Response to a Lutheran pastor regarding the use of Methodist hymns
C.F.W. Walther, January 1883
Honored Sir,
This morning I received your worthy letter, written
on the 19th of the month. In your letter you ask for my opinion on whether it
is advisable to introduce the singing of Methodist songs in a Lutheran Sunday
School. May what follows serve as a helpful reply to your questions:
No, this is not advisable, rather very incorrect and
pernicious.
1. Our church is so rich in hymns that you could
justifiably state that if one were to introduce Methodist hymns in a Lutheran
school this would be like carrying coals to Newcastle. The singing of such
hymns would make the rich Lutheran Church into a beggar which is forced to beg
from a miserable sect. Thirty or forty years ago a Lutheran preacher might well
have been forgiven this. For at that time the Lutheran Church in our country
was in as poor as beggar when it comes to song books for Lutheran children. A
preacher scarcely knew where he might obtain such little hymn books. Now,
however, since our church itself has everything it needs, it is unpardonable
when a preacher of our church causes little ones to suffer the shame of eating
a foreign bread.
2. A preacher of our church also has the holy duty to
give souls entrusted to his care pure spiritual food, indeed, the very best
which he can possibly obtain. In Methodist songs there is much which is false,
and which contains spiritual poison for the soul. Therefore, it is soul-murder
to set before children such poisonous food. If the preacher claims, that he
allows only "correct" hymns to be sung, this does not excuse him.
For, first of all, the true Lutheran spirit is found in none of them; second,
our hymns are more powerful, more substantive, and more prosaic; third, those
hymns which deal with the Holy Sacraments are completely in error; fourth, when
these little sectarian hymnbooks come into the hands of our children, they
openly read and sing false hymns.
3. A preacher who introduces Methodist hymns, let
along Methodist hymnals, raises the suspicion that he is no true Lutheran at
heart, and that he believes one religion is as good as the other, and that he
thus a unionistic-man, a mingler of religion and churches.
4. Through the introduction of Methodist hymn singing
he also makes those children entrusted to his care of unionistic sentiment, and
he himself leads them to leave the Lutheran Church and join the Methodists.
5. By the purchase of Methodist hymn books he
subsidizes the false church and strengthens the Methodist fanatics in their
horrible errors.
For the Methodists will think, and quite correctly
so, that if the Lutheran preachers did not regard our religion as good as, or
indeed, even better than their own, they would not introduce Methodist hymn
books in their Sunday schools, but rather would use Lutheran hymn books.
6. By introducing Methodist hymn books, the entire
Lutheran congregation is given great offense, and the members of the same are
lead to think that Methodists, the Albright people, and all such people have a
better faith than we do.
This may be a sufficient answer regarding this dismal
matter. May God keep you in the true and genuine Lutheran faith, and help you
not to be misled from the same, either to the right or to the left.
Your unfamiliar, yet known friend, in the Lord Jesus
Christ,
C. F. W. Walther
St. Louis, Missouri
January 23, 1883
Translated by M. Harrison
Fort Wayne, Indiana
