Hymns: Effective Carriers of Christian Doctrine By Paul S. Jones

Quoting Paul S. Jones . . .
The average college freshman today, who has attended church all of his life, is acquainted with twenty hymns or fewer; some know none at all. This is more than sad; it is tragic. Robert Rayburn, founding President of Covenant Theological Seminary, encountered that same kind of folly fifty years ago.
He wrote of the then-popular 'gospel song' [genre]:
"It is not just the poverty of the gospel song as an instrument of praise that is of serious concern. It is the woeful ignorance which Christians today demonstrate with regard to the almost inexhaustible riches of sacred song which are theirs in the great hymns which have come down through the centuries. A good hymnbook is the repository of the deepest devotion of the saints of the ages. It's treasures are priceless. Next to the bible a good hymn book is a Christian's greatest devotional guide. Yet many Christians will spend money readily for daily devotional readings which are far inferior to the great poetry of the hymnbook."
Hymns have always been effective carriers of Christian doctrine, and without their definitive presence our collective theological understanding has become shallower. But this should not surprise us if we take a good hard look at ourselves. In the postmodern, post-Christian age in which we live, worship and the music of corporate worship in evangelical churches have both followed the relativistic path of our culture.
From:
Singing and Making Music