[ohioWfan]

But, you wouldn't really be leaving for 'the music' per se. You would be leaving because of theological inconsistency, and lack of true worship in the church.

Our problem, I think, is similar to what we see in the rest of American culture. We are in a "feel good" society, and it has insidiously seeped into our churches.

The people in charge are '60's baby boomers who don't want to think too hard, and never want to use their minds in worship......only feelings.......thus the 'dumbing down' of our churches.

Your parallel between the National Prayer Service music selected by Laura, and the Inaugural pop style is apt, IMO. There aren't many worship services left that have the depth of the music that Laura selected, and that is a severe loss.

What's most problematic to me, though, is that children are growing up completely ignorant of hymnology, and theological depth, and their faith is weakened as a result. It's all part of a complex problem in the contemporary church, but music is a large part of it.

[Miss Marple]

The saddest thing to me is that these great old hymns are being lost to an entire generation. When I was a child, my parents did not go to church. I think that I was in church about 4 times between the ages of 2 and 12, always taken by my grandmother.

However, because I had a great public school music teacher, I learned lots of hymns, which were in my music book. I still can see the illustrations for Fairest Lord Jesus, Come Ye Thankful People Come, and O Little Town of Bethlemhem. Sadly, many children in churches do not know these hymns.

In another generation, if something doesn't change, these hymns will be as lost as the folk songs of France.