Home Worship Planning History of Hymns A Reply to a Letter of Concern about The Faith We Sing

A Reply to a Letter of Concern about The Faith We Sing

During the summer of 2001, the Institute of Religion and Democracy (IRD) sent out a mass mailing to several hundred thousand United Methodists alerting them to what that organization saw as inappropriate hymn and song texts in The Faith We Sing. Specifically, the IRD raised objections to certain hymns that contained feminine images and metaphors for God. The IRD included in its mailing a packet of pre-addressed, pre-written postcards voicing these objections and urged recipients to mail them to the heads of the Discipleship Ministries and the United Methodist Publishing House, the two general agencies responsible for The Faith We Sing.

The agencies received many postcards, and a few of those contained additional handwritten messages and questions. A few writers chose to write their own personal letters rather than mailing the postcards. One such letter is reproduced below, along with the reply. The letter is not exceptional at all. Indeed, it is quite typical of the letters received, perhaps a bit longer, a bit more thoughtful, and a bit more expressive of the concern the writer feels for the future of The United Methodist Church. It may very well express some of the concerns many in our church may have, and its reproduction here is to help answer some of those concerns. The only deletion from the original letter is the writer's identity. (It should be noted that this letter and the reply were the first exchanges between this writer and me. Since then, we have exchanged several letters and have established a mutually beneficial relationship via the mail.)

Dear Friends,

Thank you very much for your acknowledgment of my letter and also for your comments in the defense of the new supplement of the hymnal. I have yet to find a biblical basis for the phrase, "Mother God," "Womb of Life," "strong Mother God," "old aching God," "young growing God," "Mothering Christ," and others that are mentioned in feminine theology. Where are these references made in the Bible? You mentioned that all this was in keeping with the Methodist doctrine and liturgy. I really would appreciate seeing that in print. Personally speaking, my source of authority is The Bible, as it should be. Our Methodist Church, I'm sorry to say, has wandered away from the Bible — the Word of God — and from what I've been reading, many of our leaders are not offended by anything (except evangelicals). No wonder our church has lost two million members.

In regard to the Holy Spirit: if the Bible says the Holy Spirit is God's spirit (and the Bible says God is "Father") — then why in the supplement is the Holy Spirit feminine? "She comes sailing on the wind, her wings flashing in the sun, on a journey just begun she flies on full of laughter full of light." In no way are these words in keeping with the Bible and the Wesleyan standards. Just what would be the purpose of writing lyrics like these? I would appreciate your thoughts concerning this.

What we Methodists need is fidelity to the Bible — to the God — the Creator of all — as we read in the Scriptures. Just recently I read about a UM graduate from one of our UM seminaries, and he said that he was taught that there was no Resurrection, no Holy Spirit, Jesus was dead, and that the Bible is an outdated book. Needless to say, I am praying that the new supplement hymns will be removed.

May God's grace be with us.


And here is the response:

Dear ____________:

First, let me thank you for your letter and expressions of concern. The United Methodist Church can sometimes seem like a large bureaucracy with little direct connection between the people and those of us who work in its agencies. Your letter and its expression of what you so obviously believe deeply and express with loving concern gives both hope and opportunity for the continuation of that connection. I will try to answer your questions and concerns as best I can, and I trust that you will continue our dialogue — if you desire.

You ask for a biblical reference for some of the feminine images used in a few of The Faith We Sing hymns. You mention specifically "Mother God," "Womb of Life," "Mothering Christ," and others; and you request some specific references to our statement that these images are in keeping with United Methodist doctrine and liturgical practice. I will give some of those references, but first I would like to say something about the tradition and practice of hymn writing.

From the very earliest years of the faith, the church has embraced the practice of incorporating symbolic language and metaphorical images in its hymns. These are poetic devices that help us to express, interpret, and understand deep theological truths and concepts, as well as elements in human life and nature. Examples of these poetic devices may be found in the hymn, "All Creatures of Our God and King" (United Methodist Hymnal, number 62), based upon Saint Francis's beloved prayer. It contains many images, including "brother wind," "sister water," "mother earth"; and it refers to death as "our sister."" Hymn 105 in The United Methodist Hymnal ["God of Many Names"] refers to God as "the womb and birth of time." Many prayers and worship resources in The United Methodist Book of Worship include images and metaphors. Number 527 refers to the healing waters of God's womb. Number 463 in The United Methodist Book of Worship declares God to be both Father and Mother to us. It is the literary and symbolic sense of these illustrations that is continued by some of the hymns of The Faith We Sing. None of the hymns in this new supplement break new ground theologically.

You ask for scriptural references for some of these allusions and images. Let me offer some to you as they relate to specific hymns in the new volume. In addition to these biblical citations, it should be remembered that the terms "mother" and "mothering" when referring to God or Christ are always lower cased (except when they begin a stanza or sentence) — underscoring the use of figurative language to describe attributes and activities of God and not true names for God.

Hymn 2046, "Womb of Life"

  • Deuteronomy 32:18 refers to God as the one who gives birth to creation.
  • Isaiah 42:14 reveals God crying aloud like a woman in labor.

Hymn 2047, "Bring Many Names"

  • Hosea 13:8 refers to God acting like a mother bear defending her cubs.
  • Psalm 131:2 shows the psalmist calmed "like a weaned child with its mother."
  • Isaiah 49:15 speaks of God being more faithful than a woman is to her nursing child.
  • Isaiah 66:13: God promises to comfort as a mother comforts her child.
  • Matthew 23:37 and Luke 13:34-35: Jesus longs to gather the people as a "hen gathers her brood."

Hymn 2050, "Mothering God, You Gave Me Birth"

  • As previously stated, "mothering" in this hymn is used figuratively.
  • Psalm 22:9, 71:6, and Isaiah 66:9 use images of God as a midwife.

In the examples cited above, there is no attempt to change or replace other images for God — especially those that are masculine — that are also rooted in Scripture. There is recognition in these hymns, however, that the Bible contains a rich diversity of images. Hymn writers have drawn upon these images since the beginning of Christian hymnody, and the church has made use of them. The Faith We Sing continues in that tradition.

You ask for further explanation of number 2122, "She Comes Sailing on the Wind," and its use of feminine pronouns to refer to the Holy Spirit. The church has always struggled to understand, interpret, and incorporate the Holy Spirit in song. We rightly understand God to be personal always, never impersonal. Therefore, to refer to God in any way as a neuter "it" is inappropriate and inaccurate. This has proven difficult for hymn writers of the past and present. Some have chosen to avoid any use of pronouns to refer to the Spirit, which can be seen in The Faith We Sing, 2117, "Spirit of God." In this hymn, the composer skillfully avoids all reference to the Spirit's sexual identity by avoiding all use of the pronouns "he," "she," and "it" and by speaking directly with the use of the non-sexual "you" and "your." Although the church has been comfortable referring to God with male pronouns, this has not been the case with the Holy Spirit, who (not "which") is most often seen as a genderless entity. If the Holy Spirit is understood and experienced to be personal, then we are constrained by the conventions of the English language, which limits us to the pronouns "he" and "she" in the singular form. The use of one or the other will always be inaccurate and incomplete, but those are our options. Christians today who use some other languages don't have the problems with languge that English-speaking Christians do. In Greek and French, for instance, the word that is used to refer to the Spirit as a dove is a feminine word; and in substituting a personal pronoun in that context, both Greek and French will always use "she" rather than "he" or "it."

Let me add one final thought. Scripture has always been the primary basis of our Methodist faith and practice, and it rightly remains so today. With you, I am appalled and troubled over the conclusion of your letter in which you relate how a recent graduate from one of our United Methodist seminaries claimed that he was taught that "there was no Resurrection, no Holy Spirit, Jesus was dead, and that the Bible is an outdated book." Surely you and I, along with nearly all United Methodists, can agree that this seminarian's thoughts are not in keeping with our faith, tradition, and practice. They are certainly not echoed by the contents of The Faith We Sing. What we have done with this book is to present to the church a collection of songs in a wide variety of musical and literary styles, with texts that are theologically sound and biblically based. The hymns are presented in both contemporary and traditional conventions of language and are wholly in line with historic, traditional, and modern United Methodist faith and practice. It is entirely reasonable, given the numbers and diversity of United Methodists today, that not everyone will want to sing every song in this collection. But because these hymns are all in keeping with sound theology, are biblically based, and are within the faith and practice of United Methodism, I pray that a spirit of inclusion and understanding will prevail. Music and song should unite rather than divide us.

I hope you will feel free to contact me again if you wish to continue this discussion. I value the opportunity of personal interaction on such matters, and I always want to remain open to new thoughts and ideas, new insights into the truths of the faith that I can learn from others such as yourself.

Faithfully,

Dean McIntyre
Director of Music Resources
Discipleship Ministries
P. O. Box 340003
Nashville TN 37203-0003
Toll-free Telephone: 1-877-899-2780
Email:
[email protected]

To comment on this article, contact Dean McIntyre at [email protected].

Posted 8-29-01

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