Music and the Devil
Celebrating 500 years of the Lutheran hymnal
Published in
Dec 30, 2024
This year marked the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran hymnal. In Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther, author Roland Herbert Bainton quotes the denomination’s founder on the subject of music:
“I have no use for cranks who despise music, because it is a gift of God. Music drives away the Devil and makes people gay [. . .] Next after theology I give to music the highest place and the greatest honor.”
Luther wrote many hymns himself, and they’ve been a subject of great interest to me, raised in the Methodist Church as I was and thus accustomed to more of a focus on hymns by John and Charles Wesley, who lived two centuries later. Part of what I have sought in worship is participation in this heritage: We sing songs 500 years old.
