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Applicants eager to serve on the committee that will create an updated, digitally based version of The United Methodist Hymnal will have to wait a little longer to find out if they're named for the task.
The Rev. Jackson Henry, director of music resources for Discipleship Ministries, responded to United Methodist Insight's email inquiry about the delay.
"Thanks for reaching out—we are aware of the concern. All the naming bodies have been working toward the same end, but at this point, not all the naming groups have completed their work for various and unrelated reasons. Even though it’s taken longer than expected, we hope to notify the general church very soon with committee members’ names so the committee can begin its work."
Delegates to the 2016 General Conference approved the creation of a new hymnal, the first since 1989, on a consent calendar during the 10-day legislative session last May. The new hymnal will be "Internet-cloud based and print-on-demand — the first high-tech hymnal for a mainline denomination," according to a May 17, 2016 report by Sam Hodges of United Methodist News Service.
A 15-member Hymnal Revision Committee will choose contents for the hymnal, which will be jointly produced by Discipleship Ministries and the United Methodist Publishing House. The 2020 General Conference in Minneapolis, Minn., must approve the Hymnal Committee’s recommendations. Thanks to technological innovations, the hymnal could be available for use by early 2021.
However, new technology isn't likely to overcome the sensitive theological and musicology issues that attended creation of the 1989 hymnal, given the longstanding tradition that United Methodists "sing their theology." For example, removal of the traditional song, "Onward, Christian Soldiers," considered too militaristic, was met with a tidal wave of protest from rank-and-file United Methodists. The song was subsequently restored to the musical canon.
At the same time, "Lord of the Dance," seen previously as mainly a Catholic hymn, was added to the hymnal and has become a congregational favorite. Church-wide surveys in the early 1990s also found that the two new songs in the 1989 Hymnal most adopted by churches were "Hymn of Promise" by Natalie Sleeth (No. 707) published in 1986, and "Here I Am, Lord" by Dan Schutte (No. 593) published in 1981.
The theology of some hymns, as well as language and metaphors for God, also loom as minefields that could ignite similar controversies. Hymnal developers hope to sidestep these issues by creating a core of hymns deemed to represent the heart of Wesleyan faith, and then allowing congregations to opt out of songs they find inappropriate for their contexts. Some church leaders have expressed concerns that this approach will further weaken United Methodist identity, already fractured by disputes over biblical authority and human sexuality.
Updating archaic language also proved to be a major issue in creation of the current hymnal. Again, pastors and members objected to changing the original language stored in their collective memories. For instance, complaints about changing "The Church's One Foundation," resulted in the hymnal including both the traditional version with masculine language for Jesus and God and feminine language for the church (No. 545), and a set of updated, inclusive lyrics (No. 546). Such changes will be possible in the new hymnal only for songs that are in the public domain.
Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor and Founder of United Methodist Insight.