****MY RELIGION'S NOT OLD-FASHIONED

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There is an old country-western Gospel song that has been on my mind for a couple years. It was one of my mother’s favorites and I sang along with it on her record player when I was a child. 

For those of you who don’t know, records were what we used in the "old days" before eight tracks, which came before cassettes. Actually, records even pre-dated vinyl LPs (long play albums). They were made from slate.  Slate records were heavy, rigid, and fragile. They would shatter into pieces if dropped. Here’s a little record riddle for you; how many grooves are on a record? (Answer, Two; one on each side.)

These days when it seems that everyone is trying to dumb down or repackage Christianity to make it more attractive or relevant to a modern, enlightened, me-centered culture, it is comforting to know that there is nothing new under the Sun. This song was popular over a half-century ago and, apparently, they struggled then with the same slippery slope of liberalism and creeping modernism that is prevalent in Christianity today.

This song addresses the subject of TRUTH.  “What is Truth?  

That is an academic question that has been argued since creation when the serpent tempted Eve in the garden of Eden.  It comes up often in academic philosophy discussions.  After hours of debate, all the ignorant pinheads usually conclude that truth is fluid and relative; what is TRUTH for you, they say, may not be TRUTH for me.  And now, we are observing that in the classrooms of our children who are told that 2 plus 2 does not necessarily equal 4.

That kind of ignorant attitude recently surfaced in political media, when Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, said to President Trump, “I reject your facts.”

That’s nonsense!  Facts are facts; if they’re not true, they’re not facts.  And the answer to the question, “What is Truth?” is simple; Truth is that which is true.

The song, MY RELIGION'S NOT OLD-FASHIONED, was written by Stuart Hamblen and made popular by Hank Snow.  OK, so it's not one that I would normally select for use in church but there are several things I like about it.  

First- unlike a lot of "praise team instrumentalists," the singers knew how to play the guitar.

Second- you can hear the lyrics over the instruments and understand them without an interpreter.

Third- The melody is technically easy and recognizable (probably because there really is a melody).

Fourth- The lyrics are wholesome.

Fifth and most importantly- I like the song for its doctrinal soundness and its solid, conservative message about the immutable nature of TRUTH.

“All Truth is God’s Truth.”  And, the truth never changes because God is Truth and He never changes.  Jesus claimed that attribute to Himself when He said, “I am the Truth.” 

The songwriter begins by declaring that there is only one real religion.  That’s because there is only One true God and only one true way to salvation.  And God revealed that way through His Son, Jesus Christ who said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

The song goes on with a warning; we must be careful discerners of truth because there are many false teachers and prophets.  They stand behind pulpits, twist scripture, and speak beautiful words.  They will tell us that God didn’t really mean what the Bible tells us.  Those false preachers are snakes just like that serpent in the Garden and they will lead their followers to destruction.

Lots of people try to fit God into their own molds and practice religions that make them feel good.  But the One and Only True, Unchanging God has ordained an unchanging Gospel that still saves sinners today the same way He saved sinners in the past; by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone.   

 
You can hear it as originally recorded by Stuart Hamblen, on this video clip. I have reprinted the lyrics below:

MY RELIGION'S NOT OLD FASHIONED

There is but one real religion that redeems the sinners soul.

It's as timeless as the ages and it never will grow old.

My Lord gave the key to Thomas, "I'm the Way, the Truth, the Life,"

And that Way has never changed since He spoke the Words that night.

In this world of wild confusion, we are often led astray,

When we hear the words 'old fashioned' as men speak of God today.

My Lord doesn't deal in fashion, He's more timeless than the seas

And His Words still hold the power as they did in Galilee.

Some are prone to take the Bible and dilute the Words of Christ.

They admit He came here one time but He'll never make it twice.

Be not tempted by those "prophets" - He said such men would arise;

There is darkness in their teaching but there's life in Jesus Christ.

chorus

My religion's not old-fashioned but it's real genuine.

Two and two make four today as it did in my Lord's time.

Modern days don't make a difference you can't alter truth or time.

My religion's not old-fashioned but it's real genuine.

****MY HEAVENLY FATHER WATCHES OVER ME

This is an abbreviated account of the full story that first appeared in Homer Rodeheaver’s book, Song Stories of the Sawdust Trail, published in 1917.

Bobbie Steele was the only child in a non-Christian family.  He never heard anything about God except when his mother needed a disciplinary threat.  She would tell him that if he wasn’t good, God would punish him.

(At this point, I want to be clear.  Whenever parents make those kinds of threats, they are teaching their children a heresy that says God saves good people and He punishes bad people.  The truth is, we are all sinners by birth, by actions, and by choice, and we all deserve His eternal punishment.  But the Good News is, ”God demonstrates His love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8)

    

Bobbie loved his father. They worked together and they played together.  Whenever Bobbie was upset, his dad would comfort him by holding his big gold pocket watch up to his ear so he could hear the soothing sound of the ticking.

But all that ended abruptly, at an early age.  His father suffered a fatal injury at work and, as he was dying, he asked Bobbie, “You like my watch, don’t you, son?”

Bobbie answered, “You bet I do, Dad!”

Then his father gave the watch to him, laid his head back, and died.

Bob’s mother remarried an abusive man who mistreated him and took the watch for himself.   His mother was no help; she always sided with her husband and this time was no different; she let her husband have the watch.  That was when Bob grabbed it from him and ran away from home. 

He was able to find some work in the shipyards in Cleveland.  When a co-worker falsely accused him of theft, Bob whacked him on the head with a shovel.  Even though the man wasn’t seriously injured, Bob was sentenced to three years in prison for assault and battery.

After his release, he joined a gang of armed robbers and he began drinking.  He hooked up with a partner and they operated an illegal whiskey still.  When their operation was raided by revenue agents, his partner was shot dead, but Bob escaped.

During those years, he married a girl who knew nothing about his illegal activities.  When she gave birth to a daughter, Bob tried to stop drinking but it wasn’t long before he started again and this time the drinking was worse. He pawned his father’s gold watch to buy more liquor.  

Fed up with his drunkenness, his wife took their daughter and left him.

Bob was a no-good derelict.  He was hungry, sick, and without hope.   On one cold rainy night, he was huddled in a doorway and was thinking about committing suicide when he saw a large crowd gathering for a meeting down the street.  He thought if he could get inside, he could warm up a little. 

What Bob didn’t know is that he had stumbled into a gospel meeting.

Even though he was a little fuzzy-headed from his whiskey, he heard the Gospel preached by Billy Sunday, and he heard the crowd singing a song by William Martin. 

God saved Robert Steele that night.  And, like David, he could say, “The Lord…brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.” (Ps. 40:2).

A few days later Bob went to see his wife and told her all that had happened.  She tearfully welcomed him back into her arms and her life.  And with his family restored, they invited his widowed mother to live with them.

When his daughter began taking piano lessons, the first real song she learned to play was the one her father had heard the night he was saved; MY HEAVENLY FATHER WATCHES OVER ME.

O GLORIOUS LOVE

O GLORIOUS LOVE

If you ever sang in a church choir during the latter part of the 20th century, you are probably familiar with the works of John W. Peterson.

As the president of Singspiration Music Company, he compiled several hymnals, composed the words and music for over 1,000 gospel songs, and he wrote over 30, easy to sing, Christmas and Easter cantatas.  

Of all John W. Peterson’s songs, O GLORIOUS LOVE is my favorite. It is a simple worship song with a majestic feel that reminds us of God’s great love for us.  

In my darkness Jesus found me;

Touched my eyes and made me see;

Broke sin’s chains that long had bound me;

Gave me life and liberty!

(Refrain)

Oh, glorious love of Christ my Lord divine,

That made Him stoop to save a soul like mine.

Through all my days, and then in heaven above,

My song will silence never, I'll worship Him forever,

And praise Him for His glorious love.

Oh, amazing truth to ponder;

He whom angel hosts attend,

Lord of Heaven, God’s Son, what wonder;

He became the sinner’s friend!

“…God commendeth His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Rom. 5:8

I am surprised that this song never really became popular.  Here it is recorded by John's grandson, Scott Strader.