It's not that it's NEW. . .

Sometimes those of us who are more traditional in our approach to worship are criticized that we reject anything that is "new". We simply and automatically fail to stick with the times and get with the program.

This is not accurate. It is not that I dislike things that are new - I myself have dabbled in writing new hymns. Most "traditional" folks celebrated the release of a new hymnal. The thing we don't like is "junk" that we are told that we must like and use because it is new.

Think about TV shows for a moment. When they come out in the fall or the spring, how many of the shows are advertised before their release as "the hot, new show from ______". They are must watches - if you are to be hip and cool you've gotta see it. And yet, what happens to most of these shows - cancelled. And why? Because, they stink.

It's not that I am opposed to that which is "new" - if something is good, if it fits, if it is quality, then I am all for it. Great hymns have been written in almost every Century, and the 21st should be no exception. However, we are not bound, our focus should not be upon finding that which is "new" but rather that which is good. And the sad thing - if something is being done because it's "new" and because its the trendy, it's less like to be good.