Onward, Christian Soldiers

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"Onward, Christian Soldiers" is a 19th century English hymn. The words were written by Sabine Baring-Gould and the music by Arthur Sullivan in 1871. Sullivan named the tune "St. Gertrude," after the wife of his friend Ernest Clay Ker Seymer.

The theme is taken from references in the New Testament to the Christian being a soldier for Christ, for example II Timothy 2:3 (KJV): "Thou shalt endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ."

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Lyrics to Onward, Christian Soldiers

The Spiritualists' National Union hymnbook has a variation on the hymn, entitled "Onward, Comrades, Onward". Another hymn sung to the St. Gertrude tune is "Forward Through the Ages", written by Frederick Lucian Hosmer (1840-1929) in 1908.^[1]

1 Background
2 In popular culture
3 Notes
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Background

The lyric was written as a processional hymn for children at Horbury Bridge, near Wakefield, Yorkshire. It was originally entitled, "Hymn for Procession with Cross and Banners."

According to the Center for Church Music, Baring-Gould reportedly wrote Onward Christian Soldiers in about 15 minutes, later apologizing, "It was written in great haste, and I am afraid that some of the lines are faulty."[1] He later allowed hymn-book compilers to alter the lyrics. For example, The Fellowship Hymn Book, with his permission, changed the phrase ‘one in hope and doctrine’ to ‘one in hope and purpose." For the 1909 edition of Hymns Ancient and Modern, he changed the fifth line of the same verse from ‘We are not divided’ to ‘Though divisions harass." However, Baring-Gould’s original words are used in most modern hymnals.

Baring-Gould originally set the lyrics to a melody from the slow movement of Joseph Haydn’s Symphony in D, No. 15. This was printed in 1871 in an English church periodical, the Church Times. The hymn did not receive wide acceptance, however, until Sullivan wrote the tune "St. Gertrude" for it.

An attempt was made in 1986 to strip Onward Christian Solders from the Methodist Hymnal due to perceived militarism. Outrage among church goers caused the committee to back down.^[2] However, the hymn was not included in the 1990 hymnal of the Presbyterian Church (USA).^[3]