Posted on 06/28/2015 11:47:57 AM PDT by Jim Noble
Our semi-Liberal Catholic parish recently changed hymnals. Today was the first Sunday since the change that A Mighty Fortress is Our God was on the hymn list.
Now, I come from 500 years of German Lutherans. I know the words to Ein Feste Burg, and I know the English version by heart (a bulwark never failing, Lord Sabaoth His name, etc, etc).
So, anyway, the words in the new hymnal are different. My first thought, of course, was "Damn Liberal Catholics, can't leave any of our good old hymns alone", BUT, when I looked down, I saw the copyright was Book of Lutheran Worship 1978.
Did you all change the words when I wasn't looking? Did it take the Catholics this long to catch up?
I kind of like the old words.
Our hymnals did change a very long time ago. I’ve never liked them since and haven’t been to a Lutheran church many times since either. The old hymns were fine just the way they were.
Used to have it in the Presbyterian Hymnal as well.Haven’t checked lately, but I too know and love the “old” version.
Luther wrote that as he was being chased by Rome..looking to murder him ... we now have can’t we all get along PC churches
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/m/i/mightyfo.htm
Why are you insinuating that Catholics changed the words?
Someone to blame? Blame the Catholics, is that it?
You seem to have the “Lutheran Book of Worship,” which was published by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the more liberal branch of Lutheranism. The words in that hymnal do differ from that found in the Lutheran Service Book, which is the newest official hymnal of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, a more conservative and traditional synod.
Your flash of anger prevented you from understanding what he wrote.
The Catholic Church set a precedent when they changed the words of scripture.
Many old "traditional" hymns have been changed in OCP hymnals. Two egregious examples (there are many) are Good Christian Men Rejoice to Good Christian Friends Rejoice and Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing to Sing a New Church into Being.
I go to a Catholic Church, so it stands to reason I would notice these changes made by OCP. As I said, that was my FIRST thought, later contradicted by the evidence.
No offense intended.
I am LCMS, and I believe the old version as well as an updated english version are both available in the hymnal. I go to contemporary service and haven’t used the hymnal recently however.
Love your tagline
There was an “Evangelical Movement” in the late 1970s to sort of unify all of the Lutheran sub-denominations by adopting the “Lutheran Book of Worship”. Being an old LCMS Lutheran used to “The Lutheran Hymnal”, I hated that conversion. The new hymnal sounds like liberals when the whine to me while the older one sounded like reverent worship. Due to other battles lost, I quit attending church.
Catholics faithfully compiled, preserved, translated, and printed the Bible. Some paranoid monk with an axe to grind who popped up hundreds of years later doesn't seem too trustworthy in comparison.
"Sing a New Church" is a new set of lyrics to a traditional melody. "Come Thou Fount" was probably also a new set of lyrics, on what was originally a popular song.
Bingo!
Now, that is precious....Catholics wrote, rather transcribed and interpreted, scripture. For one thousand six hundred years scripture was just as the Catholics hold it today. Suddenly along came the revolutionaries and said....no, that is all wrong and we are here to clear it up for you.
Thanks, but.......no thanks.
Well, no, maybe not... no one knows for sure when it was written but it appears it was written when he was dealing less with Rome than Sacramentarians disputing the Lord’s Supper ... and according to the link above, grief over the illness and death of his daughter.
Around the time he is estimated to have written this hymn, he was defending Holy Communion from, amusingly enough for those of us who lived through the Clinton years- people who thought it depends on what the meaning of ‘is’ is.
“This is my body, ...”
Why are Catholic Churches even using Protestant hymns? I hate the intrusion - it’s wrongheaded. And I speak as someone who thinks Protestant hymns are often very beautiful as well as very Americana. Years ago, my mother made me walk out of a Mass when the choir burst into “Onward Christian Soldiers”! It’s a fine song but not a Catholic hymn.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.