In case you’re wondering why we selected such a ragged hymn book to feature on the back cover of this issue, I think you should know that it is not just an ordinary hymnal. That little green book and I started out together at a tall player piano more than thirty-five years ago. Sister Gertie Gibbs, who was the pianist at the Branham Tabernacle in those days, bought it new and gave it to me not long after I started piano lessons. “Learn to play ‘Only Believe’ first,” she told me.
Many of the pages are dog-eared, and a few have been scribbled on. That’s because there were always favorites that we wanted to be able to turn to quickly whenever Dad would say “Who has a favorite song for us to sing tonight.” Actually I always had the last say, because whether or not we sang it depended on whether or not I could play it, and then (as now) my repertoire was fairly limited.
Mother always liked the slow songs, Sarah liked the fast ones. Joseph preferred any loud song, and Dad’s favorites were the “work” songs. “Work for the night is coming, Work through the morning hours,” he’d sing.
Writing the article “Music, Sound and Unsound” for this issue of Only Believe has made me realize just how much I miss those old hymns. The difference between the old songs and some of the new ones that are being sung in our churches today is like comparing the King James Version of the Bible with the New International Version. Somehow, the poetry is just not there.
I believe the subject of music must receive the serious consideration of every Message Believer today. For too long we have underestimated our adversary’s skill in that field. But ask yourself this question: If you were Satan, where would you launch your attack against the young people of this Message?
Let’s make sure our music is in harmony with the Word.
