Onward, Christian Pilgrims

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Onward, Christian Pilgrims
Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan.jpg
Sir Arthur Sullivan
Genre Hymn
TextDavid Wright
Meter6.5.6.5 D with refrain
Melody"St. Gertrude" by Arthur Sullivan

"Onward, Christian Pilgrims" is a 20th-century Christian hymn by David Wright. It was composed in 1982, is based on "Onward, Christian Soldiers", and was intended as a non-militaristic version of the earlier hymn.

Christians people who adhere to Christianity

Christians are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words Christ and Christian derive from the Koine Greek title Christós (Χριστός), a translation of the Biblical Hebrew term mashiach (מָשִׁיחַ).

Hymn type of song specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer

A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word hymn derives from Greek ὕμνος (hymnos), which means "a song of praise". A writer of hymns is known as a hymnodist. The singing or composition of hymns is called hymnody. Collections of hymns are known as hymnals or hymn books. Hymns may or may not include instrumental accompaniment.

Onward, Christian Soldiers 19th-century English hymn

"Onward, Christian Soldiers" is a 19th-century English hymn. The words were written by Sabine Baring-Gould in 1865, and the music was composed by Arthur Sullivan in 1871. Sullivan named the tune "St Gertrude," after the wife of his friend Ernest Clay Ker Seymer, at whose country home he composed the tune. The Salvation Army adopted the hymn as its favoured processional. The piece became Sullivan's most popular hymn. The hymn's theme is taken from references in the New Testament to the Christian being a soldier for Christ, for example II Timothy 2:3 (KJV): "Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ."

Contents

History

"Onward, Christian Soldiers" was written in 1865 and uses New Testament military metaphors of Christians as soldiers. [1] In the 1980s there was a growing movement against the notion of Christian military references, leading to some churches in the United States dropping it from their hymn books. [2] In the United Kingdom, after the Falklands War, David Wright attempted to revive "Onward, Christian Soldiers" as a pacifist hymn [3] while keeping its tune by writing "Onward, Christian Pilgrims" to the same tune. [4] Richard Ingrams informed the wider British public about the hymn. [5] [6] [7] The hymn was later included in Anglican hymn books from 1996. [8] [9] It also replaced "Onward, Christian Soldiers" in British crematorium hymn books because of concerns over "military imagery". [10] The hymn was popular with some members of the Church of England's clergy, with some clergy refusing to sing "Onward, Christian Soldiers" in favour of "Onward, Christian Pilgrims". [11]

New Testament military metaphors

The New Testament uses a number of military metaphors in discussing Christianity, especially in the Pauline epistles.

<i>Miles Christianus</i>

The miles Christianus or "milites Christi" is a Christian allegory based on New Testament military metaphors, especially the Armor of God metaphor of military equipment standing for Christian virtues and on certain passages of the Old Testament from the Latin Vulgate.

Falklands War War between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982

The Falklands War, also known as the Falklands Conflict, Falklands Crisis, Malvinas War, South Atlantic Conflict, and the Guerra del Atlántico Sur, was a ten-week war between Argentina and the United Kingdom over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands, and its territorial dependency, the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It began on Friday, 2 April 1982, when Argentina invaded and occupied the Falkland Islands in an attempt to establish the sovereignty it had claimed over them. On 5 April, the British government dispatched a naval task force to engage the Argentine Navy and Air Force before making an amphibious assault on the islands. The conflict lasted 74 days and ended with the Argentine surrender on 14 June 1982, returning the islands to British control. In total, 649 Argentine military personnel, 255 British military personnel, and three Falkland Islanders died during the hostilities.

Lyrics

Comparing the lyrics of "Onward, Christian Pilgrims" and "Onward, Christian Soldiers", the choruses differ in emphasis, as follows:

Refrain line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse

A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in poetry; the "chorus" of a song. Poetic fixed forms that feature refrains include the villanelle, the virelay, and the sestina.

"Onward, Christian Pilgrims""Onward, Christian Soldiers"

Onward, Christian Pilgrims,
Christ will be our light,
See the heav'nly vision,
Breaks upon our sight. [12]

Onward, Christian Soldiers,
Marching as to war,
With the Cross of Jesus,
Going on before. [13]

Criticism

"Onward, Christian Pilgrims" has been criticized as having been born out of a perceived need to change older hymns to be modernised or more politically correct. "Onward, Christian Pilgrims" is viewed as a politically correct version of "Onward, Christian Soldiers". [14] It was suggested in The Daily Telegraph newspaper that the new hymn was created because of a misreading of "Onward, Christian Soldiers" as being just a commemoration of militaristic Christianity. [4] Some members of the Church of England also objected to "Onward, Christian Pilgrims", which led to new hymn books being issued to certain parishes with "Onward, Christian Soldiers" replacing the new hymn in them. [15]

The term political correctness is used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in society. Since the late 1980s, the term has come to refer to avoiding language or behavior that can be seen as excluding, marginalizing, or insulting groups of people considered disadvantaged or discriminated against, especially groups defined by sex or race. In public discourse and the media, it is generally used as a pejorative, implying that these policies are excessive or unwarranted.

<i>The Daily Telegraph</i> British daily broadsheet newspaper

The Daily Telegraph, commonly referred to simply as The Telegraph, is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was founded by Arthur B. Sleigh in 1855 as Daily Telegraph & Courier.

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References

  1. ↑ Smith, James Edward (2009). God's Church Made Simple. Lulu.com. p. 44. ISBN   0557135710.
  2. ↑ Goldman, Ari L. (1989-06-20). "New Methodist Hymnal Is Shorn of Stereotypes". The New York Times . Retrieved 2014-04-27.
  3. ↑ Jones, Aled (2009). "39". Aled Jones' Forty Favourite Hymns. Random House. ISBN   1409050777.
  4. 1 2 Howse, Christopher (2013-08-09). "Onward, Christian Soldiers: Arthur Sullivan's greatest hit". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 2014-04-27.
  5. ↑ "This flock is too woolly". The Guardian. guardian.co.uk. 2004-08-15. Retrieved 2017-02-09.
  6. ↑ "The organist is dead". The Catholic Hearald. 2014-07-15. Retrieved 2017-02-09.
  7. ↑ "Richard Ingrams' Week: Tories ignore the big issue". 2005-11-05. Retrieved 2017-02-10.
  8. ↑ "Onward, Christian pilgrims". Hymnary.org. Retrieved 2014-04-27.
  9. ↑ "Hymns Old and New: New Anglican 408. Onward, Christian pilgrims". Hymnary.org. Retrieved 2014-04-27.
  10. ↑ Fletcher, Tim (2010-01-13). "Crem sorry for 'banned' hymn row". Burton Mail . Retrieved 2014-04-27.
  11. ↑ Newton, Rachel (2001-11-17). "Vicar halts Onward Christian Soldiers". Liverpool Daily Post . archived at The Free Library. Retrieved 2014-04-27.
  12. ↑ "Militancy Discarded For Shallower Worship" (PDF). Christians Against All Animal Abuse. Spring 2004. Retrieved 2014-05-06.
  13. ↑ "Onward, Christian Soldiers". Hymntime.com. 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  14. ↑ Wood, Francis (2003-11-29). "Church matters". Evening Chronicle . Newcastle: archived at The Free Library. Retrieved 2014-04-27.
  15. ↑ McManus, Frank R. (2009-04-22). "A place for 'Onward, Christian soldiers'". Church Times . Retrieved 2014-04-27.
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