Pope Benedict famously said, "We cannot say that one song is as good as another."
When choosing among hymns, separating the wheat from the chaff, doubtless we all think about the various hymns' quality. And surely there is more to our thinking than "The congregation knows this one," or "Everyone knows this one is drivel, so we won't use it unless forced," or "I like how it sounds on verse 4 with the descant and alternate harmonization."
We also think for ourselves about the texts, right? But how?
When choosing among hymns, separating the wheat from the chaff, doubtless we all think about the various hymns' quality. And surely there is more to our thinking than "The congregation knows this one," or "Everyone knows this one is drivel, so we won't use it unless forced," or "I like how it sounds on verse 4 with the descant and alternate harmonization."
We also think for ourselves about the texts, right? But how?