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May 26, 2012

Home > 2010 > DecemberChristianity Today, December, 2010
Under Discussion
Away With 'Away in the Manger'?
Should churches ban carols with questionable theology?




Discussion Starter: Christmas

The U.S. Supreme Court recently refused to consider a challenge to a ban on religious carols in public schools. The decision underscored how singing "songs of good cheer" can be complicated. Some Christians believe that leading up to Christmas, churches should not sing carols that celebrate the birth of Christ. Others question the theology of some carols.

"Music leaders have a responsibility for the lyrical content of their selections, but they also recognize that music serves a different function than preaching. I tend to consider cases of questionable lyrics under a number of categories. … Some carols have odd or misleading lyrics, such as 'no crying he makes' from 'Away in a Manger.' This lyric misses a key aspect of the Incarnation: Jesus entered into our suffering. We don't sing that carol, but have instrumental arrangements of the melody."

Tom Jennings, director of worship and arts, Redeemer Presbyterian Church

"Only with great care. For thousands, carols will be their only link with a church. At the same time, sentimentality is perhaps the single most dangerous feature of our Church and culture—and the sentimental air is never thicker than at Christmas. The Incarnation is messy, dirty, and resonates with the crucifixion. We need a new wave of carol writing that can gradually swill out the nonsense and catch the piercing, joy-through-pain refrains of the New Testament."

Jeremy Begbie, professor of theology, Duke Divinity School

"The time we set aside for corporate worship in song is precious, so while the idea of 'banning' certain Christmas carols is a little too Ebenezer Scrooge for me, pastors and worship leaders should select Christmas songs wisely (just as they should use care choosing which hymns and worship songs will give expression to their people's praise throughout the year.) The good news is that there are many theologically rich Christmas carols to chose from. Well-chosen sacred carols can help mark Advent time as special, which is particularly valuable in non-liturgical traditions (like mine). Most of the carols that have stood the test of time are the product of collaboration over centuries and are often very fine works."

Carolyn Arends, singer-songwriter

"The Christmas story does have extra-biblical license, given some carols in our tradition, and that's not harmful. It would become harmful if the carol were presenting something unbiblical; if a carol suggested Mary were not a virgin—that would be an issue. But I think in the musical sense and in the carols of Christmas there is license for material in those carols that would not necessarily flow out of the biblical account."

Mike Harland, director, LifeWay Worship

"I wouldn't want to sing Christmas carols that were teaching people to remember the wrong thing or exhorting people to do the wrong thing. But I wouldn't want to do that with any other time of year either. With questionable theology it's a different thing; suppose you've got a phrase that can be interpreted three or four different ways, and someone goes back and hunts around in the life of a hymn writer 150 years ago trying to figure out if he meant this in a heretical way or not. I don't think we need to be hyper-scrupulous about things like that. 'With the ever-circling years comes round the age of gold.' What does that mean? Is this guy an orthodox postmillenialist? Is he an optimistic Pollyanna liberal? I don't think we need to worry about that."

Douglas Wilson, minister, Christ Church





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Displaying 1–5 of 86 comments

Gail Caldwell-Knabe

December 06, 2010  6:22pm

We have used this gentle hymn for years with our children's Christmas programs and have always felt that the part "no crying he makes" represented the Son of God without sin beginning as an infant. It seems plausible with the scriptures - that He as an infant would be peaceful and not need to cry. We will continue to use it this year too.

Les Walter

December 06, 2010  2:37pm

I often sing this carol in our church, but spend moe time teaching the other verses. Now that I think about it, can anyone tell me if there are more questionable lines in this that I should avoid in my doctrine???!!!

Jamie McDonald

December 06, 2010  11:37am

When it comes to Christmas Carols the difference between truth and error is often in the eye of the beholder. Case in point: N.T. Wright gets all bent out of shape with It Came Upon The Midnight Clear and the words "when with the ever circling years comes round the age of gold" (see the link to the Christian History blog above). However, if one interprets these words in the sense of circumnavigating or traveling AROUND history (like the minute hand of a clock beginning at the top and traveling around the timepiece) to arrive at the final age of gold outlined Revelation 21:9-27, then there really is no issue. Examples like this should remind all of us that we "see through a glass darkly" and not be so quick to disparage or dismantle the very tools that have helped keep the true meaning of Christmas alive in our communities.

Tom Jennings

December 06, 2010  8:12am

See Toh - great point about cultural perspective. I was only asked what hymns I avoid programming at my (American) church. This idea of a "ban" is the work of the CT editors. The carol isn't "banned" at Redeemer - we play instrumental arrangements of it and simply choose other carols for the handful of carols we sing each year in worship. DW - many have commented on here that, of course, babies don't always cry. I have children myself and thankfully they have taken occasional crying breaks over the last 11 years. Poets choose their words carefully to make broader points or create larger impressions. "Little Lord Jesus," "his sweet head," "no crying he makes" - this language fits squarely into the sentimental school of hymn writing of the 1890's. It's not heretical, of course, but it does paint a picture. Again - I'm not suggesting any carol be "banned." Away in a Manger just isn't the best choice for us to sing at Redeemer. That's all.

D W

December 06, 2010  1:35am

That is quite a leap from “When the cattle woke him on the night of his birth, the baby Jesus did not cry” to “The Incarnate Jesus did not enter into human suffering”. I think someone needs to get a life. Maybe spend some time studying poetic analysis. (See previous posts about the ‘good baby’.) ::Humming 'Away in a Manger' to myself::

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