Classic Hymns

by Anonymous

This next installment in the Read and Reflect series will dive into the lyrics of classic Christian hymns, and give the reader reflection questions, bible study questions, and prayer prompts based around the lyrics.

Genres: Devotional

248 pages, Hardcover

Published October 1, 2017

About the author

Books can be attributed to "Anonymous" for several reasons:

* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author

Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.

See also: Anonymous

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not exactly what I was expecting, as I was looking for more guided meditation on the hymn texts. But I did appreciate the selection of hymns from different eras of church history. There were several typographical errors, however, which were a bit of a distraction.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book got lost in the shuffle, and I just realized today I had never posted the review..... so here it is, late.



There are all kinds of Christian songs/music out there, but I personally feel nothing written today has the depth of the hymns. This book is a devotional using 90 hymns.



Each devotional in the book begins with the author and composer of the hymn and its music. That is followed by the lyrics to the hymn, a few Bible study questions, a few personal reflection questions, and a short prayer.



As I understand it, this book was written by the Broadman and Holman Editorial staff and edited by Lore Ferguson Wilbert. They did an excellent job on the book. The selection of hymns is very wide and varied, with many I know well and some that are not familiar to me. The Bible study and personal reflection questions are very insightful and geared to make the reader truly think and study, instead of just quickly reading and moving on.



It is different from most devotionals in that way. Most have the thoughts of the author or authors, whereas this one has the reader come up with their own thoughts.



I found the book to be very well done, and a useful tool to use. It helps draw insight from hymns, and also brings the old hymns back to mind.



Classic Hymns is available from Broadman and Holman Publishing.



Thanks to Broadman and Holman for the review copy.

[Michael Harshman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm guilty of it myself. You go to church and you sing those songs, but you don't really pay very close attention to the words that you are singing. It is an all-too-common scenario.

But with the songs that are out today (and this is just my opinion so take it as that), the depth of the lyrics only go so deep. Especially when you compare them to the old hymns and really look at the lyrics. There is very rich doctrine in those old classic hymns of so many years ago.

Classic Hymns is a book that is part of B&H Publishing's Read & Reflect With the Classics series. It takes 90 of the old hymns that often are lost today and combines them with Scripture and devotional material to make for a very rich personal devotion time.

Each chapter is devoted to a specific hymn (90 in total) and at the end, there are 3 or 4 Bible study questions, and 3 or 4 Personal Reflection questions followed by some guidance for prayer based on your studies and reflection time.

If you love the old hymns, or maybe have hardly ever heard them before, I would highly encourage you to get a copy of this book. It will either rekindle or give you a new love and appreciation for the old hymns, but more importantly, for the One who these hymns were written about.

B&H Publishing provided me a copy of this book in exchange for my open and honest review.

[Bob Priest · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all this book turned out to not be what I expected. I assumed it would be a devotional book. By that I mean I expected to read the hymn then a devotional. Instead what I realized is the lyrics are the devotional. This was actully a pleasant suprise. After the lyrics there are study questions. To the book's credit the first question is a bible passage relevant to the hymn. This is followed by some initial questions, personal reflection questions, and finally a prayer.

I am using this to lead our worship team in devotions before Sunday Service. It has been encouraging to read the hymn as prose instead of the printed music version. It is a refreshing perspective and aids in using the text to reflect on great truths as well as to use to teach.

While I wish there were background notes behind the hymn those are easy to find these days. This is a great resource to revisit classic hymns or get a new look into some great yet overlooked writings in the church today. I also loked forward to learning some new old hymns along the way.

Note: The publisher provided a copy for review.

[Jason Park · Rating 4 out of 5]

A terrific devotional for the hymn-lover with deep biblical insights. Here’s my full review: https://medium.com/p/ea8229b9f736?sou...