.

 

[Ran the Man]

He was asking about Baptists not Protestants. As a Baptist, I don’t recognize Catholicism as anything but a cult.

That's not the correct definition.

 

[Ran the Man]

He was asking about Baptists not Protestants. As a Baptist, I don’t recognize Catholicism as anything but a cult.

Actually, we Baptists score at least 3 heresies on the Orthodox church list. But we must be right because our extra biblical practices are modern.

 

[RighteousnessTemperance&]

I tell you, we protestants need to stop killing culture.

Rather selectively said, it would seem.

 

[Ran the Man]

Rather selectively said, it would seem.

I'll give you an example:
In Louisiana they talk about having the jeaux le vive or the joy of living. The cajuns are a joyous people. That like good music, dancing, and some alcohol. At the same time, they are a devout, Catholic people. The protestants there have done nothing but disparage them and eradicate thier language and culture. All of the real culture in Louisiana is Cajun Catholic. Ash Wed, the blessing of the shrimp boats, mardi gras, the protestants can't grasp the need for it. I'm ashamed of how we Baptists look down on them. We've culturally impoverished ourselves with all our "doctrinal correctness".

 

[RighteousnessTemperance&]

I'll give you an example:
In Louisiana they talk about having the jeaux le vive or the joy of living. The cajuns are a joyous people. That like good music, dancing, and some alcohol. At the same time, they are a devout, Catholic people. The protestants there have done nothing but disparage them and eradicate thier language and culture. All of the real culture in Louisiana is Cajun Catholic. Ash Wed, the blessing of the shrimp boats, mardi gras, the protestants can't grasp the need for it. I'm ashamed of how we Baptists look down on them. We've culturally impoverished ourselves with all our "doctrinal correctness".

To single out Baptists for condemnation is merely doing the same sort of thing you complain of. Cultures clash. It is inevitable. But I am surprised to hear that they’ve nearly wiped out the Cajun culture. And Mardi Gras? I had no idea. If Christians were to wholly assimilate cultures, the church would end up with all manner of syncretistic elements perverting the Gospel. Surely you are not advocating that, are you?

 

[RighteousnessTemperance&]

I'll give you an example:
In Louisiana they talk about having the jeaux le vive or the joy of living. The cajuns are a joyous people. That like good music, dancing, and some alcohol. At the same time, they are a devout, Catholic people. The protestants there have done nothing but disparage them and eradicate thier language and culture. All of the real culture in Louisiana is Cajun Catholic. Ash Wed, the blessing of the shrimp boats, mardi gras, the protestants can't grasp the need for it. I'm ashamed of how we Baptists look down on them. We've culturally impoverished ourselves with all our "doctrinal correctness".

Well, I recall loving to read about pirates as a kid. Have they got many of those left there, or did those bad old Protestants eradicate them too? And what about the black slavery of the South. Is that still a thing, or did those bad old Protestants eradicate that too? The Navajo and other tribes were deep into the perversion of gender fluidity, etc. Did those bad old Protestants eradicate that too, or is it still a thing? Okay, don’t answer that one.

But the much wider point, and what I was really referring to is that all over the world culture has been destroyed and is being destroyed, and not by Protestants. It is happening in Europe at an alarming rate. Earlier, Muslims took over and destroyed much of the Christian culture in the area, then persecuted the survivors for centuries, which is what finally precipitated the Crusades. The list goes on and on. To single out Protestants as “the bad guys” is just plain wrongheaded.

 

[tyndale1946]

Well, I recall loving to read about pirates as a kid. Have they got many of those left there, or did those bad old Protestants eradicate them too? And what about the black slavery of the South. Is that still a thing, or did those bad old Protestants eradicate that too? The Navajo and other tribes were deep into the perversion of gender fluidity, etc. Did those bad old Protestants eradicate that too, or is it still a thing? Okay, don’t answer that one.

But the much wider point, and what I was really referring to is that all over the world culture has been destroyed and is being destroyed, and not by Protestants. It is happening in Europe at an alarming rate. Earlier, Muslims took over and destroyed much of the Christian culture in the area, then persecuted the survivors for centuries, which is what finally precipitated the Crusades. The list goes on and on. To single out Protestants as “the bad guys” is just plain wrongheaded.

In our Baptist Church we don't sing Catholic Hymns, we sing Christ Hymns... If they honor and glorify Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior we sing them... If they don't, we do not!... Brother Glen

 

[blacksheep]

He was asking about Baptists not Protestants. As a Baptist, I don’t recognize Catholicism as anything but a cult.

I think it's more accurate to say they're heretical. There are several doctrinal beliefs that are identical between Baptist, Protestants, and Catholics.

 

[ChurchofChristguy]

I always thought George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord" could be tweaked a bit and made into a fine hymn.

 

[Reformed1689]

This is a good topic, but honestly, should we sing songs by people like Hillsong who preach error as well? I do think we need to pause and think before we introduce certain music into our congregations.