tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461698464806055180.post6570288518282233932..comments2021-06-03T13:58:52.783-07:00Comments on Fine Tuning: Sing the Faith - The Small Catechism Set to MusicPhillip Magnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17841725361772353858noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461698464806055180.post-1127033929565544502008-09-05T19:39:00.000-07:002008-09-05T19:39:00.000-07:00I just got the CD and have listened to all the par...I just got the CD and have listened to all the parts at least once. Wonderful work, Phil! Your melodies are pleasant and have a timeless quality that will enable them to be used and enjoyed by Lutherans for a long, long time. The tunes lend themselves well to being performed in a variety of ways - soloist or group, children's or adult choir, male or female voices. I commend the singers on the CD for their lovely voices and their careful enunciation. <BR/><BR/>When I read the liner notes explaining the value of learning words through music, I thought of the story of Joachimsthal. Anything that helps us to have God's words and teachings solidly etched in our minds is highly valuable. Here's an excerpt from <A HREF="http://www.wels.net/cgi-bin/site.pl?1712&cxDatabase_databaseID=1&id=10216&magazine=Forward%20in%20Christ" REL="nofollow">an article in the WELS magazine <I>Forward in Christ</I></A>:<BR/><BR/>"It seems too easy to take the blessing of freedom to practice our religion for granted.<BR/><BR/>History can teach us not to take such blessings for granted. Almost 500 years ago, a group of families moved to where a mine had opened in the present-day Czech Republic. They named their new town Joachimsthal. The year after they founded their town, Martin Luther nailed the Ninety-Five Theses to the church door at Wittenberg, and the Reformation began.<BR/><BR/>The mining families all became Lutheran. They opened and supported two Lutheran elementary schools, one for the boys and one for the girls. They supported a number of pastors in a large congregation that contained, at its peak, 5,000 mining families.<BR/><BR/>Many of their legal and church records have been preserved, and their story is told in the book <I>Singing the Gospel</I> by Christopher Boyd Brown. What is striking is the documented evidence of each family being sure that the children learned Bible accounts, Luther's Small Catechism, Lutheran worship, and in particular, the words of dozens of Lutheran hymns.<BR/><BR/>What happened when the town lost the freedom of religion is also striking. After imperial armies took over the territory and banned Lutheranism, a priest named Franciscus Albanus was sent to the village. He had his doctoral degree from a college where they trained men to oppose the unconditional gospel. Franciscus Albanus worked hard in Joachimsthal. But the children under his care told him the truths of the Bible as they had learned them in Luther's Small Catechism. The men and women of the village patiently insisted on forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus as their Savior. And the families sang Lutheran hymns in public and private. Even armies could not stop the singing.<BR/><BR/>Albanus was forced to begin reading through the Lutheran theological volumes stored in the Joachimsthal library in order to 'strike the people with their own sword, and convince them out of their own writings.'<BR/><BR/>Instead, he himself was convinced by the Holy Spirit. Albanus resigned from the priesthood and became a Lutheran pastor.<BR/><BR/>May the Lord bless our own efforts at thorough Christian education in our homes and around the world so that even in the hardest times our children remain strong in the faith, testifying to Jesus throughout all generations."<BR/><BR/>This musical catechism has the potential to be a crucial tool in our circles for Christian education that endures. All this in an $8 CD? What a bargain.Cindy R.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17639370291865261582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461698464806055180.post-82302005934905958402008-08-23T04:47:00.000-07:002008-08-23T04:47:00.000-07:00Thanks for writing this, Pastor. Phil would be hap...Thanks for writing this, Pastor. Phil would be happy to buy you that drink! One note, however--he was paid up front on a stipend basis for his work on the catechism songs and is receiving no further remuneration based on sales. So while we love hearing about how well Phil's work is being received, at this point our joy is purely the result of knowing all his efforts are furthering the goal of passing along the faith to the next generation.Cherylhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04817680463922038375noreply@blogger.com