Part 1 — III. THE CHRISTIAN HYMN MUST BE DISTINCTLY RELIGIOUS
Reading edition
Poems of Semi-religious Fancy Are Not Hymns.
Poems of fancy with a few religious allusions cannot be classed as Christian hymns. The objection to the “Beautiful Isle of Somewhere”[4] has been rather heatedly urged, and there is no small justification for the criticism. The aboriginal idea of “the happy hunting grounds” might be referred to by its rather invertebrate fancy, instead of the heaven of the Christian faith. Eugene Field’s “The Divine Lullaby” so vaguely suggests the divine care that it can hardly pass muster as a hymn. For use as a hymn, a poem must be explicitly Christian in thought and expression.
Mere Moralizing Will Not Serve.
That a poem has a good moral does not authorize it to pose as a Christian hymn. “Brighten the Corner Where You Are” cannot be recognized as a Christian hymn, since it has no direct religious significance. There are recent ostensible sociological and humanitarian hymns that are open to the same criticism. It is not enough that the underlying assumptions are of Christian origin; they must be fundamentally religious, no matter what the application to practical living may be.
Special Propaganda Is Not Admissible.
The value of hymns as a method of introducing and enforcing doctrines was recognized by the enemies of Christianity early in its history. The Arians in Asia Minor and in Northern Africa, and later throughout the Roman Empire, flooded the world 31 with songs sung to the popular melodies attacking the deity of Christ; and by their influence nearly wrecked Christianity. In our own day various “sports” from Christianity, and hybrids with other religions, are issuing collections of songs and garbled Christian hymns to serve their purposes. The Buddhists of Japan also are taking Christian songs bodily, with such changes as seem to them necessary. Unitarian hymnal editors have not hesitated to alter orthodox hymns to suit their own views.
That these emasculated hymns are no longer Christian hymns need not be argued at length. The difficulty is that they have lost the kernel of genuine Christian thought. The same is true of humanistic lyrics of propaganda in behalf of brotherhood or social welfare or economic justice, in which the religious motive is not urged. In general, a controversial poem cannot be recognized as a hymn; there is no religious help in controversy. Its emotions are combative, not devout.
Christian Hymns Should Be Genuinely Christocentric.
A Christian hymn should express some definite recognition of God as manifested in Jesus Christ. Even if, as in metrical psalms, the name of Christ is not used, it should be implied, and unanimously accepted as implied. It may be worship, praise, prayer, confession, acceptance of salvation through Jesus Christ, spiritual experience, consecration, Christian doctrine, Christian hopes—or any other aspect or activity of the Christian faith. This is the very heart of the Christian hymn.