10 Hymns We Should Stop Singing

1. In the Garden

Pardon me for punting to Stanley Hauerwas for an explanation.

“The problem with hymns like ‘In the Garden’ is that their lyrics and music are shallow. A steady diet of worship formed by such hymns and prayers not only reflects a shallow Church but also produces a shallow people…

I have nothing but profound respect for the “country churches” that thought that ‘In the Garden’ was the best hymn they sang. The problem, however, is that hymn and the worship that was shaped by it proved incapable of preparing those who sang it to recognize, much less resist, the world that increasingly made their Christian commitments unintelligible. I am well aware, however, that many Churches whose hymns and prayers are richer are often equally unprepared to challenge the world. Yet hymns like “A Mighty Fortress” have the potential to help mount a resistance that “In the Garden” can never muster.”