rewritten carols

[linda]

Church got rather hilarious today unintentionally.

Entire worship and praise team was very ill right before the service. Quick fix--a pianist who volunteered to play carols. Dug out the hymnals and figured we were set. Sound guy volunteered at absolutely the last second to use the net to put the words up on the screen for those hymnal averse.

Um, except the site he quickly went to has rewritten the carols. Gender neutral language inserted, references to sin must be eliminated, and of course the "old" words or even common "big" words must be replaced!

It wound up downright hilarious as we struggled along, some singing laud and some singing praise. Some were singing of a Savior who came to deal with our sin, others of a kind man who came to welcome us in. Some sang of the future of those who believe, others were singing of the calming release for kind folks who love.

I can't remember them all, but we sure got a good belly laugh and decided to ignore the screen.

But in one sense it is sad to see yet more dumbing down.

[Haruo]

Wish I knew what site was providing the Bowdler.

One of the most egregious such rewrites, and one where I doubt the liberals are to blame (though not 100% sure) is W. C. Dix's "What Child is this? "

Dix wrote, I believe, three four-line stanzas, but many editors of various ideologies have chosen to replace the last two lines of the second and third stanzas with a refrain consisting of the last two lines of the first stanza. The result is to reduce a theologically somewhat rich hymn to a relatively bland lullaby.

The full text found for example in the 2013 Presbyterian hymnal Glory to God or the notoriously modernizing, gender-and-class-leveling UCC New Century Hymnal (1995),

1. What child is this who, laid to rest
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The babe, the son of Mary.

2. Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
The cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The babe, the son of Mary.

3. So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,
Come peasant, king to own Him;
The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise the song on high,
The virgin sings her lullaby.
Joy, joy for Christ is born,
The babe, the son of Mary.

is a far cry from the weak version found in the 2008 (SBC) Baptist Hymnal or the 1990 Presbyterian Hymnal:

1 What Child is this, who, laid to rest,
On Mary's lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?

Chorus:
This, this is Christ, the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:
Haste, haste to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary!

2 Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christian, fear: for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.[Chorus]

3 So bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh,
Come, peasant, king to own Him.
The King of kings salvation brings;
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.[Chorus]

And for what it's worth, I was pleased to see that even though the JBC pew hymnal, Word's Celebration Hymnal, gives the weak, lullaby version, the praise band at Japanese Baptist last week sang/led a version that included the redemptive, incarnational themes of the full version.

[Dave Roberts]