The most un-PC hymn of all time?

[Southern Comfort]

As we begin our Lenten penitential observance, I offer this, from the General section of the Westminster Hymnal (1939 edition):

214

FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS

1 O God, whose Spirit brought again
into one Church at Pentecost
races and tongues ─ a world of men,
to Adam born, in Adam lost;
while earthly dreams and fancies stale,
thy kingdom come, thy truth prevail.

2 Christians at Peter’s throne unite;
from Israel’s eyes the veil unfold;
the minds of rulers frame aright
whose laws thy Church in bondage hold;
where faith grows dim and hearts are frail,
thy kingdom come, thy truth prevail.

3 Where the false Prophet’s breed obey
the old grim law that knows not ruth;
where eastern sages preach the Way,
despairing still of life and truth;
where the spent lamps of Bramah pale;
thy kingdom come, thy truth prevail.

4 And where, unvanquished through the years
by light more favoured eyes have seen,
witchcrafts abound, and slavish fears,
and crooked faiths, and rites unclean;
where dying souls dead gods bewail,
thy kingdom come, thy truth prevail.

5 And we, so filled with rays from heaven,
we, the spoilt children of thy grace,
lest we, to whom so much is given,
our high apostleship debase,
in Christian hearts that faint and fail,
thy kingdom come, thy truth prevail.

[R. A. KNOX, 1888-1957]

Set to the tune COLCHESTER by S.S.Wesley (which I was unfamiliar with ─ it will also work with the tune of "O bread of heaven").

Just the thing to begin an inter-religious dialogue meeting.....not!

Any other nominations?

[presbyter]

[R. A. KNOX, 1888-1957]

LOL!!!! Look at who wrote it!

Does anyone know if the assembly will be singing this at the forthcoming Papal Mass to Beatify Cardinal Newman?

[contrabordun]

I doubt it. The hymn may appear irreproachably Church Triumphant, but did you notice that capitalisation of the word "Prophet"? Knox was obviously a closet oecumanic.

[presbyter]

In the light of current UK legislation on religious tolerance, I am now wondering if it would be legal to sing this!

[Peter]

If SC is commending to us hymns with stresses such as:

1 ... inTO one Church...

2 ChristIANS at Peter’s throne unite...

3 Where THE false Prophet’s breed obey
the OLD grim law that knows not ruth;
...
where THE spent lamps of Bramah pale.

4 ...
witchCRAFTS abound, and slavish fears,
...

5 ...
we, THE spoilt children of thy grace,

... then I don't see how he can complain about "a daily offeRING of service TO the Servant King" in the work of a certain Mr Kendrick!

Though, of course, he is right - "a world of men" is very un-PC these days!

[Southern Comfort]

If SC is commending to us hymns with stresses such as:

1 ... inTO one Church...

2 ChristIANS at Peter’s throne unite...

3 Where THE false Prophet’s breed obey
the OLD grim law that knows not ruth;
...
where THE spent lamps of Bramah pale.

4 ...
witchCRAFTS abound, and slavish fears,
...

5 ...
we, THE spoilt children of thy grace,

No, he's not. He specifically mentioned the tune of O Bread of heaven, which doesn't have those mis-stresses (as opposed to mistresses ), unlike tunes such as Melita. The Wesley tune doesn't actually work either.

[Southern Comfort]

In the light of current UK legislation on religious tolerance, I am now wondering if it would be legal to sing this!

Precisely!

[Peter]

No, he's not. He specifically mentioned the tune of O Bread of heaven, which doesn't have those mis-stresses (as opposed to mistresses)

Agreed, it doesn't have those mis-stresses but it has plenty of others - in fact, even more!

1 O God, whose Spirit brought again
into one Church at Pentecost
races and tongues ─ a world of men,
to Adam born, in Adam lost;
while earthly dreams and fancies stale,
thy kingdom come, thy truth prevail.

2 Christians at Peter’s throne unite;
from Israel’s eyes the veil unfold;
the minds of rulers frame aright
whose laws thy Church in bondage hold;
where faith grows dim and hearts are frail,
thy kingdom come, thy truth prevail.

3 Where the false Prophet’s breed obey
the old grim law that knows not ruth;
where eastern sages preach the Way,
despairing still of life and truth;
where the spent lamps of Bramah pale;
thy kingdom come, thy truth prevail.

4 And where, unvanquished through the years
by light more favoured eyes have seen,
witchcrafts abound, and slavish fears,
and crooked faiths, and rites unclean;
where dying souls dead gods bewail,
thy kingdom come, thy truth prevail.

5 And we, so filled with rays from heaven,
we, the spoilt children of thy grace,
lest we, to whom so much is given,
our high apostleship debase,
in Christian hearts that faint and fail,
thy kingdom come, thy truth prevail.

I too was unfamiliar with Wesley's tune, which struck me as very forgettable. Maybe we should challenge the Composers' Group to come up with something more suitable, including references to the styles of music associated with each alternative faith challenged? ;-Q (nearest I can get to an emoticon for "tongue in cheek"!)

On a more serious note, I was reflecting that this is a negative aspect of the the line of thought that produced Faith of our Fathers, one of the hymns up on which I was brought at my Benedictine school in pre-VII days, along with grisly stories in history lessons of how the Forty Martyrs died gloriously defending the Faith. If we'd been frequently subjected to the above hymn as well as FooF, and if the monks teaching at the school had repeatedly exhorted us to go and blow ourselves up in crowded mosques with the promise of immediate entry to Heaven, how many of us at that impressionable age might have been taken in? It's a chilling reflection on the problems facing the world today and, as has been implied earlier, singing this hymn would be more likely to aggravate than solve those problems. Not only un-PC but dangerous!

[musicus]

On a more serious note, I was reflecting that this is a negative aspect of the the line of thought that produced Faith of our Fathers, one of the hymns up on which I was brought at my Benedictine school in pre-VII days, along with grisly stories in history lessons of how the Forty Martyrs died gloriously defending the Faith. If we'd been frequently subjected to the above hymn as well as FooF, and if the monks teaching at the school had repeatedly exhorted us to go and blow ourselves up in crowded mosques with the promise of immediate entry to Heaven, how many of us at that impressionable age might have been taken in? It's a chilling reflection on the problems facing the world today and, as has been implied earlier, singing this hymn would be more likely to aggravate than solve those problems. Not only un-PC but dangerous!

Well said.