This week in Christian history: Creflo Dollar arrested, George Leslie Mackay dies, ‘Onward, Christian Soldiers’ written

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, June 02, 2024

‘Onward, Christian Soldiers’ written – June 5, 1865

Sabine Baring-Gould (1834-1924), an Anglican priest, author, and schoolmaster best known for writing the famous hymn 'Onward, Christian Soldiers.' — Sabine Baring-Gould (1834-1924), an Anglican priest, author, and schoolmaster best known for writing the famous hymn "Onward, Christian Soldiers." | Public Domain

This week marks the anniversary of when Sabine Baring-Gould, an Anglican priest, writer and schoolmaster, wrote the famous hymn “Onward, Christian Soldiers.”

Originally titled “A Hymn for Procession with Cross and Banners,” Baring-Gould originally wrote the song for a children’s processional that took place at Horbury St. Peter’s Church near Wakefield in Yorkshire, England.

In recent times, the militaristic imagery of the hymn has garnered controversy, with some denominations making efforts to remove the song from their hymnals.

“‘Onward, Christian Soldiers,’ was initially to be excluded from The United Methodist Hymnal (1989),” wrote Joshua Zentner-Barrett wrote in 2017 for the Perkins School of Theology on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.

“The decision was picked up by local newspapers and national broadcasters, unleashing a wave of protest from across The United Methodist Church (some eleven thousand pieces of mail were sent to the hymnal committee) …”