Hymn Of The Week: May 11, 2020

Lord, I Want to be a Christian

Page 729 in Glory to God Hymnal

Lord, I want to be a Christian, in my heart
Lord, I want to be more loving, in my heart
Lord, I want to be more holy, in my heart
Lord, I want to be like Jesus, in my heart

“Lord, I want to be a Christian” is among a canon of African American Spirituals that appears both in mainline denominational hymnals and in African American hymnals in the United States. It was first published in Folk Songs of the American Negro edited by Frederick J. Work (1878?-1942) (Nashville, 1907) with an introduction by John W. Work, Jr. (1872?-1925). This publication was the outgrowth of the performances by the Fisk Jubilee Singers who codified the Spirituals in a musical style that reached a broader audience beyond the African American community. Its appearance in this important collection had the effect of standardizing this folk song to the degree that, with one notable exception, most hymnals reprint the text in the same form as it appeared in this compilation.

One verse that is left out of this song in hymnals across the country, is I don’t want to be like Judas.

Eileen Guenther, in her book: In Their Own Words. Slave Life and the Power of Spirituals wrote the following:

The recurring text 'in my heart' may reasonably be seen as a statement against the hypocrisy of slave owners who said one thing and . . . treat their slaves badly and brutally. That the owners who go to church on Sunday morning and even served communion to their slaves can turn around and beat them that afternoon or the next day is a brutal irony. The slaves’ sung desire to 'be more holy' or 'be like Jesus' reinforces their intention to follow the true teachings of Christianity. (Guenther, 110) 

Enjoy the attached video. My first attempt at putting together several different videos! The bells come across loud and clear, so I advise putting the volume at half or less!

Stay Healthy!
Philip

Further Reading: Eileen Guenther, In Their Own Words: Slave Life and the Power of Spirituals (St. Louis: Morning Star Music Publishers, 2016).

The bells come across loud and clear, so I advise putting the volume at half or less!