Emphasis Preaching Journal
New hymnals appear about every...
Illustration
New hymnals appear about every 25 years, with a hymnal committee deciding which hymns to keep, what to delete, and new compositions to be included. One denominational committee got into a terrible fight over “Onward Christian Soldiers.” Some loved the hymn and felt it had to be included, but the majority declared that it was militaristic and should be discarded. After a leak to the press, hostile articles appeared in newspapers across the country. As a result, the hymnal committee received over 4,000 letters and phone calls.