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Three New Voices: Singing God's Song
By Fred R. Anderson

"Three of the newest voices for singing God's song are the Psalter Hymnal of the Christian Reformed Church (1987), The United Methodist Hymnal of the United Methodist Church (1989), and The Presbyterian Hymnal: Hymns, Psalms, and Spiritual Songs(1990)…. Each has strong convictions about the role of Scripture in the worship of the church…. Hymnals form and reflect personal as well as corporate devotion. They must be formed in such a way that those who will use them can recognize themselves, their lives, and their traditions as well as the message of the divine purpose revealed in Scripture."

"Sing to the Lord for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea" (Ex. 15:21 NRSV). It is no coincidence that this, one of the earliest fragments of Scripture, should be a song.¹ The people of God have responded to and worshiped God in song from their beginnings. Song has been central to the task of both preserving and proclaiming the faith as singers and poets have remembered and repeated the story of God's saving activity. Song fragments in the Torah, the prophets, the Gospels, and epistles all attest to this as well as to the formative power of song on the shaping of Scripture itself.² Yet, the primary place God's song has expressed this formative power is in the lives of believers themselves. The Book of Psalms, that earliest hymnal of the people of the covenant, witnesses to the power and presence of God at work among peoples as well as among nations. As the new people of the covenant wedded the message of the Gospels and the epistles to the musical idioms of their day, Christian hymnody emerged to form a complement to the psalms and other canticles of Israel. Though cultivating psalmody appears to be the

Fred R. Anderson is the pastor of the Pine Street Presbyterian Church in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He is the author of Singing Psalms of Joy and Praise (1986) and of numerous articles in liturgical journals. He served as the Chair of the Worship Committee for the Twenty-First General Council of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, Ottawa, Canada, and as Clerk for the committee which formulated the new Presbyterian Directory for Worship.

¹ Martin Noth, Exodus, The Old Testament Library (Philadelphia, Westminster Press, 1962), p. 121.
² See Christian D. von Dehsen, "Hymnic Forms in the New Testament," Reformed Liturgy and Music, Vol. XVIII, No. 1, Winter, 1984, (Louisville: The Joint Office of Worship), pp, 7-11.

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preferred expression of early Christian praise, Basil could write that the Spirit "blended the delights of melody with doctrines in order that through the softness of the sound we might unawares receive what is useful in the word."³

By the time of the Reformation, the hymns, psalm-hymns, and metrical psalms of Christian worship were considered not only songs of faith to be sung by the people of God, but Scripture shaped into meter and rhyme.⁴ Calvin could speak of psalm-singing as speaking to God, using God's own words. Christian hymnody not only enabled the church to sing its faith, it became a means through which Christians could experience God's Word singing in and through them.

Many developments have occurred in Western hymnody since the sixteenth century. Psalm-hymns and metrical psalmody gave way to the broader paraphrases of Milton (1608-1674) and Issac Watts (16741748), paving the way for an entire new movement in English hymnody that would flourish in the work of Charles and John Wesley (1707-1788; 1703-1791). Seventeenth century pietism, with its emphasis on the practical rather than intellectual side of the faith, had its impact on German hymnody, reaching its highwater mark in poet Paul Gerhardt (1607-1676).⁵ Rationalism contributed its own shifts in the focus and content of hymns. The emergence of romanticism in the nineteenth century linked to the piety of the second great awakening in America, contributed a large body of subjective hymn texts as well as a new musical form-the gospel hymn. The social gospel movement followed with texts fostering its own theological program. The result is a heritage of Christian hymnody which not only sings to and about God, using the language of Scripture, but also sings about the divine purpose revealed in Scripture. As hymn texts moved from translating or paraphrasing Scripture into verse, they increasingly adopted the literary form of the lyric poem, a media which "gives voice to the poet's feelings rather than dealing with external events."⁶ The result was hymn texts that express feelings, attitudes, needs, and personal commitments.⁷ Subsequent theological movements have contributed texts that sing about the God of nature, the God of the inner life, and the God of various programs of social activism. At times, these later forms of hymnody have come close to pamphleteering, a trend still evident in some evangelical and liberal hymn text writing today.

The twentieth century has been a time of renewed emphasis on Scripture through the production of modern translations, paraphrases,

³ Quoted by Carl Schalk, "Why Christians Sing," Liturgy, Vol. 3, No. 3 (Summer, 1983), (Washington D.C.: The Liturgical Conference, 1983), p. 9.
⁴ Robin A. Leaver, "The Hymnbook as a Book of Practical Theology," Reformed Liturgy and Music, Vol. XXIV, No. 2, Spring, 1990, (Louisville: The Ministry Unit on Theology and Worship of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A.), p. 55.
⁵ Erik Routley, Church Music and Theology, (Philadelphia, Fortress Press, 1959), pp. 46-49.
⁶ S. Paul Schilling, The Faith We Sing, (Philadelphia, Westminster Press, 1983), p. 29.
⁷ Ibid.

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and lectionaries. It has also been a time of renewed emphasis on creedal statements.⁸ It is not coincidental, then, that this has also become a time of renewed interest in the creation of Christian song. We are living in what has been called a hymn and hymnal explosion.⁹ A partial list of major American hymnals published since 1978 comes to twenty-four new volumes as well as an additional thirteen currently in production.¹⁰ As diverse as the traditions that lie behind them, these new hymnals witness not only to specialized musical tastes and forms, they also reveal the theology of their particular traditions. When one looks at a particular tradition's hymnbook one is looking at that faith in practice and the way it is shaped by Scripture and other factors.

Three of the newest voices for singing God's song are the Psalter Hymnal of the Christian Reformed Church (1987),¹¹ The United Methodist Hymnal of the United Methodist Church (1989),¹² and The Presbyterian Hymnal.- Hymns, Psalms, and Spiritual Songs, (I 990) the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).¹³ Each of these denominations represents a centrist position within the heritage of the Reformation.¹⁴ Each has strong convictions about the role of Scripture in the worship of the church. How well are those convictions reflected in these newest voices for singing God's song and shaping the faith of their people?

I

The title Psalter Hymnal reveals the priority of Scripture in the hymnody of the Christian Reformed Church. Whereas Presbyterians and Methodists began moving away from the strict scriptural song of the ethnic psalters of Geneva, England, and Scotland in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, taking up what their critics called "songs of human composure," the Christian Reformed Church remained committed solely to metrical psalms in public worship until 1934. This fact alone accounts for much of the structure and content of the new hymnal.¹⁵ It should come as no surprise that of the three hymnals under review, this is the one most closely tied to Scripture at a formal level. It is a matter of cultural heritage as much as one of intentional choice. Yet, this choice is intentional, as the committee's statement of principles indicates:

⁸ Lukas Vischer, Reformed Witness Today, (Bern, Evangelische Arbeitsstelle Oekumene Schweiz, 1982), p. 7.
⁹ George H. Shorney, The Hymnal Explosion in North America, (Chicago, Hope Publishing Company, 1988), p. 1.
¹⁰ Ibid, pp. 13f.
¹¹ Psalter Hymnal, (Grand Rapids, CRC Publications, 1987).
¹² The United Methodist Hymnal (Book of United Methodist Worship), (Nashville, The United Methodist Publishing House, 1989).
¹³ The Presbyterian Hymnal: Hymns, Psalms, and Spiritual Songs, (Louisville, Westminster/John Knox Press, 1990).
¹⁴ James F. White, Protestant Worship, Traditions in Transition, (Louisville, Westminster/John Knox Press, 1989), p. 23.
¹⁵ Until 1914, these psalms were sung in Dutch to the melodies of the sixteenth century Genevan Psalter. Not until the 1934 Psalter Hymnal did hymns appear in this denomination. A 1959 second edition included even more hymns, followed in 1974 by a Psalter Hymnal Supplement which more fully introduced hymnody and paved the way for this new hymnbook.

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The music of the church should be biblical. Texts and tunes must serve worship in ways true to biblical patterns for liturgy and must be faithful to the full range of the revelation of God and of his works in creation. Bible songs and psalms must be faithful to the original meaning and context of the Scripture passage. Hymn texts are to be true to Scripture and to the testimony of the Holy Spirit.¹⁶

The Introduction indicates that "each psalm versification was reviewed for faithfulness to the Hebrew original" by a professor of Old Testament at the denomination's theological seminary and then reviewed by a professor emeritus of English at the associated denominational college.¹⁷ Psalter Hymnal takes its organization from Scripture itself, beginning with a complete metrical psalter, then a collection of 86 biblical songs in canonical chronology, followed by a section of 405 hymns and responses. These hymns and responses are organized around the themes of worship usage, the church year, and various doctrinal concerns summarized under the heading "The Church in the World." The last quarter of the volume contains ecumenical creeds and doctrinal standards approved for inclusion by the denomination's 1984 Synod as well as liturgical forms and resources approved for inclusion by the Synods of 1984 and 1986.

The title The Presbyterian Hymnal: Hymns, Psalms, and Spiritual Songs faithfully reflects the structure of this new hymnbook. It is first and foremost a hymnal, yet one in which there has been a conscious effort to restore the Reformed heritage of metrical psalm singing. Whereas the Psalter Hymnal takes its organization from Scripture itself, The Presbyterian Hymnal is organized liturgically in response to the influence of the liturgical renewal movement's commitments to the Christian year and the Common Lectionary. A brief "Aids to Worship" appears before the hymns.¹⁸ The hymnal proper is organized into four sections: The Christian Year, Psalms, Topical Hymns, and Service Music. The influence of the Common Lectionary, and its antecedent, the Roman lectionary of 1969, is clearly evident.¹⁹ The Christian Year hymn texts reflect not only the seasonal themes related to the life of Christ, but in many cases the lectionary texts for the season as well. This is followed by an abridged psalter compiled to provide texts that enable congregations to sing each of the psalms appointed for Lord's Day worship in the three-year Common Lectionary. The third and largest section is a collection of hymns arranged topically around Reformed doctrinal issues. The fourth and final section includes service music,

¹⁶ Ibid., pp. 11f.
¹⁷ Ibid., p. 14.
¹⁸ This includes an outline for a eucharistic Lord's Day service including baptism or an ordinance of the church, as well as an outline for congregational response to the eucharistic prayer. Ecumenical creeds and the Lord's Prayer appear in traditional and contemporary English as well as in Spanish and Korean.
¹⁹ The immediate predecessor to this new hymnbook, The Worshipbook (Philadelphia, Westminster Press, 1972), included within it an amended version of the Roman Catholic lectionary of 1969. The impact of this decision upon the formative role of Scripture in Presbyterian congregations has been enormous and far-reaching.

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most of which is scriptural song, including the major New Testament canticles.

The United Methodist Hymnal (Book of United Methodist Worship) is not only a hymnal, it is also a substantial service book containing responsorial song. The hymnal proper is preceded by a collection of General Services.²⁰ The hymn section is the largest of the three hymnals and is followed by an abridged psalter. Like the Presbyterian book, this psalter includes those psalms prescribed by the Common Lectionary. This is not a metrical psalter but one designed for responsive reading, chanting, or responsorial singing. The texts come from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Book of Psalms. The psalm responses are a mixture of scriptural phrases set to song or phrases and refrains from well-known hymns. Much of this is the work of such Methodist scholar musicians as S T Kimbrough, Jr., Don E. Saliers, and Jane Marshall. The last portion of the book includes other general services.²¹ As the preface indicates, next to the Bible, hymnals have been the most formative resource in this tradition's heritage and witness.²² The hymns are organized around doctrinal themes rather than a scriptural or Church Year structure. Trinitarian in design, the major divisions are The Glory of the Triune God, The Grace of Jesus Christ, The Power of the Holy Spirit, The Community of Faith, and A New Heaven and A New Earth. Each of these divisions is further subdivided into topics that can be related to the church year.

II

As one looks at the internal evidence of these hymnals, it is apparent that Psalter Hymnal is the one most overtly shaped by Scripture. Reflecting the historic Reformed practice of versifying every psalm in its entirety, each of the 150 psalms appears in scriptural order set to single tunes.²³ This is a twentieth century psalter. Only ten of the psalm texts were written earlier than this century-each a classic, and even these have been edited to bring them into the idiom of contemporary English.

The biblical songs section of Psalter Hymnal is one of its strongest. Again, the biblical chronology sets the pattern for order. First, there is a contemporary textual setting of Exodus 15:1-2, set to an Israeli folk song. This is followed by a revision of an earlier versification of the Ten Commandments to the Goudimel Genevan tune Les Commandemens, followed by canticles from Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Numbers. The Song of Hannah and Solomon's Prayer of Dedication round out this section before turning to an additional 30 settings of the psalms. Many of these

²⁰ This includes four liturgies for word and table, including five musical settings for congregational response in the eucharistic, and four baptismal services.
²¹ This includes Christian Marriage; Service of Death and Resurrection; Orders of Daily Praise and Prayer (morning and evening); Affirmations of Faith; Prayers of Confession, Assurance, and Pardon; The Lord's Prayer; and sung Amens.
²² The United Methodist Hymnal (Book of United Methodist Worship), (Nashville, United Methodist Publishing House, 1989), p. v.
²³ Psalm 119 includes 22 stanzas set to the Louis Bourgeois 1551 tune (Genevan 119), and takes six pages.

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are additional favorite metrical psalms that were not included in the first section because of the principle of selecting only one tune/text per psalm for the psalter. Though better than a third of these come from Psalter, 1912, two Spanish texts (with English parallels), are also included, as well as other classics such as the Scottish Psalter, 1650 setting of Psalm 23. Seven of Isaiah's canticles open a strong section of prophetic songs, including Jeremiah 31, Hosea 14, Joel, Jonah's song, Micah, and Zechariah. Here, the great scriptural songs of the covenant people of Israel find fresh expression in contemporary settings. The New Testament canticles follow the same biblical chronology, so the Beatitudes, the Lord's Prayer, and an Easter song "The Lord is Risen Indeed" appear before Luke's "Song of Mary." The hymnody of John, Paul, Hebrews, and I John are also present. This section closes with five Revelation hymns.

The third, and largest section of Psalter Hymnal is the collection of 405 hymns, more than double from previous editions. As the committee notes, these texts:

range from songs based very closely on passages of Scripture to texts by poets throughout the ages. Each text was examined for its consonance with scriptural truths.²⁴

This section reflects the trends of recent American hymnals in general, following a three-fold division: the Church at Worship; The Church Year; and The Church in the World.

Two other important developments should be noted, both the result of the impact of the liturgical renewal movement during the last half of this century. First, the very structure of the hymn section witnesses to the increasing universality of the Christian Year in the life of American Christianity. One hundred of the hymns in this section are collected around the seasons of the Church Year. The second major development reflected in this hymnbook is a far larger collection of hymns for celebrating the Lord's Supper. Eighteen texts are so identified and are eucharistic rather than penitential, witnessing to the theological shift that is beginning to occur in Reformed circles.

Psalter Hymnal is the most contemporary book of the three with the twentieth century dominant in both texts and tunes. Included are not only contemporary English texts, but also a small selection of Hispanic and African-American works, as well as one Dutch and two French hymns. In the selection of texts, the committee attempted to reflect more than its own ethnic and theological heritage by including the works of contemporary poets such as Fred Pratt Green, Fred H. Kaan, Christopher Idle, Thomas H. Troeger, Timothy Dudley-Smith, and Brian Wren, as well as poets Marie J. Post and Calvin Seerveld from the committee itself. Older texts have been revised to conserve the Reformed principle of worshiping in the vernacular. Archaic language has been translated into contemporary English, yet done so in a way that has

²⁴ Psalter Hymnal, p. 12.

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remained sensitive to the original poetry as well as meaning. Following the lead of recent translations of Scripture, the editors made an attempt to remove Tudor English pronoun and verb forms, and to avoid gender-specific terms by using more inclusive language. However, consistent with the conservative theological and sociological climate in the Christian Reformed Church, there has been no attempt to struggle with language about God. As a result, "pronouns for God remain anthropomorphically masculine."²⁵

The Christian Reformed Church's new Psalter Hymnal is a contemporary book that could be easily used by worshipers in the twenty-first century. The influence of Scripture is evident from the title to the abundant scriptural index which includes biblical names or places as well as the topic "Word of God." It also includes the largest topical index of the three (26 pages) causing one to wonder if this is the product of careful cross referencing, or necessary because of a pastoral tendency to select hymns by theological topics rather than scriptural texts. Nonetheless, Psalter Hymnal is clearly a hymnbook for a church committed to the centrality of the Word in its worship life.

III

The Presbyterian Hymnal stands between the other two both in external structure and internal influences. It's first commitment is to the use of the Church Year in Lord's Day worship. As a result, the texts of the Common Lectionary have shaped the selection of texts in the first portion of this hymnal. A number of excellent new ones appear, including the work of poets Brian Wren, Fred Pratt Green, Thomas H. Troeger, Fred Kaan, and Jane Parker Huber, as well as the more familiar work of Watts, Wesley, Neale, and Winkworth. This portion of the book also contains a good section of African-American, Spanish, Asian, and Native American texts.

The restoration of a metrical psalter in the second section has accounted for much of the newest material in this book. It reflects the work of American poet-pastors such as Arlo Duba, Christopher Webber, Ruth Duck, Joy Patterson, and others who have been at work paraphrasing the psalms in meter in inclusive, common language. The result is a hymnal with a prominent number of late twentieth century texts. On those few occasions when responsorial psalms or canticles appear, the texts are from the New Revised Standard Version.

The topical hymn section begins, in typical Reformed fashion, with the Triune God. Concerns over God language have caused the committee to follow the unfortunate practice of substituting the word "God" for the first person of the Trinity, following with "Jesus Christ" and "The Holy Spirit," as though these were modes or functionaries of God. Solutions to this difficult issue are not easy. But we are not helped by ones such as this that further add to confusion about the interior

²⁵ Ibid., p. 13.

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relationship within the Godhead. This topical section then includes hymns devoted to "Scripture, Life in Christ, the Church," and concludes with a significant collection of hymns for particular aspects of worship, especially the sacraments and ordinances of the church. The Presbyterian Hymnal reflects the ever-increasing emphasis upon frequent celebration of the Lord's Supper as well as the eucharistic rather than "Last Supper" piety so long associated with the sacrament. Morning and opening hymns, closing and evening hymns, and a few national hymns bracket the sacramental and ordinance hymns of this section.

The last section of The Presbyterian Hymnal is devoted to service music, including John Weaver's excellent seven-piece setting for the Lord's Day Service. The texts here are from the International Consultation on English Texts. More traditional service music is included such as the Old Scottish chant and Henry W. Greatorex settings of the Gloria Patri. Several contemporary pieces include glorias, a Native American alleluia and gospel acclamation, a Chinese folk-tune benediction, and a West Indian folk-melody Lord's Prayer. Canticles conclude the service music portion of the book. Unfortunately, only the Lukan songs are represented, a shortcoming for those beginning to observe services of daily prayer regularly.

The relationship of Scripture to hymns is evident throughout. When a text has a direct scriptural reference, it appears at the top of the page. When additional scriptural references also apply, the page includes the symbol of an open Bible next to the Scripture reference. On the other hand, scriptural allusions do not appear on the hymn-page, but are confined to the four-paged index of scriptural allusions, itself structured around lectionary and other biblical texts.

Another major influence in this hymnbook is the concern over inclusive language. One of the working guidelines of the hymnbook committee was to assure that this hymnal would embrace the diversity of its "historical traditions while providing a prophetic vision for the future." ²⁶ Central to this were concerns over language about God and language about God's people. In addressing the former, there has been an effort to insure that hymn texts express a "full range of biblical images for the persons of the Trinity. ²⁷ The latter concern was focused upon a desire to be both inclusive and sensitive to issues of age, race, gender, physical limitations, and language. As a result, poetic imagery such as "dark(ness)" and "black" denoting evil and sin, and "white" and "light" denoting goodness have been changed, or the particular stanza deleted. In the same vein, imagery of "blind" and "blindness" as well as "lame" and "dumb" came under similar scrutiny. Whereas "man" has been avoided as a generic term for the human family, so also the feminine pronoun has been eliminated when used in ways which

²⁶ The Presbyterian Hymnal, p. 9.
²⁷ Ibid.

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reinforce notions of powerlessness, manipulation, and abuse.²⁸ In addition, concern for inclusiveness is expressed in texts representative of the language and tonal traditions of a number of the ethnic groups emerging within this denomination. Approximately ten percent of the hymnal's texts are African-American, Hispanic, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, or Native American in origin, usually provided with parallel English texts as well. And this is a hymnal written to include children in Lord's Day worship. It also includes hymns for household and family table worship.

There has been an attempt to revise antiquated terms in general. However, the same scrupulosity has not been observed in the use of the antiquated pronoun/verb structures of many hymns. Though some texts have been edited, the majority have not. Here the Reformed principle of worship in the vernacular has been set aside in favor of keeping peace with those for whom "Thou/hast" is "common religious language." The Revised Standard Version committee struggled with this question in the mid- I 950s and at that time made the same consideration when addressing the Diety. Forty-some years later we know that decision reinforced the notion that there is a special form of language for prayer and praise and another for proclamation and faith discourse. It is unfortunate that at the very time when the New Revised Standard Version has abandoned all such language, this hymnal has not, certainly the book's most serious flaw. This is, of course, a political decision, for hymnals are political as well as theological documents.²⁹ politics was given priority over theology-a decision that will both date and limit the book's effectiveness in faith formation for future worshipers.

IV

The United Methodist Hymnal shows the least direct scriptural influence in both external and internal evidence. It is organized doctrinally rather than scripturally, though equipped with an ample scriptural index of comparable size with the other two hymnals. The table of contents is organized in topical sections and sub-sections. In an attempt to resolve the God language question, hymns associated with the first person of the Trinity are included under the topical section "The Glory of The Triune God." This is followed by two other topical sections: "The Grace of Jesus Christ" and "The Power of the Holy Spirit." As a result, not only is the trinitarian structure lost, but confusion similar to that created in The Presbyterian Hymnal is fostered, suggesting a subordinate Trinitarian theology. This topical approach to organization is further identified by similar heading and sub-heading at the top of

²⁸ Sharon K. Youngs, "Textual Concern," Reformed Liturgy and Music, Vol. XXIV, No. 2, Spring 1990, (Louisville, Unit on Theology and Worship, Presbyterian Church, 1990), p. 68.
²⁹ It appears that the committee responsible for this textual concern became more aggressive as they continued their work. When it was done and the early work reviewed, they discovered the lack of uniformity in application of the principle. But then publishing deadlines were too near to go back and redo the earliest committee work. On the other hand, some on the committee took solace in the notion that "people are going to be pleased to find that we did not run roughshod through the hymnbook with a machete." Ibid., p. 68.

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each hymn page. When Scripture references or allusions occur in the text (no distinction is made between the two), they are noted in parentheses following the identification of the text's author. Though individual hymn pages indicate the text's relationship to the seasons of the Christian year through metaphor such as "Promised Coming, Birth and Baptism" and "Passion and Death," one must turn to the Index of Topics and Categories section on the Church Year to find hymn titles appropriate to seasons and festival days. This topical approach to organization is further identified by a similar heading and sub-heading at the top of each page.

Eighteen canticles are an excellent addition to this hymnal. Though not as complete as Psalter Hymnal, this is far superior to the selection of canticles in The Presbyterian Hymnal. The canticles appear throughout the book according to topic rather than gathered as a collection according to scriptural order. Almost all are responsorial settings, using The Revised Standard Version adapted texts, with scriptural phrases set to new music, or well-known hymn phrases used for the congregation's sung response. However, their scriptural origin is glossed in titles such as "Canticle of Christ's Obedience" (Phil. 2:5-11). "Canticle of Covenant Faithfulness" (Isa. 55:6-11), "Canticle of Redemption" (Ps. 130), and "Canticle of God's Glory" (Luke 2:14; John 1:29). In addition, one must turn to the Index of Topics and Categories under the heading "Canticles" to find an indication of the more classic titles of these scriptural and creedal songs. Timothy Dudley Smith's and Miriam Therese Winter's settings of the "Song of Mary" (Luke 1:46-55), and the Perry/Hopson setting of the "Song of Zechariah" are included, but without reference as canticles. They are treated as hymns, as are other metrical paraphrases of scriptural texts.

The abridged psalter which follows the hymnal proper, like the one in The Presbyterian Hymnal, is compiled to enable the congregation to sing the psalms recommended for use with the appointed readings of the Common Lectionary, 1983. But this psalter is totally responsorial, using texts "based upon the New Revised Standard Version of the book of Psalms."³⁰ As with the canticles, well-known hymn phrases, and adapted scriptural texts set to music, form the congregational responses. The preface notes that:

John and Charles Wesley encouraged Methodists to pray and sing the psalms, The United Methodist Liturgical Psalter links Methodism to this rich heritage and to our own renewal of interest in the psalms as central to prayer, celebration, singing, and vital worship.³¹

The absence of any metrical psalmody in this section steps over the reality of that rich heritage as well as the way in which psalm paraphrases informed and helped shape the hymnody of the Wesleys. Though a significant number of those historic paraphrases appear in the

³⁰ The United Methodist Hymnal, #736.
³¹ Ibid.

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hymnal proper, they are not cross-referenced on the individual page, either in the hymnal or psalter proper, an unfortunate omission. There is another curiosity here. One of the arguments for responsorial psalmody over metrical psalmody is that whereas the latter is not a strict adherence to the biblical text, the former is. However, that notion is challenged even as this psalter opens with the more traditional "Blessed are those…" rather than the NRSV text "Happy are those…"; and vs. 6, "for the Lord knows the way of the righteous," rather than the NRSV text "for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous," in the adapted text for Psalm 1.

United Methodists have strong commitments to the theological concern over the use of gender specific language about God and God's people, and this is reflected in this hymnal. Hymn texts have been modified so that masculine nouns no longer speak for both genders. "Good Christian Men Rejoice" is much improved by the new "Good Christian Friends, Rejoice," while "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" and "O Brother Man" are, as in The Presbyterian Hymnal, missing altogether. There has also been an effort at limiting the use of the masculine pronoun for God, as well as the male images of King and Lord, though this has been tempered by concerns over changing a text to the point of it jarring either the singer's sensibilities, the text's poetic style, or removing a text which is an old favorite with some portion of the tradition. In general, historic texts are allowed to speak out of their own linguistic/poetic periods. As a result, some texts have been changed, such as Dudley-Smith's "Tell Out My Soul" where the word "God" repeatedly replaces the original "His." Charles Wesley's text "Ye Servants of God" continues to use the masculine pronoun for God. John Greenleaf Whittier's "Dear Lord and Father of Mankind" remains as is-missing in the other two books, On the other hand, there is also a curious mixture of changing and leaving the same, like the adaptation of the Joachim Neander/Catherine Winkworth text "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty," which reflects inconsistency of adaptation approach and style. Though texts have been changed to make them inclusive or avoid masculine imagery for God, the same is not true of many archaisms or the Tudor "Thee/Thou" structure of the poetry. In addition, throughout the book there is no indication that any textual alterations have been made, either on each hymn page, or in the indices.

The concern for ethnic inclusiveness is obvious. More than 70 hymns represent the African-American, Hispanic, Asian-American, and Native American heritages within the denomination. In looking at the Methodist and Presbyterian books together, one sees strong parallels and duplications here, especially in the African-American and Hispanic texts. The Methodist book goes farther by including prayers and other worship materials from these traditions as well. In addition, The United Methodist Hymnal contains a broad range of texts and melodies from around the world. Twenty-nine different national traditions are included, ranging from Thai, Taiwanese, and Laotian to Croatian, Czech,

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Dutch, Hindi, Malawi, and Pakistani traditions. There is a complement of strong contemporary Methodist writers like Jane Marshall and Elise Eslinger. On the other hand, the committee seems not to have been aware of the work of Jane Parker Huber, Christopher Webber, and other contemporary text writers from associated Reformed traditions.

Where both the Psalter Hymnal and The Presbyterian Hymnal have moved beyond much nineteenth and early twentieth century American evangelical hymnody, the Methodist book retains an abundance of that tradition. The Hymnal Revision Committee acknowledges that it has sought "the middle ground of evangelical hymnody held in common by the various traditions and constituencies" within its own tradition.³² This means that a significant number of the twentieth century texts are from the evangelical-gospel song tradition- 18 in all. This produces a mixture of not only the theological perspectives of Wren, Bonhoeffer, and Hammerskjold, but also Fannie Crosby, Bill and Gloria Gaither, George Bennard, and Alfred H. Ackley. One outstanding feature of this hymnal is the conscious effort to include a substantial collection of the works of Charles Wesley-51 hymns, 8 poems, and 6 responses-as well as 5 of John Wesley's texts. In addition, this hymnal has been self-conscious in selecting new texts which reflect this tradition's continuing concern for peace, justice, ecology, hunger, and issues of reconciliation in the world.

The United Methodist Church is a singing church. It is also the largest of the three denominations under discussion, and, as such, includes the greatest sociological diversity of the three, bringing with it a diversity of theologies and musical tastes. It is also a second generation Reformed tradition whose identity was formed by the fervor of Wesleyan theology that is both evangelical and ecumenical.

V

As to the influence of Scripture upon the Methodist hymnal, it is possible to say that whereas the Psalter Hymnal committee found itself concerned with a hymn's faithfulness to the literalness of a scriptural text, The Presbyterian Hymnal and The United Methodist Hymnal committees found themselves concerned with a hymn's faithfulness to what it understood to be the meaning of Scripture. The Psalter Hymnal committee submitted its psalm/hymn texts to the scrutiny of evaluation on the basis of a biblical text; the latter two hymnals submitted their psalm/hymn texts to the scrutiny of a broader based biblical theology. Of the last two committees, the Presbyterians appear to have been more directly guided by the influence of the Common Lectionary and Church Year, whereas the Methodists appear to have been guided by traditional doctrinal considerations organized topically. All three were concerned to restore the Psalter to liturgical use as prayer rather than as Scripture lesson for the day.

Looking at the broader question of hymn selection, the core of the three hymnals appears much the same, showing an abundance of the

³² The United Methodist Hymnal, p. vi.

272 - Three New Voices: Singing God's Song

well-known Greek, Latin, German, Wesleyan, English, and North American traditions. All three seem guided by the list of 227 hymns chosen by the Consultation on Ecumenical Hymnody and the groundbreaking work of the Episcopal Hymnal (1982) ³³ and The Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), ³⁴ both of which struggled with many of the issues involved in producing a new hymnal almost a decade earlier. As a result, there is a strong and parallel representation of twentieth century English byrnnody in all three books. Each contains the Kitchin/Newbolt "Lift High the Cross" which is quickly becoming the "Onward Christian Soldiers" of this and the next century. No hymnal published before 1834 contained "Amen" at the conclusion of each hymn. Consistent with that practice, these hymnals have eliminated the "Amen." There are exceptions to this in The Presbyterian Hymnal where if the closing of the text is doxological, or if the text is specifically a prayer, or the "Amen" is demonstrably a part of the text or musical progression, then an "Amen" appears. ³⁵

After asking questions about the way in which Scripture shapes and forms a new hymnal, the theologies expressed through the texts, the use of language about God and God's people, and whether it is designed to serve preaching services or full sacramental worship, one must also acknowledge the reality of a practical issue. Hymnals form and reflect personal as well as corporate devotion. They must be formed in such a way that those who will use them can recognize themselves, their lives, and their traditions as well as the message of the divine purpose revealed in Scripture. Each of these three hymnals does this in a manner appropriate for its own people. Each book vividly reflects the voice of its tradition. Each reveals the theologies that inform these traditions. Each will serve to lead its people into God's future as well as preserve the past it holds dear. Each is a voice which will enable the Word of Christ to dwell in them richly as they sing their psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Col. 3:16).

³³ The Hymnal 1982, (New York, Church Hymnal Corporation, 1985).
³⁴ Lutheran Book of Worship, (Minneapolis/Philadelphia: Augsburg Publishing House, and Board of Publication, Lutheran Church in America, 1978).
³⁵ Charles R. Ehrhardt, "Problems and Challenges Facing the Hymnbook Committee," Reformed Liturgy and Music, Vol. XXIV, No. 2, Spring 1990, (Louisville, Unit on Theology and Worship, Presbyterian Church, 1990), p. 64.