Here's an interesting question: Why the HELL are America the Beautiful and My Country tis of Thee is our United Methodist Hymnal? Just a thought...
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Monday, April 09, 2007
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About Me
- Brad
- Lift we then our human voices in the songs that faith would bring. Live we then in human choices lives that, like our music, sing.
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Why Aren't There More Patriotic Songs in Our Hymnal?
by Dean B. McIntyre
Occasionally someone asks The General Board of Discipleship, The United Methodist Publishing House, or InfoServ a question about patriotic hymns in our hymnal:
1. Why isn't the national anthem (or "God Bless America") in our hymnal?
2. Why aren't there more patriotic songs in our hymnal?
3. Will you add patriotic songs to the hymnal?
Sometimes the questions about our hymnal are asked with a considerable amount of hostility or anger, often coupled with an inference that The United Methodist Church and its agencies are lacking in patriotism or national pride. After all, some say, if they possessed any, these songs would be in our hymnal. Here are some points related to these questions and charges.
What's in Our Hymnal?
The following titles are listed under NATION in the topical index, page 948:
* 697, America (My country 'tis of thee)
* 696, America the Beautiful (O beautiful for spacious skies)
* 429, For Our Country (a prayer that may be applied to any nation, written by a 20th-century Japanese author)
* 698, God of the ages, whose almighty hand ("National Hymn") (Written to commemorate the USA's centennial in 1876 by a Civil War private who became an Episcopal priest, this hymn acknowledges God as leader, ruler, and guardian, and prays for peace and protection.)
* 519, Lift every voice and sing (A song of hope and faith with images derived from the experiences of African-Americans in the USA, many consider this their "national anthem.")
* 437, This is my song (a text of prayer for peace and hope that recognizes that other people in other nations have similar desires and needs)
To these some may wish to add:
* 575, Onward, Christian Soldiers (Often misunderstood as a military hymn, in reality it is a processional hymn for use in an Anglican religious festival, with language making clear the struggle is against Satan.)
* 717, The Battle Hymn of the Republic (Inspired by an abolitionist song, and composed as a response to slavery during the Civil War, it is sung today in celebration and anticipation of Christ's return and final victory.)
In addition to the above national and patriotic hymns, we must also note the collection of two dozen titles under the topical heading of WORLD PEACE that includes:
* 426, Behold a broken world
* 376, Dona nobis pacem
* 428, For the healing of the nations
* 178, Hope of the world
* 431, Let there be peace on earth
* 729, O day of peace that dimly shines
* 435, O God of every nation
* 437, This is my song
* 533, We shall overcome
* 442, Weary of all trumpeting
The following chart lists some of the hymns and songs contained in the four United Methodist and Methodist hymnals of the 20th century. The numbers next to each title indicate their presence in the following hymnals:
1. The Methodist Hymnal, 1905
2. The Methodist Hymnal, 1935
3. The Methodist Hymnal, 1966
4. The United Methodist Hymnal, 1989
* America — 1, 2, 3, 4
* America the beautiful — 2, 3, 4
* Battle hymn of the republic — -, -, 3, 4
* Eternal Father, strong to save (Navy Hymn) — -, 2, 3, -
* God of the ages (God of our fathers) — 1, 2, 3, 4
* Lift every voice and sing — -, -, -, 4
* This is my song — -, -, 3, 4
This shows that more of these hymns and songs are present in our current hymnal than in any prior hymnal of the 20th century.
What's Not in Our Hymnal?
In the messages sent to the General Board of Discipleship, only two titles have been specifically mentioned, asking why they were not included in the hymnal, or demanding they be added to the hymnal:
* The Star-Spangled Banner (national anthem)
* God Bless America
The national anthem (O Say, Can You See) is available on the General Board of Discipleship worship-preaching-music website.
It should be noted that neither of these titles were included in any of the four previously mentioned 20th-century Methodist hymnals. Reasons for the omission can now only be speculative, but in the case of the national anthem they include the following:
1. The national anthem is taught to every school child and is sung so often in civic events that there is little need to include it.
2. It is not a hymn or sacred song — it is a recounting through music of a military battle.
3. The national anthem is readily available in individual sheets and many, many collections.
4. The national anthem is rarely sung or used in churches or worship.
5. The hymnal is a collection for use by the global church, not just the USA.
In the case of "God Bless America," possible reasons for omission include:
1. It is written in a predominantly secular, popular song style more appropriate to Kate Smith, Rotary Clubs, and civic occasions than to sacred worship.
2. It is difficult and costly to obtain permission of the copyright holder.
3. Our current hymnal's contents were determined in part by requests from the entire church, and there were very few requests for its inclusion, compared to the thousands received in favor of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," for example.
How Does This Compare With Other Hymnals?
It may be useful to compare the contents of The United Methodist Hymnal with a few hymnals of other denominations in current use. The chart below shows the contents of songs and hymns of this type in several denominational hymnals currently in use. The numbers next to each title indicate their presence in the following hymnals:
1. The Baptist Hymnal, 1991
2. The [Episcopal] Hymnal, 1982
3. The Lutheran Book of Worship, 1978
4. The Presbyterian Hymnal, 1990
5. The United Methodist Hymnal, 1989
* The National Anthem — 1, 2, -, -, -
* God bless America — -, -, -, -, -
* America — 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
* America the beautiful — 1, 2, -, 4, 5
* Battle hymn of the republic — 1, -, 3, -, 5
* Eternal Father, strong to save (Navy Hymn) — 1, 2, 3, 4, -
* God of the ages (God of our fathers) — 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
* Lift every voice and sing — 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
* This is my song — -, -, -, -, 5
Will Songs Be Added to The United Methodist Hymnal?
Although possible, this will most likely not occur because the hymnal is an official publication of The United Methodist Church, which means that the decision to publish it and the final approval of its contents were by vote of the 1988 General Conference. To change the contents would take the action of a future General Conference, our highest legislative body, which meets only every four years (2000, 2004, 2008, etc.). The expense involved in adding new hymns and songs to the present hymnal would be immense. In addition, there is the problem of how to update the many thousands of hymnals now in church pews. What is more likely to occur is that some future General Conference will authorize a major revision of our present hymnal or the publication of an entirely new hymnal. This entire process would take at least eight years, possibly more.
Dean B. McIntyre (dmcintyre@gbod.org)is the Director of Music Resources for the General Board of Discipleship.
Copyright © 2001, 2005 The General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church, PO Box 340003, Nashville TN 37203-0003; telephone (615)340-7073; http://www.umcworship.org. Permission to reprint for local nonprofit church and education use is granted with the inclusion of this copyright citation.
Posted September 26, 2001. Revised May 2, 2005.
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