Monday, October 23, 2017

Classic Hymns - A Review

Classic Hymns
Classic-Hymns.jpeg
A Review

I am not a musician, but I do want to know something about the hymns that the church has adopted over the last 2000 years. I do have a number of books in my library that discuss that history, but this book is one the best that I have seen augmenting one’s personal devotions based on those hymns.
The editors have chosen 90 classic hymns.  Each selection includes a selection of the lyrics (some have all the lyrics, others a small portion).  This is followed by a brief 4-10 question Bible Study, including a selected Biblical passage.  About half of these questions focus on the scripture, the other half allow for “personal reflection”.  The devotion concludes with one or two sentence prayer.  A table of contents makes important hymns easy to find.
My only concern is the binding. The simple wrap around cover blends well with the book’s binding, but it appears flimsy. Once removed, the binding looks like a 1960s paperback rebound for use in a small library.
This book would be a great gift for a single pastor of a church or for the church’s worship leader.  The last three hymns are Christmas Carols – I am considering using these studies as the basis for my advent sermons (alas, I will need to find one additional carol to fill in the four weeks of advent).
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This review is based on a free copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are mine alone.  

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