Dear Gunnar, No you don’t have to like the hymns. And yes, you do need to sing them—hopefully in approximate tune and rhythm with the rest. It’s an excellent exercise in humility. The peace of the Lord, Eugene Dear Gunnar, So your friends are trying to turn you into a religious consumer, are they, inviting you to their wonderful churches where so much exciting stuff is going on? I would resist it. You’re better off sticking with what you started out with at your Christian re-entry—the “smallest and nearest church.” It’s still my standard counsel in churchgoing. Of course, I’d admit exception, but not for the reasons your friends are setting out. Those several dozen phlegmatic Norwegians, dozing under the liturgical inexpertness of your young pastor, are as good company as any with whom to listen to God’s word and worship his holy name. Where did all this frenzy in “looking for good church" get started anyway? Certainly not from any passion for holy obedience among the “least of these my brethren.” This church-shopping mentality, where we expect to find a flavor to suit every taste, is spiritually destructive. I don’t see any good coming out of church worship that caters to our taste in worship. The peace of the Lord,