News by email Donate

Suggestions

Rowan Williams.JPG 1.JPG 2.JPG
Reuters
Rowan Williams.JPG 1.JPG
Reuters
UK News

Hymns we sing today are ‘primary school level’, says Rowan Williams

by Heather Preston

The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams has said the most popular hymns chosen for weddings and funerals are like “baby food” in terms of their lyrical content.

Speaking in The Times, Lord Williams of Oystermouth lamented at the “bland” song choices used to mark special occasions, saying they are picked because they are what “people remember from primary school”.

The former archbishop remarked that more theologically rich songs seem to have “fallen out of common memory” as hymns have become less prominent in schools and society.

His comments come in response to a letter to The Times from Lord Lisvane, chairperson of the Royal College of Organists, in which he referred to the well-known hymn All Things Bright and Beautiful as “saccharine doggerel” and “deeply depressing.”

Written in 1848, All Things Bright and Beautiful is the first song listed on the Church of England’s recommendations for wedding ceremony hymns and features high on many popular hymn lists for special occasions.

Lord Williams, who has described the song as “very bland, and, at worst in its full version, rather aggressive,” explains that many people in today’s secular society lack a knowledge of hymns and as a result tend to draw upon those which they sang as children.

“The unfortunate effect of that is you have hymns that work at a primary school level,” he said.

A good hymn “nourishes the spirit” through storytelling, metaphors and pictures, Lord Williams said, citing Love Divine, All Loves Excelling and Come, O Thou Traveller Unknown, both by Charles Wesley, as good examples. 

Lord Williams has urged schools to include more hymn-singing and encouraged religious education teachers to explore more singing and chanting.

 

A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference

In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.

Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.

For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.

Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.

Support Us
Continue the conversation on our Facebook page

Related Articles

Sign up to our newsletter to stay informed with news from a Christian perspective.

News by email

Connect

Donate

Donate