An extraordinary dispute has arisen over a lyric contained one of the most beloved contemporary Christian hymns of the modern-day Church, "In Christ Alone".
According to Bob Smietana of USA Today, the committee putting together a new hymnal for the Presbyterian Church (USA) dropped the popular hymn because the song's authors refused to change a phrase about the wrath of God. He said that the original lyrics say that "on that cross, as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied."
The Presbyterian Committee on Congregational Song wanted to substitute the words, "the love of God was magnified."
The song's authors, Stuart Townend and Northern Ireland born and now a Nashville resident, Keith Getty, objected.
"So the committee voted to drop the song," said Smietana.
"Critics say the proposed change was sparked by liberals wanting to take God's wrath out of the hymnal. The committee says there's plenty of wrath in the new hymnal.
"Instead, the problem is the word 'satisfied,' which the committee says refers to a specific view of theology that it rejects.
Smietana went on to say that debate over "In Christ Alone" is a mix of church politics, the touchy subject of updating hymn lyrics and rival views of what Jesus' death on the cross meant.
"The decision to drop the hymn wasn't made lightly, said Mary Louise Bringle, a religion professor and hymnwriter who chaired the hymnal committee. It was complicated by a foul-up with the rights for the song," he continued.
"Committee members had found a version of the hymn with the alternate text in the Celebrating Grace Hymnal, a Baptist hymnal published in 2010. They assumed the songwriters already had agreed to the change."
"We had every reason to think that this was an authorized text because it appeared in a recent hymnal," Bringle was quoted as saying.
"When it asked for permission to use the song, the committee learned that the song's authors hadn't approved the change," said Smietana.
Capitol CMG Publishing, which manages rights for "In Christ Alone," said it is working with the hymnal's publisher to fix the problem. Neither Getty, (who is at present songwriting in Ireland) nor the Celebrating Grace publisher was available for comment. "We respect our songwriters and the integrity of their lyrics, and the intent of our request was to ensure the song retains the original lyrics as written by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend," Capitol said in a prepared statement.
"Celebrating Grace Inc. is cooperating fully and is taking steps to make the correction in all distributed copies of the song, including the Celebrating Grace Hymnal."
The USA Today writer stated that Bringle said that left the committee in a bind. The Presbyterians' new Glory to God hymnal, due out this fall, includes songs such as "O Sacred Head Now Wounded," which talk about substitutionary atonement - the idea that Jesus took the place of sinners on the cross. It also includes songs about God's wrath.
"People think that we've taken the wrath of God out of the hymnal," Bringle said. "That's not the case. It's all over the hymnal. The issue was the word 'satisfied.'"
"That term was used by the medieval theologian Anselm, who argued that sins offended God's honor, and someone had to die in order to satisfy his honor," said Smietana.
"The 15-member committee rejected Anselm's view and voted 9-6 to drop the hymn."
