Why Johnny Can't Sing Hymns by T. David Gordon

Gordon, T. David. Why Johnny Can't Sing Hymns: How Pop Culture Rewrote the Hymnal. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2010.

We bought this book after hearing an interview with the author.  Dr. Gordon discusses the way pop culture has limited people's exposure to different musical styles.  As we have entered a culture in which there is background music everywhere (unlike the relatively silent background of my young adult years), we have also seen the disappearance of classical, folk, and sacred music from the musical vocabulary of our culture.  As a result, people no longer expect a distinction in musical context.  Nothing is special any more.  As a result, we expect and receive simplistic music, simplistic lyrics, and, in general, simplistic messages in an ever more complex culture.  This book is one of the few must-reads I would identify for church leadership, especially those intimately involved in the worship life of the congregation.

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Dave Spotts
blogging at http://capnsaltyslongvoyage.blogger.com