Banned in a growing number of British churches: Jerusalem, the William Blake hymn which inspired the title of the movie, “Chariots of Fire” (mp3).
4 thoughts on “Banned in Britain”
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Advent Hope 
Anyone want to start a list of hymns that do not give glory to God? The CofE has plenty of hymns in their books that do not even mention God. It has more to do with it being a nationalistic, even chauvinistic. This hymn is analogous to “America the beautiful” in modern British cultural identity.
The book of Ruth doesn’t mention God, either.
As to it being “nationalistic, even chauvinistic,” and “analogous to ‘America the Beautiful’ in modern British cultural identity” — I take it that means you all don’t sing it often in Ireland. 🙂
I prefer “hail Glorious St. Patrick” myself! As for the hymns that don’t mention God I was thinking more about certain hymn books that have us singing our hearts out to mother earth etc etc.
You’d have thought that christians would be worried about a poem that claimed Jesus had lived in Britain and which had been turned into a patriotic and jingoistic song for a pro-war concert in 1916 (and then appropriated by nationalists) and has since found its way into a hymnbook… I’m with the clerics on this one. I’m not doubting its a fine piece of music, with a strong tradition and rousing words, but that doesn’t make it a hymn.
(Although I do like the irony of some “concerned of Tonbrige Wells” C of E member getting upset at contemporary Christian worship music whilst blindly clinging to Jerusalem!)