About 20 years ago, Randall Goodgame began writing music to help his children memorize scripture. He created a music brand called “Slugs & Bugs” so whole families could learn God’s word by singing it. Along the way, Goodgame wrote music for VeggieTales. You can hear one of those songs in TheWonderful Wizard of Ha’s episode.
Those experiences prepared Goodgame for his latest project: the Scripture Hymnal. It offers 106 songs, all Bible verses set to music.
Hymnals are bound books of songs based on scripture. Those songs usually include music notes to help the congregation follow the tune. Lots of hymns, like “Amazing Grace” and “Be Thou My Vision” have been sung for hundreds of years. Others are fairly new, like “In Christ Alone” and “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us.”
Many churches replaced hymns with more modern songs. But some congregations are taking up hymnals again.
San Diego Reformed Church in California is one of them. The 200-member congregation used to sing contemporary worship music. But about three years ago, the leadership introduced the Cantus Christi 2020 hymnal. “Our goal is to recapture the beauty and the sound theology of those hymns of the past,” says Associate Pastor Sean Kinnally.
Not all churches feel the same. In a survey of 127 churches, music professor Will Bishop found that more than two-thirds never use a hymnal.
There’s great value in modern worship music. Older hymns don’t always work well with modern instruments like drum kits and bass guitars. And some Christians prefer singing catchier tunes. But discarding centuries of rich hymns altogether has a downside.
Bishop argues hymns remind Christians of their heritage. Believers sing the same scriptural truths across centuries. That scripture connects the Church, as one hymn says: “Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love.”
“Maybe you see someone a couple pews up that you know has just lost a husband or some parents that have a sick child, and they’re singing,” says Goodgame. “Suddenly proclaiming scripture together has an impact on my heart.”
Hymns have been a big part of Goodgame’s own walk with Christ. “I don’t remember any of the sermons that I heard as a kid, but I remember all the hymns,” says the hymnodist.
Many of the tunes in the Scripture Hymnal have an upbeat feel. Others have more traditional chord structures. But all the lyrics come straight from Bible verses.
“We’re not just learning theology,” says Goodgame. “We’re learning about what God says, who God says He is, and what His promises are.”
Why? Worshipping through song is both a blessing and a directive. (Ephesians 5:19) Music, whether contemporary or traditional, can help us experience God’s word in memorable ways.
Recommended Reading: For more on worshipful words that honor God, see Poems and Prose by Gerard Manley Hopkins.
