Tidings

ONWARD CHRISTIAN MODERNIZERS

"Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide," the old Episcopal hymn goes. Or went. At the church's triennial convention in New Orleans last week, 1,200 Episcopal bishops and delegates had their moment to decide, and they adopted the first revision of the official hymnal in 42 years. The commission that worked out the new texts (tunes come later) told the delegates that the 1940 edition had a disproportionate number of 19th century hymns, as well as several containing archaic or questionable language. James Russell Lowell's Once to Every Man and Nation was dropped on theological grounds: the delegates agreed that God is inclined to give people and nations more than a single chance. Deleted too was Rudyard Kipling's God of Our Fathers with its reference to "lesser breeds without the law," which the commission suggested was "uncomfortably imperialistic." The delegates overruled the commission, however, to retain the second verse of the national anthem despite its militaristic language. As befits a church that now ordains women priests, the delegates changed several allegedly sexist words--for example, "Christians" instead of "brothers." A number of new songs were added, including the catchy Morning Has Broken Like the First Morning, made popular by Pop Singer Cat Stevens. Congregations are not required to use the new edition, but after last week, judging by the delegates' sentiments, most Episcopalians will eventually be singing a different song.

JERRY'S JOURNAL

America's Evangelical Protestants publish a number of respectable periodicals, but their hard-line cousins, known as Fundamentalists, have stumbled along journalistically with bitter broadsides, pedestrian house organs and tabloids. Virginia's media-wise Pastor Jerry Falwell means to change all that. He is launching a new monthly, Fundamentalist Journal, and the September premiere issue has been distributed to 75,000 potential subscribers. Though leaden and overloaded with articles by staff members at Falwell's college, seminary and church in Lynchburg, Va., the magazine could be effective in rallying Fundamentalists and helping outsiders decode doctrinal intricacies. Falwell says the Journal is "totally different" from his other outlet, Moral Majority Report (circ. 550,000): "Whereas Moral Majority is strictly a political lobbying organization, the Journal is totally a ministry to Christians with no political commitments." Nonetheless, future numbers will carry theologically pitched pieces on such controversies as abortion, school prayer and capital punishment.

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