"Singing with Real Understanding."A brief review of changing Adventist Church Hymnals

ver the years since the beginning of the Great Second Advent Movement there havebeen a succession of Church Hymnals containing the favourites of God's people.

From the 1849 “Hymns for God's Peculiar People that Keep the Commandments of God and the Faithof Jesus”; to the first “official” “Hymns and Tunes for Those Who Keep the Commandments of Godand the Faith of Jesus” published in 1869, “there was . . . a power in what was called Adventsinging, such as was felt in no other.” 1. Later “Hymns and Tunes” was published in 1886,followed by “Christ in Song” released in 1908. In 1936 the General Conference in sessionrecommended that a new church hymnal be prepared and in 1941 we saw “The ChurchHymnal” published, the volume most familiar to older Adventists.

The singing of praises to God through the use of Hymns is a long held tradition amongstAdventists. Hymns are a powerful reminder of the way God has led in the past, and asource of encouragement to all in times of trouble. But it was with the release of “TheChurch Hymnal” in 1941 that an imperceptible change came into Adventist Hymns.Doctrinal deviation from accepted Adventist teaching had never been sanctioned in achurch hymnal before. More Catholic and Anglican hymns appeared, and a shift intheology was reflected in the words of some hymns. Only a few years before the hymnalwas published, the first Church Manual had been released, and a new Adventist“Fundamental Beliefs” had been authored. This shift in theology, found in theFundamental Beliefs and the Hymnal, was the introduction of trinitarianism into theChurch. Although not “officially” ratified into the 27 Fundamentals until 1980, the movewas hardly noticed by the majority of Adventists, and only a few of the older membersquestioned the shift in theology.

It was with the publishing of the present volume, “The Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal,” in1985, that we again saw the hymnal being used seriously as an instrument for change. Inthis latest release there are more changes that, when noticed, should have raised more thanthe eyebrows of God's people. But, as in the story of the frog slowly boiled in the cookingpot, the change in Adventist doctrine had crept in slowly and quietly, and only a fewrealized the implications of the words they were singing.

We are told in the “Introduction” to the hymnal that the Church Hymnal committee has“sought hymns well suited for congregational singing and examined each one for scripturaland doctrinal soundness.” – p.6. Further we read that the committee “sought hymns thataffirm the distinctive beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists as well as those that express pointsof faith we hold in common with other Christian bodies.” – ibid. Let us take a look and seeif the committee fulfilled its purpose.

Besides some obvious new additions, such as No. 467, “Life is Great! So Sing About it”, orthe “Shops and buses” song as it could be called, there are many hymns which have eitherbeen added from non-Adventist sources, or have had their words changed from theprevious editions so that outside doctrine was then being taught through the words. Thesesubtle changes in the wording of hymns are probably acceptable to the vast majority ofnewer Adventists, as many today have come out of other churches, whether Protestant orCatholic. But let us first look at these changes, so that we might better understand thedirection being taken by those involved in preparing this current Hymnal.

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Additions and Changes.

Firstly, in “The Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal”, 1985 edition, there is a section entitled“Trinity” which had never existed before in any SDA Hymnal. But, oddly enough, hymnswith trinitarian concepts are not confined to this section, as we shall see. Anotherinteresting addition was the inclusion of a corporate reading section at the rear of theHymnal, (larger than the 1941 edition’s “responsive readings”) giving it more of a familiarfeel for Roman Catholics and Anglicans as they come into the Adventist Church. Oddlyenough, the Bible versions used in this section are largely the N.I.V., N.A.S.B., N.E.B.,R.S.V., T.E.V., N.K.J.V., and the Jerusalem Bible (Roman Catholic Bible). In the 1941edition, the Authorised King James Version, used by Adventists since 1844, is usedthroughout the Responsive Readings. In this later edition, it is rarely used.

Looking through the hymns, we find some interesting changes and additions. In HymnNo. 2. “All Creatures of Our God and King” we find these words. “Oh, praise the Father,praise the Son, And praise the Spirit, three in One!” This new addition to the hymnalcomes from the pen of the Roman Catholic saint, Francis of Assisi, in the 12th Century,and reflects his trinitarian theology. It was Francis who founded the “Franciscan order”,and their role and influence in history is a strong one, ranging from the persecution ofChristians with the Inquisition, through to producing many Catholic theologians andseveral Catholic popes.

Hymn No. 3, “God Himself Is With Us”, prays “Let my soul, like Mary, Be Thine earthlysanctuary.” This was another new addition from a Catholic source, but what are we tomake of these words? Further the hymn is telling us to “bow before Thee, Know Thee andadore Thee.” The context is in regard to the “indwelling Spirit.” Should we bow andworship the Holy Spirit? Is this a concept that is Biblical?

Hymn No. 11, “The God of Abraham Praise” arranged with a Jewish melody, in verse 3says; “The whole triumphant host Give thanks to God on high; ‘Hail, Father, Son, andHoly Ghost!’ They ever cry; Hail, Abraham’s God and mine!” Found as No. 76 in the old1941 “Church Hymnal” with the same words, I doubt whether an Orthodox Jew wouldagree with this wording!

Hymn No. 27, “Rejoice, ye Pure in Heart!” This Hymn of Praise to God calls upon us to“Praise Him who reigns on high, The Lord whom we adore, The Father, Son, and HolyGhost, One God for ever more.” These words in the fifth verse have changed considerablyfrom those in the 1941 Hymnal. Appearing as No. 17, the words were: “Then on, ye purein heart, Rejoice, give thanks, and sing; Your glorious banner wave on high, The Cross ofChrist your King.” There were originally 11 verses in the Hymn written by AnglicanEdward Plumptre in 1865. Why did the Hymnal committee decide to change, and was itreally necessary? What was wrong with the choice of verses in the 1941 “Church Hymnal”?

Hymn No. 30, “Holy God, We Praise Your Name”, is another new addition to the hymnal.In verse 3 it says; “Holy Father, Holy Son, Holy Spirit, three we name You; While inessence only one, Undivided God we claim You; And adoring bend the knee, While weown the mystery.” Now that is an interesting one. It reminds you of the Mass, doesn’t it?What mystery is the writer talking about owning?

Hymn No. 34, “Wake the Song”, which appeared as No. 649 in the 1941 Hymnal, hasthese words which should be quite foreign to Adventists. “We will chant our Saviour’sglory”. The author, W.F. Sherwin, was a Baptist, and also a trinitarian. In the third verse wefind adoration and praise to “holy Father,” “loving Saviour” and “Holy Spirit”.

Hymn No. 47, “God Who Made the Earth and Heaven”, we find those words again: “Blestthree in One.” Although we are only in the “Evening Worship” section of the Hymnal, weare finding quite a lot of trinitarian hymns compared to the last Hymnal. This new additionto the Hymnal is written by an Anglican priest by the name of Reginald Heber, famous forhis trinitarian Hymn, “Holy, Holy, Holy,” together with William Mercer and RichardWhately, all trinitarians.

Hymn No. 53, “All Praise to Thee”, really should be called “All Praise to Three”, as itagain contains trinitarian concepts in verse 4. Written by an Anglican Bishop, Thomas Ken,educated at Oxford, it again shows the traditional beliefs of the Church of England.

Hymn No. 70, “Praise Ye the Father”, the first hymn in the “Trinity” section of the currenthymnal, is another which can be found in the old Church Hymnal as No. 9. One verse iswritten to the Father, one to the Son, and one to the Holy Spirit. The words are the samein both Hymnals, concluding with “Praise ye the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Praise theEternal Three!”

Hymn No. 71, “Come, Thou Almighty King” we find another old trinitarian hymn. One ofits many names is “Hymn to the Trinity”. The first three verses are almost prayers to theFather, Son and Holy Spirit, with the fourth verse, not published in the 1941 edition,containing the lines “To Thee, great One in Three, Eternal praises be,” a clearly Trinitarianhymn. Why it was not published complete in the 1941 edition, we are not told.

Hymn No. 72, “Creator of the Stars of Night”, from a 9th Century Latin text not found inany of our previous Hymnals, we find these words: “To God the Father, God the Son,And God the Spirit, Three in one”. These terms cannot be found in Scripture, nor in thewritings of Ellen G. White or the Adventist Pioneers. Maybe the terms God the Son andGod the Spirit are common amongst the writings of priests of the Roman Catholic Church,but they should be foreign terms to Seventh-day Adventists.

Hymn No. 73, “Holy, Holy, Holy”, is an old classic we all know. There is an interestingpiece of history attached to this Hymn. The author, Anglican priest Reginald Heber, wrote“God in three persons, blessed Trinity!” as part of his original hymn in 1826, writtenspecifically for ‘Trinity Sunday’ in the Anglican church calendar. Now for those readerswho have a Church of England background, you may know that ‘Trinity Sunday’ is inmemory of the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D., the famous church council where theEmperor Constantine attempted to bring unity and peace to his empire, using doctrine asthe uniting factor. It was here that the Trinity doctrine was originally formulated in thebattle between Arius and Athanasius. The tune to this version of “Holy, Holy, Holy” is“Nicaea”, also in memory of the Council of Nicea, written especially for Reginald Heber’swords by John B. Dykes. Now this hymn had appeared in the previous two Adventisthymnals, but the compilers had seen fit to change the words from the original trinitarianwording to something more acceptable to non-trinitarians. In “Christ in Song” and “TheChurch Hymnal” of 1941 we find three verses, and read these words at the close of thefirst verse, “God over all, Who rules eternity.” But today, in our current hymnal, we see the

original text of four verses, with the words of Heber “God in three persons, blessedTrinity!” in the first and last. Why the change, after over 70 years of singing it with thenon-trinitarian words? This hymn ends the “Trinity” section of the hymnal, but certainly itis not the end of trinitarian hymns in our hymnal.

Hymn No. 85, “Eternal Father, Strong to Save” is another new addition to the Hymnal.Here we find a prayer to the Eternal Father, which gradually develops into a prayer toChrist, then the Holy Spirit, and finally “O Trinity of love and power, All travelers shield indanger’s hour; From rock and tempest, fire and foe, Protect them where-so-e’er they go;”Again the trinity doctrine seems to have found its way in.

Hymn No. 91, “Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones” is an interesting traditional AnglicanHymn. Found with only two verses as No. 77 in the 1941 Hymnal, there appear threeverses in the current Hymnal. Not only does it contain the words “To God the Father,God the Son, and God the Spirit, Three in One”, but it also sings praises to Mary, themother of Jesus. “O higher than the cherubim, More glorious then the seraphim, Leadtheir praises, Alleluia! Thou bearer of the eternal Word, Most gracious, magnify the Lord.”The bearer of the eternal Word here is referring to Mary. There is another verse, whichthankfully has been left out of both Hymnals. It contained such words as “Respond yesouls in endless rest, . . . Ye holy twelve, ye martyrs strong, All saints triumphant, raise thesong, Alleluia!” Belief in the immortality of the soul comes out strongly here, asking thatMary and all the saints join the angels in praise to God. A good reason to leave that verseout!

Hymn No. 116, “Of the Father’s Love Begotten”, where we are encouraged to “chant”with these words, “Christ, to Thee with God the Father And, O Holy Ghost, to Thee,Hymns and chants and high thanksgiving . . . ” Could it be there are Roman Catholicpriests in Adventist churches, who would like to be reminded of their past “chants” inRoman monasteries?

Hymn No. 234, “Christ Is the World’s Light” is another new addition to the Hymnal. Inthe section entitled “Glory and Praise”, we are told to “Give God the glory, God and noother; give God the glory, Spirit, Son, and Father; . . .” 1st Corinthians 8:6 tells us that there“is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things.” (see also Galatians 1:1, 1st Timothy2:5, Hebrews. 1:1.)

Hymn No. 235, “Christ is Made the Sure Foundation”, we read in verse 4: “Praise andhonor to the Father, Praise and honor to the Son, Praise and honor to the Spirit, Everthree and ever one:” another reference to the trinity doctrine. This hymn comes from aLatin hymn of the sixth or seventh century. The verse quoted above is not found in the1941 Church Hymnal, as the verses are differently arranged, and verse 4 is entirelydifferent. In the 1941 edition it contains the words “God the One in Three adoring,” in thesecond verse. Interestingly enough, the original words of the Latin hymn contained thesewords as the last verse: “Laud and honour to the Father; Laud and honour to the Son;Laud and honour to the Spirit; Ever three and ever one: Con-substantial, Co-eternal, Whileunending ages run.” These words certainly reflect the Catholic theology of the Council ofNicea and its Nicean Creed!

Hymn No. 402. “By Christ Redeemed”, is also found as No. 475 in the old Hymnal. ThisHymn contains some words which bring into question the Hymnal Committee’s originalcharge of checking each hymn for doctrinal soundness. Verse 2 states: “His broken body in

our stead, Is here, in this memorial bread;” which is an odd reference to the Catholicdoctrine of transubstantiation as found in the rite of the Mass. These words were not in theoriginal words written by George Rawson in 1857. A member of the Congregationalistchurch in Leeds, England, George Rawson originally wrote; “Is shown in this memorialbread.” A subtle, but significant difference. How and when the change crept into the twoAdventist Hymnals, is unknown. Others, such as Hymn No. 405. “O God, Unseen, YetEver Near” is another communion hymn with questionable wording.

Hymn No. 403. “Let us Break Bread Together” is another addition to the Hymnal. ThisNegro Spiritual caused some considerable consternation when it was first noticed in thenew Hymnal. The refrain says: “When I fall on my knees, With my face to the rising sun, OLord, have mercy on me.” How this one sneaked by the committee is a mystery. Facing therising sun is unquestionably an ancient pagan practice of sun-worshippers, and certainly isnot practiced by any known Christians today. Certainly, its similarity to the vision ofEzekiel found in Ezekiel chapter 8:16 is sad, to say the least.

Hymn No. 544, “Jesus, Son of Blessed Mary,” Roman Catholic doctrine again comesquietly into our hymnal. Here we read, verses like “Jesus, Son of blessed Mary, Once onearth a little child,” and “Cheerful, trusting, safe, protected By the blessed Trinity.” I wasnot aware that singing praises to “blessed Mary” or the “blessed Trinity” were thingsSeventh-day Adventists held in common with other Christian bodies, but, alas, maybe theChurch Hymnal Committee have a different view than I do. For as the Introduction of thecurrent Hymnal says, “New hymns were drawn from many sources. Hymnals old and newprovided texts and tunes of enduring value from other churches. Sometimes it wasnecessary to alter the text of these hymns to eliminate theological aberrations or awkward,jarring expressions.” – Introduction, p.6-7. The Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal. Altered texts wehave seen, and theological aberrations abound!

Changing times.

Change can be good for any movement or Church, and can lead to a deeper understandingof spiritual things. But, it is a fundamental spiritual law that new truths do not contradictold and existing truths. Truth is a fascinating phenomena. Truth, or Light, for the finalgeneration, is a continuation of the light from Christ which He gave to the ApostolicChurch, and was in turn handed down to the Church in the Wilderness. Adventism has aninheritance which cannot be found in any other religious movement today, and whenchange occurs it is needful that all study and understand the change, and test itstruthfulness and integrity. As the Bible is our source of authority, we can compare any newdoctrine that comes into the Church with it, and know whether they are right or wrong.

We also need to ask ourselves if the Adventist Movement has progressed forward in thelast one hundred years. How do we gauge its progress? Do we look at the number ofinstitutions, the number of Churches, the number of believers, or do we look at the truthswe now hold and compare them to the original?

The Pioneers of early Adventism stood up against doctrinal error and spoke out againstfalsehood. But as the Pioneers died off, changes gradually began to occur, and, as timewent on, less and less members knew what the original Fundamentals were of the GreatSecond Advent Movement. Someone once said that to “search for the truth is the noblestoccupation of man; its publication is a duty.” 2. When we see error entering the Church, weneed to question and ascertain what it is and where it comes from. Comparing Scripture

with Scripture, and studying out the truth for ourselves, led by the Spirit, is our onlysafeguard.

The Road to Rome

In The Record, (South Pacific Division church newsletter) of March 4, 2000 p.3, we read:

Catholics: SDAs not a sect“The Seventh-day Adventist Church cannot be treated either as a ‘new religious

movement’ or a sect,” declares a joint statement from the Roman Catholic and Seventh-day Adventist Churches in Poland. Recognising each other’s autonomy and independence,the document was issued following 15 years of dialogue aimed at better understanding theteachings and practice of both churches. – ANN.

Digging a little deeper, we find 15 years of talking obviously found more common pointsthen most would think of.

“During the years of the exchange, we discovered many common points but alsodifferences in our teachings. The Catholic Church recognises in this document our belief,which is focused on the character of Christ and in particular our holding on the doctrine ofthe Trinity. On the other hand, in the last few years we have seen in the Catholic Churchan openness towards the Bible.” – Professor Zachariasz Lyko, Polish SDA Public RelationDepartment.

Much more could be said about the ecumenicalism mindset coming into Seventh-dayAdventism. Suffice to say, tradition and unbiblical doctrine are the mainstays of RomanCatholicism. As Adventists we should be working for the conversion of Roman Catholicsto Christ, not holding Ecumenical discussions with them, finding common ground whenthey do not even believe in the Word of God, or that Jesus Christ is the Divine Son ofGod. We have nothing in common with Roman Catholicism, and below are some of theirtraditions, teachings and actions which have no foundation in Scripture.

(1) Prayers for the Dead(2) The use of the sign of the cross(3) Sunday Worship(4) Veneration of Angels and dead saints(5) The Mass introduced as a false sacrifice(6) Worship of Mary and the use of the term "Mother of God"(7) Doctrine of Purgatory (established by Gregory the Great)(8) Prayers to Mary(9) Worship in the Latin language (10) Kissing of the Pope's feet and feet of statues(11) Temporal Power of the Popes(12) Worship of the Cross and images authorized (Idolatry)(13) Holy Water blessed by the priest and used(14) Canonization of dead saints (begun by Pope John XV)(15) The use of the Rosary(16) Celibacy of the Priesthood(17) The doctrine of the Trinity(18) Michael is not the pre-incarnate Christ and therefore not the Son of God(19) The Inquisition: Persecution, force and killing of "heretics" who differed from the RomanCatholic church and her teachings. (20) Infant Baptism

(21) Confession to a Father Confessor (Priest) at least once a year(22) The Doctrine of Transubstantiation decreed by Pope Innocent III(23) Adoration of the Wafer (termed Host) (others call it the "Jesus Cookie")(24) Doctrine of the Seven Sacraments(25) Tradition is of equal authority with the Bible (The Council of Trent)(26) Justification by works and not by Faith in God alone.(27) Apocryphal books added to the Bible to support false doctrine, negating the Scriptural call notto add to or take away from the Scriptures.(28) The Creed of Pope Pius IV instituted as the official creed instead of the Bible.(29) Immaculate Conception of Mary. (30) The Pope declared himself infallible in matters of doctrine(31) The Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

Today things are not a lot different then in centuries passed. Ecumenicalism, or the puttingaside of differences between religions is the flavour of the 20th and 21st Centuries. Differentreligions now pretend that their differences are minimal, and seek to return to the fold ofRome. One medium for change and ecumenicalism is the World Council of Churches.Formed on the eve of World War II. The World Council of Churches grew from Churchleaders, missionaries, and various denominational administrators searching for unity withinorganised religion.

“The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches which confess theLord Jesus Christ as God and Saviour according to the Scriptures and therefore seek tofulfill together their common calling to the glory of the one God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit.”(Constitution: World Council of Churches, quoted in So Much in Common, p.40)

The doctrine of the Trinity is inseparably connected with the Roman Catholic church andalso the World Council of Churches. In fact, if it were not for the councils and creeds ofRoman Catholicism there would be no formal Trinitarian teaching as we know it today.How important is this doctrine to the Roman Catholic Church?

In the book “The Teaching of the Catholic Church” we are told:“Catholic doctrine is not a series of disjointed statements. It is an organic body of

religious truth, in which one dogma cannot rightly be understood save in its relation to theothers, a part cannot be denied without rejecting the whole.” – The Teaching of the CatholicChurch, edited by Canon George D. Smith, D.D., Ph.D. 1963 Ed. p38.

In regard to the Catholic understanding of the Trinity Doctrine, we read:“The mystery of the Trinity is the central doctrine of Catholic faith. Upon it are

based all the other teachings of the Church. Upon it are based all the other teachings of theChurch. . . . . The Church studied this mystery with great care and, after four centuries ofclarifications, decided to state the doctrine in this way: In the unity of the Godhead thereare three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, truly distinct one from another.Thus, in the words of the Athanasian Creed: ‘The Father is God, the Son is God, and theHoly Spirit is God, and yet there are not three gods but one God.’” – Handbook for Today’sCatholic, 1977. pg. 12.

“The trinity of God is defined by the Church as the belief that in God are threepersons who subsist in one nature. The belief as so defined was reached only in the 4th and5th centuries AD and hence is not explicitly and formally a biblical belief. The trinity ofpersons within the unity of nature is defined in terms of ‘person’ and ‘nature’ which areGreek philosophical terms; actually the terms do not appear in the Bible. The trinitariandefinitions arose as the result of long controversies in which these terms and others such as

‘essence’ and ‘substance’ were erroneously applied to God by some theologians.” –Dictionary of the Bible, by John L. McKenzie, S.J. p.899. (Roman Catholic author)

The mystery of the trinity is defined by the Roman Catholic church, and all churches whojoin the World Council of Churches must abide by the WCC constitution. From thecouncil of Nicea in 325 A.D. to the council of Constantinople in A.D. 381 the Catholicdoctrine of the Trinity evolved and became established into “the foundation of her wholedogmatic system,” upon which “all other teachings of the Church” are based. Thoseconscientious Christians who could not accept the Trinity doctrine were branded as“heretics” and punished severely by torture and even death.

The following two conclusions are very simple:

If the Catholic doctrine of the Trinity is Biblically correct; It is the duty of all professedChristians not only to believe, but also to acknowledge and honor the Catholic church fororiginating this doctrinal foundation to all other Biblical truths. Since all of the otherdoctrines of the Roman Church are based on the trinity concept as a harmonious whole,then why not return to her theological reasoning? It is strange to hear of Seventh-dayAdventists taking issue with Rome over her Sunday sacredness, and then upholding theirbelief in her foundation doctrine of the Trinity.

Yet, if the doctrine of the trinity is based on human speculation and tradition rather thanthe Bible; it must be recognized as a foundational error that distorts and confuses our basicunderstanding about God, His Sacrifice in giving us His Son, and His plan of Salvation.

What shall we follow, truth or tradition? Whom will we serve?

Gradual change is occurring everywhere. Each “surface ripple” in the arena of the greatcontroversy is conditioning, molding, uniting or dividing - ripples in the sea of change,small waves leading to the great “tidal wave”. These subtle movements and gentle changesare preparing people to accept the ultimate goal of the Roman Catholic Church, theacceptance of the “superchurch”, a religio-political machine that dictates the lives of themasses, controlling the decisions of the world. As Christians we can see that the writing isappearing on the wall, and prophecy is being fulfilled. Are we ready for what is about toovertake us as an overwhelming surprise?

Blair Andrew. PO Box 97, Eagle Heights, Qld. 4271. Australia.

Footnotes.

E. G. White, Life Sketches, p.94.Anne Louise Germaine de Stael, French author.

Bibliography.

The Holy Bible, KJV. Authorized Version. The Church Hymnal. 1941. Signs Publishing Co.The Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal. 1985. R & H. Christ in Song. F.E. Belden. 1908. R & H.Singing with Understanding. E.E. White. 1968. Signs Publishing Co.Truth Triumphant, by B.G. Wilkinson, 1944. The Teaching of the Catholic Church, edited by Canon George D. Smith, D.D., Ph.D. 1963.Dictionary of the Bible, by John L. McKenzie, S.J.