![]() Now I long for the church attendance, respect of the Bible, and gospel zeal of previous generations of my kinsmen according to the flesh. Such sentiment, I fear, isn’t confined to the past or restricted to my nation. Moreover, they assume something about “the English” that requires God to be more for us than he is for others. Such words convey that nationality, not spirituality, is God’s highest priority. The hymn was written when religious fervor was rife in England many believed God “favored” our land. William Blake penned the poem as a riff on an apocryphal story about adolescent Jesus visiting England’s shores and finding it to be heaven on earth. Nowhere is this more evident than in the words of the hymn “Jerusalem.” Considered one of our most patriotic songs, the hymn also has the dubious honor of being the only one where every line can be answered in the negative:Īnd did those feet in ancient time walk upon England’s mountains green? Īnd did the Countenance Divine, Shine forth upon our clouded hills? Īnd was the holy Lamb of God on England’s pleasant pastures seen? Īnd was Jerusalem builded here among those dark satanic mills? ![]() Suffice it to say that my country’s relationship with God has a long and complicated history. We quote this phrase all the time in England. ![]() ” near the top is “Englishman” (just after “astronaut”-go figure!). ![]() ![]() If you type into a search engine, “God is a. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |