 Posted Monday, August 15, 2011 9:46 AM
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Yesterday at church (Evangelical Presbyterian) we sang the hymn "Onward Christian Soldiers". It took me back to my childhood CS church where we often sang that hymn. I wondered, though, if the CS version of verse 2 was changed: At the sign of triumph Satan's host doth flee; on then, Christian soldiers, on to victory! Hell's foundations quiver at the shout of praise; brothers, lift your voices, loud your anthems raise.
I got rid of my CS hymnal. Can someone who has one post the CS words to this hymn?
Thanks,
Polarbear
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Posted Monday, August 15, 2011 12:31 PM
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Hi Polarbear. I don't remember singing that hymn at all, but then it's been a long time.
Here is a link that may be useful. You can look through the hymnal, or do a search:
http://www.archive.org/stream/christianscienc00socigoog#page/n6/mode/2up
Hope that works.
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Posted Monday, August 15, 2011 12:35 PM
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Okay, looks like that link didn't work. Try this:
http://www.archive.org/details/christianscienc00socigoog
Click on 'read online' on the left side. This is from the American Libraries website, in case you just need to google it.
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Posted Monday, August 15, 2011 4:43 PM
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Thanks, dawn comes. I did some more searching and found the words on this site: http://alternate-healing-science-christian.ca/christian_science/christianscientist/christian-science-hymnal/0197.html
They completely skipped the second verse.
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Posted Wednesday, August 17, 2011 10:05 PM
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Some time ago I started a thread, "CS Hymnal & spiritualized lyrics."
[url=http://www.christianway.org/forums/Topic4114-15-1.aspx][/url]
You might check that out. For that matter, a moderator might fold the above posts into it.
Consider also, "Rock of Ages, cleft for me"....vs...."Rock of Ages, 'Truth divine'"....??!!
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Posted Thursday, August 18, 2011 8:06 AM
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Posted Thursday, August 18, 2011 8:28 AM
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Consider also, "Rock of Ages, cleft for me"....vs...."Rock of Ages, 'Truth divine'"....??!!
ETC., ETC., and ETC.
Dear All,
What's the big deal, folks?
If Mary Baker Eddy and Christian Science can change the clear definitions of english words and totally misrepresent what the Bible and its authors have to say, then what's wrong rewriting a few lyrics on standard hyms to make them "fit" Christian Science also?
Of course, the Bible was written thousands and hundreds of years ago and is therefore "full of errors", which MBE didn't straighten out until 1866 years later.
The same could never be said about the hymns cited and others, however. They were all composed recently from a historical standpoint. The authors meaning was clear. They used words as they are defined in the dictionary. People read and sang them with those same meanings (kinda' a common sense thing!)
In short, MBE and TMC may have the power to change the words and their meaning in the hymns. They do not have the right to do so. (Or to put it another way, they may have the legal authority
to change the words, but they have no moral authority to do so.)
One more thing: when someone refers to the "spiritualizing" of the words, I automotically subsitute a word I like better. It's called lying.
Best wishes always,
John
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Posted Thursday, August 18, 2011 12:27 PM
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John,
Exactly. It seems so bizarre to me now, and it is hard for me to believe that when I was still in CS I didn't think a thing of it!
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Posted Thursday, August 18, 2011 2:01 PM
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I've visited Unitarian-Universalist churches a few times, and they have their own re-writes. There's an old gag (U.U.'s love it, really!):
"Why are Unitarians often poor at singing hymns?"
Because they're always checking the verses coming ahead, to make sure they're gender-free and politically correct!
For that matter, the few times I've been in liberal "mainstream" churches, I've noticed re-writes. References to "crusade" or "soldiers of Christ" are typically changed, along with gender pronouns and references.
Music is powerful--our brains actually re-structure according to it, and we are hit with a dopamine pleasure response to familiar music. So this is serious business. That's what makes the new CS hymnal controversial and critical. To the old guard, it's foreign and intrusive. If it keeps the young'uns in the church and attracts newcomers, then it will be ecclesiastically successful.
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