Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. Jeremiah 6:26
Last week during the time I was driving on the way to church, the gospel radio program played Gimme That Old Time Religion. I immediately started singing along. About halfway through it struck me that I was singing with Willie Nelson! Oh, well! I realize a lot of country singers have recorded this song. Our East Texas singer Gentlemen Jim Reeves sang and recorded it.
Some folks don’t seem to like the song. Maybe they think it a bit uncouth (gimme, ol’time, dyin’) and too repetitive (it can be made to go on forever). Nevertheless, it strikes a chord with me. I guess it depends what you think the “old time religion” is. The old-time religion based on the inspired and infallible Bible is good enough for me. The 8th stanza (in this setting) “It will do when I am dyin’” reminds me of the Baptist preacher who had veered off into the social gospel. Several years into his doctrinal backsliding he was called to the bedside of a dying man. He struggled to fit his social gospel to the man’s case. Soon he willingly jettisoned his new-fangled religion and gladly returned to the old-time gospel he had once preached. Afterward he resolved that a gospel that was no good for the dying was no good for the living. The theoretical bowed to the substantial. Yes, the old-time religion; the old-time gospel; the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; nothing but the blood of Jesus; will “do when I am dyin’.” Have not you, my Christian brothers and sisters, seen that it is so?
Gimme that old time religion
Gimme that old time religion
It’s good enough for me.
It was good for the Hebrew children
It was good for the Hebrew children
It’s good enough for me. [Refrain]
It was good for the prophet Daniel
It was good for the prophet Daniel
It’s good enough for me. [Refrain]
It was good for Paul and Silas
It was good for Paul and Silas
It’s good enough for me. [Refrain]
It was good for our mothers,
It was good for our mothers,
It’s good enough for me. [Refrain]
It was good for our fathers,
It was good for our fathers,
It’s good enough for me. [Refrain]
Makes me love ev’rybody,
Makes me love ev’rybody,
It’s good enough for me. [Refrain]
It will do when I am dyin’
It will do when I am dyin’
It’s good enough for me. [Refrain]
Gimme that old time religion
Gimme that old time religion
It’s good enough for me.
The above stanzas represent many that I have heard. There are more. A variation on the 2nd stanza “It was good for the Hebrew children” is to instead sing “It was tried in the fiery furnace.” This is a song that must be credited as “traditional” in both words and music. So far as I know, no one knows who wrote it. The oldest instance of a printing of it on Hymnary.org is 1886, found in The Highway Hymnal (Isaiah Reid, Geo. L. Brown, editors. Nevada, IA: The Highway Office, 1886, No. 308). It changes the main line slightly to “’Tis the old time religion.”
The song is bookended by the refrain “Gimme that old time religion,” which is also sung between each stanza. Lines can be spontaneously or carefully created to add more stanzas to the song. For example, “Makes me shout hallelujah” could fit nicely. Multiply times 3 and finish with “It’s good enough for me.”
Though the song strikes a chord with me and I like it, this must be moderated by the consideration of how well it can or will serve as a congregational worship song. It does not have the depth, breadth, and height of hymns like “When I survey the wondrous cross,” which type should be the main course of our singing. “Gimme that old time religion” better serves for times of family and social singing. Nevertheless, if we choose stanzas that are biblical, I think we can find a place for it in church, sparingly.
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