Twice in the last few weeks something happened that got me thinking about how very careful we need to be when revising, either our own work or someone else’s. First, during a worship team practice, the leader changed the words of a song from “You give and take away,” referring to God, to “You give me all I need.” When I asked why she’d changed the words, she remarked that she didn’t like the idea that God takes anything away. When I pointed out that the words are from Scripture, she just shrugged and said she liked it her way better.
This may not seem like a big deal, but for me, it was. Because her way denied a reality of God’s authority and power. Not only that, but the song is about proclaiming God’s name as blessed, regardless of what happens in our lives, good or bad. And the leader’s “minor” change took away the power of saying, “Lord, I will bless Your name, even when You take away things I want or love.” The song is about recognizing that God is God, and we are His followers. Her change made it a song that says, basically, I’ll bless you because you give me what I need. Entirely different.
Then, last week, while visiting a different church, we sang the wonderful hymn, Blessed Assurance. But when we came to the line, “…perfect submission, all is at rest, I in my Savior am happy and blessed,” the words on the screen were “…perfect obedience,” not “perfect submission.” I sang the words on the screen, but it troubled me. When I sat down, I tried to figure out why. Submission and obedience are certainly both a part of the Christian life. But the more I thought about it, the more I understood. Obedience and submission are NOT synonyms. Submission, as used in this hymn, refers to the willful choice to accept God as king and master. You surrender “kingship” over your life and submit to God’s authority. And, as the hymn says, you can rest in Him and His authority. But obedience is simply following orders, which you can do without submitting to someone’s authority.
There’s an old joke about a little boy who kept standing up in the back seat of the car. His mother told him over and over to sit down, and he wouldn’t. Not until she barked, “SIT DOWN!” did he plop his fanny down on the seat. But he sat there with his arms crossed and his bottom lip sticking out, until he finally muttered, “I may be sitting on the outside, but I’m standing on the inside.” He obeyed, but he was far from submission.
So next time you settle in for revisions, whether on your own work or on someone else’s, think hard before changing key words or phrases. And should you decide to do so, be careful to choose words and phrases that say what you really mean to say. Because writing about truth and God and faith demands that kind of care.
Authors: Seeking Approval
Hi Karen,
I’m praying for you and your husband’s family.
I can’t imagine changing scripture to fit what I ‘feel.’ That’s a dangerous game and that can get us into big trouble.
Thanks for the challenge as we revise our stories!
Beautifully written, Mrs. Ball. The Bible is very clear about not changing scripture. Thank you for your post!
Karen, you are so right. Your friend may not like the idea that God takes away, but he does–often for our own good.
(Her altering Matt Redman’s “Blessed Be Your Name” lyrics may have copyright implications.)
Words should never be altered except to bring greater clarity and understanding. It was wrong alter Matt Redman’s song because it completely changed the meaning and emotional content. No one has the right to alter the words of any other person in a way sufficient to change their meaning without some sort of accompanying critique or reasoned explanation, i.e. using familiar words altered to make a point in an article, review, or essay, but absolutely not without quoting the original first to give the reader the ability to recognize the difference. I hope your blog post travels far and wide so that others can see the dangers inherent in changing words: Not simply the copyright implications, but also the moral and ethical trust to speak truth.
It applies to the secular world as well.
The SOuth lost the Battle of Gettysburg in part because two Confederate generals, Stuart and Ewell, chose a different interpretation of their orders than that which was intended.
Stuart was to fulfill the role of cavalry as the eyes of the army, harassing the Union units where practicable; instead, he lived the cavalry dream of raiding, without staying in touch with the Army of Northern Virginia, and allowing the undetected approach of a large Union force, which put Lee into the position of having to accept battle on ground not of his choosing.
In the early stages of the battle, Ewell was tasked with taking and holding Little ROund Top if practicable; it was (the height was unoccupied), but he didn’t do it. The Union took the position, and the enfilading fire it gave them into any Southern avenue of attack wrote the script for the battle’s end and outcome.
It probably goes too far to say that these too errors cost the South the war; the Union had the resources, in terms of industrial capacity and manpower (not to mention lines of supply that couldn’t be blockaded) that guaranteed eventual victory. The South, with a win at Gettysburg, might have bought time, and that’s all.
Time that would have been counted in blood.
In both cases, the orders Lee gave included to clause “as practicable” or its equivalent. It lent a kind of flexible ambiguity that allowed individual interpretation…”…it was practicable (or not) to ME, on the spot, and with the best knowledge of the facts…so YOU can’t really question my actions”.
The power of words, indeed.
Wow, Karen! Those alterations you quoted gave me scary chills. It reminds me of political language designed to deceive. God is who He is–a wise an powerful king, deserving of our submission and worthy to be trusted enough to take whatever He wants from us and do with it as He pleases. God in a little box is not a God to worship. Your point about our words is taken. Thanks again!!!
A disturbing sign of the times–itching ears, after all. I have, at times, been uncomfortable singing a choir number or hymn because its lyrics were already contrary to Scripture. A lot of music in our hymnals is blatantly Gnostic or Arian, and against clear teaching from both the Old and New Testaments and orthodox Christian interpretation through the millenia. In the case of choir songs, I ask our director if I can rewrite some of the lyrics to better reflect Scripture. With hymns, I just don’t sing.
So true Karen! My husband was a worship leader for many years, and he was always battling with others on their desire to change things within the songs. People just don’t seem to want to hear certain things, and the tendency for preachers, writers and bloggers (and sometimes musicians) is to sugar coat the message so as not to offend or push the hearer away. I understand that they sincerely desire for all to love Jesus But that just simply changes the message. I do believe that we have to meet people where they are, but to make something mean what was not intended is a very dangerous place to be indeed! Thank you for the encouragement to stay true to Jesus!
:}
Karen,
Great post.
If we call Him “Lord,” we will accept what he gives or takes. And if we call him Lord (vs. leader), we will not only obey but submit…and joyfully.
Our culture is steeped in individualism and democracy. We struggle with concepts of dominion and submission. You are correct to help the church get it right.
Thanks for this reminder.
When Reader’s Digest released a condensed version of the Bible, they omitted Rev. 22: 18-19. Wonder why?
“I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.” (NIV)
That’s certainly a definitive statement of the hazard of editing. It should make us stop and pull back from the brink before we consider altering anything God has told us in Scripture to make it more palatable to ourselves or our times.
Amen Carol! May we always remember that….
Jesus is a pillow to make men comfortable, a cushion to ease their fall. No… wait … He is a stone to make men stumble, a Rock to make them fall. Word substitution is a good example of that. The words “stumble” them so they change them. And they can do that here. But the originals are written and settled forever in heaven, unchangeable.
On of the reasons we left our last church, some 20 years ago, was because the worship team changed the words “saved a wretch like me” to “saved and set me free.” Yikes.
I may be wrong, but I think that “saved and set me free” has been around for quite awhile; certainly back to the Civil Rights movement, and possibly back to the Civil War.
I don’t like monkeying around with traditional lyrics, but this adaptation, specific to the issues of slavery and discrimination, is understandable, especially in light of Newton’s background.
Last night the video for our women’s Bible study, from Jennifer Rothschild’s Missing Pieces: Real Hope When Life Doesn’t Make Sense, was about one of the principles in your post: submission to God’s will even when He takes things away. What an easy but presumptuous “faith” to accept only the good things, the things we want, the things we even ask for specifically, as gifts from God’s hand, then angrily charge our Heavenly Father with being unloving, unfair, unkind, or even mistaken, when what we wanted or who we loved is denied or removed. The list of things the women in our group have endured and are living though now was almost unbelievable. What a terrible disservice it would be to them to omit the comfort and assurance that God is in control and still good, even when we don’t get what WE wanted. You’re right on target, Karen: ALL the words matter. Thank you for the post.
I have never in my life felt God has “taken away” anything from me. I feel everything in creation belongs to Him in the first place, including me. He has entrusted certain things to me as His steward from time to time but they always remain His.
I, like many people, have had terrible losses in my life but I never attribute them to, or blame, God. I have never been “mad” or angry with God as I have seen some people proclaim. I have seen and received great gifts of knowledge, true miracles and have been promoted far beyond any reasonable expectations in my life. I know the Kingdom is forever and that is where I wish to lay up treasure.
In this life the parable of the talents remains in constant memory. If I can assist even only one soul to attain the Kingdom that otherwise would not have I would count this life with all its pain, trails and challenges to have been worth it. I have no concern for an earthly legacy. My fervent prayer is that my Father will say “I know you, you have done well my son”.
I wouldn’t dare modify or “interpret” His word to suit my convenience or “modern” times. I see this happening now. It seems we have entered an age of apostasy, we may have entered the beginning of the end.
God knows!
Lovely. May the Word stand forever.
This sort of post blesses me. I like uncompromising truth, at any cost.
Wow! One thing I love about that first song is that it is taken directly from the book of Job. One of the most difficult and beautiful books of the Bible. Which of us has not felt like Job? It is in the “taking away” moments that our trust in a loving Lord must prevail if we are to truly be His. Without acknowledging the difficulty of sitting in your Dad’s funeral when you are just 14 and trying to praise God, of watching hurting kids come through your doors at Bible camp, see some heeling, and then leave you to go back home to be hurt once more, of watching a loved one decline and move toward goodbye. If we do not see God’s love in these times, what are we? A good reminder as I am revising right now. I will chose my words with care, thank you Karen.
What a great post, Karen. I so agree with you. I know the writers of the songs/hymns spent a lot of time and prayer coming up with just the right words. It’s really a problem for someone to change the words, no matter why.
You are rightly grieved. I am as I hear this. It is happening everywhere.
I am with you on not changing the words. I probably would have sung the original words. I am blessed to know there are others like me. Thank you for this post.
I think sometimes people change the words to hymns because they think modern people won’t understand the original words. But they’re more likely to understand them if they get exposed to them often. Let’s give the younger generation credit for having brains.
Steve, I so appreciate your stand on the Scriptures. It seems to be an unusual characteristic these days. I teach Bible studies and find myself asking for wisdom more and more as I am questioned about the Word because a pastor has taught it unbiblically,
Keep up the good work!
Oops! So Sorry! I credited the blog on the biblical stance on Scripture to the wrong person. Karen, I salute you. Thank you much.
(I do like Steve, too.)
Then there are song lyrics that Ought to be changed. (Yes, I capitalized that on purpose.) I’m thinking specifically of the last line of the second verse of Broken and Spilled Out:
You were used up and wasted for me.
If Christ’s blood was wasted, no atonement was made, and we are still lost in our sins.
Dear Karen,
I have not yet read a post from you that has not been encouraging and uplifting. With that said, it stands to reason that I look forward to reading all your posts.
I totally agree with this one. It reminds me of a verse in the Bible, don’t remember exactly where, but it’s in Revelation- about not adding to or taking away one jot or titel from God’s word. Not only should we take care in what we speak, but also in what we write. Thanks so much for your blogs. God bless.
Heather
Wow Ms. Karen – now THAT was a brilliant post!!!!
I wonder why the changes are being made to songs/scripture… I have a guess, and it’s more than rebellion like the boy in the story about sitting down. I wonder if we doubt the ability of God’s Word to gain support – take root in the world – even in the church. I wonder if the church wants to harvest more than sow… watering down the truth that God uses the hard places to draw us near and make Himself known.