# Church Music: The Sacred and the Profane **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 30, 2001, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992 "2001-05-30T15:12:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2001, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992/21 "2001-05-31T03:32:50Z")
I always hated having to go to church, it was so BOOOORING! BO-RING! The only part I liked was the hymns. The Methodist hymn book is awesome. Lord of the Dance kicks ass, so does this other one… I forget how it goes, but I remember I liked it, and it’s hymn number. Wish I could remember a line… It’s about how people might be called on when they least expect it… something about “Here I am Lord/If You need me” or something like that. Great song! There’s so many good church songs. I’m not a-religious or atheistic or anything, church is just TOO BORING! The Bible can tell me all I need to know about God, and I anything I can’t find can easily be extrapolated from the source material. –Tim ---
**Author:** ![VitrolicBump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a587f6/32.png) [@VitrolicBump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VitrolicBump)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2001, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992/22 "2001-05-31T04:09:06Z")
Our church band writes a lot of their own music(I am sure that many other churches do the same thing). It is published and recorded I know that the music is picked through a guideline made by the diocese. And yes, it is a charismatic Catholic church. There are many members, but there are many people who think it is the spawn of the devil.☹ Hmmm…Anywho… This is the first time I have ever heard using PowerPoint to sing from(or was that a joke?). About fifteen years ago our church ditched the Glory and Praise books and missals. We now use song sheets, which can be used at all the weekend’s masses(with a few songs added for the teen mass on Sunday nights) and then recycled. They are much easier to deal with when the band has to sing a song; no references or flipping of pages. Of course, there are children who decide to make paper airplanes but if you supply the material… Whenever I go to a church that uses hymnals and missals, I am at a loss. I love to sing in church, but the books make it kinda annoying. I don’t know why, it just does. I guess I am used to just one sheet, not a whole book. Of course, the books are good to hit someone who is falling asleep, but then everyone would be walking away from Mass with welts. As for your question, **rastahomie** , I find it refreshing when there are pieces of music included that are by classical musicians. I do like the contemporary stuff though, like Jars of Clay and DC Talk. I do not listen to Christian radio, though. That is my mom’s job and she does it quite well. Even the house has to listen to it when it is left alone. Poor, poor house.😃 **LC** , the next time you are going to make me laugh, could you please warn me. I almost choked on my water. Thank you for getting the song stuck in my head now. Okay this post has gotten a little out of hand, so I will end it. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2001, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992/23 "2001-05-31T04:11:08Z")
Don’t forget, if you sing, you’ve prayed twice! 🙂 My Catholic church has a wonderful music director. Some services are of the traditional solemnity variety, and others are of the more modern, energetic type. It’s not exactly rock music, but it’s the peppy sort that makes you feel like the entire congregation has suddenly been made honorary cast members of _Godspell_. She does a remarkable job of matching the genre of the music to the overall tone of the Mass. Of course, Catholics probably have it a little easier, we know what’s coming up pretty far in advance. 😉 The other remarkable thing she accomplishes is incorporating a variety of musical styles. The congregation is made up of people from very diverse heritages, and she does her homework and finds interesting examples from different musical traditions, and then brings in say, West African drummers or a Native American flutist or a Celtic harpist (harpist? that looks wrong. harp player?) a few times during the year. This system seems to keep everyone happy. It adds another element of excitement to going to church. We do not have PowerPoint. The supplemental music \* a ditto\* that is passed out at the beginning of the service. Dittos lend an excellent note of Catholic hard line traditionalism to any service, IMHO 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2001, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992/24 "2001-05-31T04:26:39Z")
> [@](#): > > Catholic’s aren’t as unhip as we once were. “My buddy Jesus,” huh Lsura? 🙂 I’m a staunch atheist. I think the whole religion thing is a steaming pile of political, power-mad, paternalistic poo. If religion dropped off the face of the planet tomorrow, I’d take the day off and drink a lot of beer. Wait. I’m liable to do that anyway. I digress. Religion = baaaaad. That said, I love religious music, especially the somber, monolithic Latin liturgies of the Catholics, the “high, lonesome sound” of that good ol’ Appalachian religious music, and the toe-tapping, entrancing black, Southern gospel. The mix CD I’m listening to right now has Jeff Buckley’s version of “the Corpus Christi Carol” (I KNOW it’s not really ancient, it just sounds that way,) the Blind Boys of Alabama doing “Amazing Grace” to the tune of “House of the Rising Sun,” Hank Williams doing “I Saw the Light” (incidentally, I saw Willie Nelson end his show with this tune a couple of weeks ago. Stunning,) and “Angel Band,” from the “O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack.” Whatever the inspiration is for this music, it’s grand and powerful, and almost makes me a believer, just for the period of time that I’m singing along, wailing “I’ll Fly Away” or “May the Circle be Unbroken.” It’s wonderful. It raises the hair on the back of my neck. It makes me lift up my voice to sing. The emotion is real, the yearning is genuine, even if the religion behind it is not. I guess I’m enough of a Southerner, too, that this music is imprinted on my bones. Most of it, indeed, might as well be genetically heritable. I believe I popped out of the womb knowing how to sing and tap to “John the Revelator.” By and by, Lord. By and by. ---
**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2001, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992/25 "2001-05-31T05:19:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Homer \* > \*\*Lord of the Dance kicks ass, so does this other one… I forget how it goes, but I remember I liked it, and it’s hymn number. Wish I could remember a line… It’s about how people might be called on when they least expect it… something about “Here I am Lord/If You need me” or something like that. \*\* If this is the song I’m thinking of, we sang it at _every single_ school Mass. Let’s see if I can remember it… “I the Lord of sea and sky, I have heard my people cry, All who dwell in dark and sin My hand will save. I who made the stars of night, I will make their darkness bright. Who will bear my light to them, Whom shall I send? Here I am, Lord, Is it I, Lord? I have heard you calling in the night. I will go, Lord, If you lead me…” And I can’t remember the last line of the chorus, or any of the other verses. But then I haven’t actually heard it in four years… 😃 Oh, and we did “Lord of the Dance” a lot, too. And “On Eagle’s Wings.” Ginger, I sang in the Faure Requiem once – it’s wonderful. (Though my favorite Requiem setting is Verdi’s. I’d _love_ to sing that.) Ogre, I’m also fond of the Corpus Christi Carol, if the song I’m thinking about is the one you’re talking about. “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” also kicks ass. delphica, another choral piece I’ve sung in is Hatfield’s Missa Brevis, which uses folk motifs from different parts of the world – my favorite is the _Sanctus_ which is based on folk melodies from the Andes. Oddly, we never get to hear any of this cool religious music in church… 😕 ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2001, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992/26 "2001-05-31T05:43:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Katisha \* > **Ginger, I sang in the Faure Requiem once – it’s wonderful.** I was to sing the **Pie Jesu** from Faure’s **Requiem** for an audition to the Opera Society in Calgary. Sadly, due to a family tragedy I couldn’t make the audition. It still bounces around in my head, 15 years later. I also have a soft spot in my heart for the **Ave Maria** , Schubert’s version. In Latin, of course! I’ve sung it at so many weddings, but it’s still my all-time favourite. Ah heck I’m singing it now as I type. I’m so odd. Another one that comes to mind now that I’m thinking of it, “Sing a New Song unto the Lord, let your songs be sung from mountains High…” I think that’s Fr. Carey Landry, but I’m such a bad Catholic that I don’t even remember all of the words to the Creed without being there and having the congregation help my memory along. Oh oh and “Seek Ye First” with the soaring harmonies in the chorus… joy! Ah well, after all, what’s the line? Make a joyful noise unto the Lord? ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2001, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992/27 "2001-05-31T05:45:11Z")
Here is the song I mean, Katisha. It turns out, after a brief web search, that it indeed dates back to 1500. I was under the impression (actually, I heard Jeff Buckley say outright) that it was written in the 1940’s after the style of medieval music. Guess he was mistaken. > [@](#): > > CORPUS CHRISTI CAROL > > Down in yon forest there stands a hall, > The bells of Paradise I heard them ring; > It’s covered all over with purple and pall [so tall] > And I love my Lord Jesus above any thing. > > In that hall there stands a bed, > It’s covered all over with scarlet so red. > > At the bedside there lies a stone > Which the sweet Virgin Mary knelt upon. > > Under that bed there runs a flood [river] > The one half runs water, the other runs blood. > > At the foot of the bed there grows a thorn > Which ever blooms [blows] blossoms since He was born. > > Over that bed the moon shines bright, > Denoting our Saviour was born on this night. May/Will/Can the Circle Be Unbroken is fantastic, but I’ve seen the title under all three words. Which is correct? ---
**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2001, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992/28 "2001-05-31T06:29:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GingerOfTheNorth \* > **I also have a soft spot in my heart for the Ave Maria, Schubert’s version. In Latin, of course! I’ve sung it at so many weddings, but it’s still my all-time favourite. > Ah heck I’m singing it now as I type. I’m so odd.** Yeah, I really like that one, though it’s too high for me. 🙂 My favorite _Ave Maria,_ though, is Vittoria’s – it’s so ethereal. (When I was in high school it was traditional for the senior glee club to sing this at graduation – it was really effective.) > [@](#): > > \*\*Another one that comes to mind now that I’m thinking of it, “Sing a New Song unto the Lord, let your songs be sung from mountains High…” \*\* I don’t know “Seek Ye First,” but I do know “Sing a New Song.” Can’t remember who wrote it, though. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Ogre_ > **Here is the song I mean, Katisha. It turns out, after a brief web search, that it indeed dates back to 1500. I was under the impression (actually, I heard Jeff Buckley say outright) that it was written in the 1940’s after the style of medieval music. Guess he was mistaken.** That’s the one. Actually, there’s a variation on the text in the Norton Anthology of Poetry, with a chorus that goes _Lully, lullay, lully, lullay, The falcon hath stolen my make away._ And there’s some other stuff about a wounded knight and whatnot. There’s also a footnote about an allegorical interpretation dating back to the reign of Henry VIII (the ffalcon is supposed to be Anne Boleyn) but I don’t think I buy that. I believe it’s “_Will_ the Circle be Unbroken.” At least, it is on the recording I have. (Incidentally, the sequel to _Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry_ is called _Let the Circle Be Unbroken,_ but the actual song title is mentioned in the book.) ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2001, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992/29 "2001-05-31T10:28:52Z")
Katisha, Nope, thats not the one. The one you are thinking of is “Here I am, Lord”. The lyrics to the song they are talking about begin with: Dance, Dance, where ever you may be, I dont know any more. Strangely enough, We would have to sing that at every school mass aswell. Some things remain the same, no matter what side of the Atlantic you are 😉 And By the way, there is nothing Irish about a guy from Chicago wearing a Jackie Stallone Headband and dancing the Flamenco. ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2001, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992/30 "2001-05-31T11:50:55Z")
Yeah, we have a contemp service that attracts almost no-one. The problem with the worst contemp music is that it lacks a scriptural base. 10 years from now it will sound ludicrous while the traditional stuff will sound traditional and eternal (oh yeah, and scriptural). It is also less fulfilling musically than the traditional hymns. Problem with the contemp service itself is that it lacks portions that the traditional service has, like confession. Further, assuming that the contemp service is an entry point for church membership, there is no plan for how to move new attendees from the contemp to full membership. IMHO, the contemp service is an extended junior sermon. ---
**Author:** ![dlb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@dlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dlb)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2001, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992/31 "2001-05-31T12:14:34Z")
Yes, most “praise and glory” music is “boring and nauseas.” What can I say. As a minor hijack, is anyone else bored to tears with the so-called “Christian” music as a genre? When I run across it on the radio, I have to fight immediate sleepiness. I think the stuff should be banned from the airwaves; it promotes accidents from people falling asleep at the wheel. Yes, I know Amy Grant made the transition, and she has some good songs under her belt. But I mean really, most of that stuff is soporific at best. Where is the divine law that says when you start writing music about God after 1900 you have to rob it of any power or interest? (Well, maybe 1940 — Ralph Vaughn Williams wrote some really great hymns for the Episcopal hymn book). ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2001, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992/32 "2001-05-31T13:07:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rastahomie \* > \*\*And to my atheist & non-Christian friends: do you find spiritual music moving on a strictly emotional level? That is, does Charlotte Church singing _Pie Jesu_ bring you to tears, even though you don’t identify with what she’s singing about? \*\* Yes, Charlotte Church singing _Pie Jesu_ brings me to tears – but probably not for the reasons you mean. As I’m not a fan of either Ms. Church (and her appalling vocal technique) or Lord Lloyd Webber (urgh), the combination of the two is too glurgerific for my system. However that has nothing to do with my agnosticism, merely my tastes in music. My sacred music tastes run towards the traditional – Latin texts, solemnity and grace – or to the sort of Gospel music that has you on your feet and hollering in the aisles. To me, all this happy-clappy post-Vatican II stuff is the musical equivalent of Prozac – it makes you feel better, but there’s nothing real about it. It’s a shallow communion. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Ukelele Ike_ > Yes, of course. Good music is good music, whether it’s written for the Greater Glory of an Anthropomorphic Paternalistic God or in honor of your hounddog Blue. I happen to be listening to Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius on the 'puter CD player at the moment. _Now_ you’re talking. You can’t stand in the middle of a choir of 150 singing _Praise to the Holiest_ and not be moved. One of the finest moments of my life, as a matter of fact. Really, I’m not trying to denigrate other people’s musical tastes, and I recognize that YMMV in terms of what gets you into the spirit. But I see all these people who think that modulating up a half-step is the epitome of holy rapture, and I think: is that really all there is to it? ---
**Author:** ![Falcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/49beb7/32.png) [@Falcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Falcon)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2001, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992/33 "2001-05-31T13:20:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TwistofFate \* > \*\*Katisha, > > Nope, thats not the one. The one you are thinking of is “Here I am, Lord”. The lyrics to the song they are talking about begin with: > Dance, Dance, where ever you may be, > I dont know any more.\*\* However, I do…chorus is: Dance, dance whereever you may be, I am the Lord of the Dance, said he, And I’ll lead you all, whereever you may be, I will lead you all in the dance said he. Personally, I always hated the song. Any song where you sing that “they whipped and they stripped, and they hug him high, and left him there on a cross to die” in the most UPBEAT way just creeps me out. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2001, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992/34 "2001-05-31T17:06:26Z")
Katisha, Not to belabor a point, but the 1935 Carter Family recording of the song that I have is very plainly “Can the Circle Be Unbroken,” so a definitive song title seems to be…unclear, to say the least. ---
**Author:** ![Tygr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df788c/32.png) [@Tygr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tygr)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2001, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992/35 "2001-05-31T18:02:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Falcon \* > \*\*Any song where you sing that “they whipped and they stripped, and they hug him high, and left him there on a cross to die” in the most UPBEAT way just creeps me out. \*\* Yes, but **Falcon** , you must understand, you simply can’t be a good Catholic if you forget _for one minute_ that Christ _suffered_ and _died_ because of _what YOU did!_ Personally, that’s why I’m a Lutheran. We’re Catholic Lite®! All of the Savior, only one-third of the guilt!™ :D[sub]Please don’t flame me, that was all a joke. Well most of it was. [/sub] Actually I LOVE “Lord of the Dance” because of the first verse: _I danced in the morning when the earth was begun and I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun_ A beautifully lyrical paraphrasing of John 1, my favorite chapter of the Gospels. (And thank you **zgystardst** for the link! I’ve been looking for that info for ages.) And I think you guys just might have helped me finally formulate the reason I can’t get into Christian Rock. It’s not reverent enough. It just doesn’t communicate the awesome majesty of the Creator like Beethoven, Bach, or Handel do. I love hearing _Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring_ on the organ during the prelude to worship. **Ginger** - I’m getting a kick out of reading yer posts. “Seek Ye First” is one hymn I will often sing aloud to myself. And you’re right, hearing people sing the harmonies in the chorus is beautiful. **Katisha** - the last line of the chorus to “Here I am” is ‘I have heard you calling in the night.’ I guess to me “Here I am” and “Lord of the Dance” are more campfire songs in my mind. We do have a musical liturgy that we use sometimes in church (although it, too, is more often used on camp retreats) but it’s very “folksie”, and I find the rythms to be very odd and it seems to throw off the pacing of the service for me. But maybe that’s because I grew up Episcopal, and went to services at the church that was built along with the Biltmore House by George Vanderbilt. The building is similar to European cathedrals, so the service always had an inherently reverential tone to it anyway. Not much emotional exuberance - once our minister, in a fit of frustration at our lack of feeling, referred to us as “God’s Frozen People”. Guess you just don’t run across too many Charismatic Episcopalians. 🙂 Now, y’all 'scuse me while I go try to download some Gregorian Chants from Napster. Now THERE’S solemn, reverential music. ---
**Author:** ![Opengrave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/919ad9/32.png) [@Opengrave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Opengrave)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2001, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992/36 "2001-06-01T21:43:15Z")
rastahomie Our church realy tries to make everyone comfortable. We are a fully ‘modern’ church with PowerPoint Slides, Dramas, the whole bit. One thing our musical bunch does is take traditional hyms and re-arrange them to be more modern. It makes the old timers feel sort of at-home because of familiar lyrics but makes the younger crowd happy because no one feels like they have to suffer through the same old hyms for the 1000th time. ---
**Author:** ![Scotticher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Scotticher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scotticher)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2001, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992/37 "2001-06-01T22:03:09Z")
Our church doesn’t sing enough of the old hymns to suit me, but we do still sing at least one each service. The radio station I listen to, though, plays lots of hymns. Mostly sung by contemporary artists. I love that…Twila Paris and Eden’s Bridge sing lots of the old ones. They are so beautiful…and I really like the new arrangements. But many of the contemporary songs are wonderful, and soul-inspiring, also. Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael English are currently my favorites, along with Eden’s Bridge. ---
**Author:** ![eunoia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eunoia/32/97_2.png) [@eunoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eunoia)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2001, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992/38 "2001-06-02T00:51:15Z")
**My Favourite Hymn** _The mass is ended All go in peace We must diminish And Christ increase…_ It’s over? Lord be praised! On the other hand, as the station manager of my college station, I got a lot of pressure to cut the Christian contemporary DJ from the rotation. I credit my strict Catholic upbringing with giving me the sense of justice to evaluate him as one of the better broadcasters at the station regardless of the music he played. I remember being really stoned one morning and hearing him play a song called (I think) Trumpets of Jesus. I laughed so hard that the Mountain Dew I was drinking squirted out of my nose. Verily, the Lord works in mysterious ways. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2001, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992/39 "2001-06-02T01:54:58Z")
**Tygr** , you can’t get kicks outta me. Silly Rabbi, kicks are for trids! :rolleyes: pardon me, I’m so ashamed. That’s the _second_ time this week… Does anyone remember this one? “Make me a channel of your peace where there is hatred, let me sow your love where there is injury, your pardon, Lord and where there’s doubt true faith in You” Am I the only one here who was involved with the “Search” and “Live-In” societies? This could be why I think the ‘new’ stuff all sounds better with an acoustic guitar. Ok, so now we all know. Ginger is a conundrum. Can’t make up her mind between old and new, sacred and profane. Although this thread has knocked the Lita Ford right outta my confused brain. I’m gonna blame it on the high altitude and thinner air. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by TwistOfFate:_ > **And By the way, there is nothing Irish about a guy from Chicago wearing a Jackie Stallone Headband and dancing the Flamenco.** HAHAHAHAAAAA! I LOVE YOU! ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2001, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992/40 "2001-06-02T02:01:34Z")
[Bad Joke] A preacher decided to preach a sermon against the evils of drinking. So Sunday morning comes, and he preaches a sermon full of fire and brimstone, and thoroughly convinces the congregation of the evils of the demon rum. His rousing conclusion goes like this: “If God gave me all of the beer in the world right now, I’d go dump it in the river!” \ **Amen!** “And if God gave me all of the wine in the world right now, I’d go dump it in the river!” \ **Amen!** “And finally, if God gave me all of the whisky in the world right now, I’d go dump it in the river!” \ **Amen!** He sits down, and the music director looks at him sheepishly. The minister motions for him to go on. So the music director turns to the congregation and says, "Let’s sing our closing hymn, #435, “_Shall We Gather at the River?_” [/Bad Joke] 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992.md?page=3)