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And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. Luke 1:26-35
The virgin birth of our Lord Jesus Christ is a fundamental Christian doctrine, and one of the first that's always attacked by liberals. It's interesting to note that even a female pseudo-bishop is opposed to altering the words of a beloved Christmas carol; as reported by Abigail Frymann Rouch of the London Daily Telegraph, December 23, 2018:
It is sung at carol services across the country every Christmas, telling the story of the birth of Jesus to his mother Mary.
But one version of 'Hark! The Herald Angels Sing' is incurring the ire of bishops because it removes the reference to Mary's virginity, with the line "Offspring of a virgin's womb" replaced with "Offspring of the favoured one".
Senior Church of England clergy have warned against using the altered version of Charles Wesley’s Christmas hymn, which has found its way into an increasing number of services.
Revd Marcus Walker, rector of Great St Bartholomew in the City of London, said the text change was not heretical but it “plays down the Virgin Birth, plays down the reality of Christ's birth, and Mary's femininity – that he came out of a womb; this was a real birth from a real woman."
The bishop of Crediton, Bishop Jacqueline Searle, said sticking to the original text was vital “because it’s a part of our creed”.
“It’s important that we are not squeamish about singing 'of a virgin’s womb', which reflects nothing being impossible with God,” she said.
Bishop Searle added that there were different theological ways in which people understand the Virgin Birth today, but it was important that Christmas carols were not tampered with, because altered versions could mislead people less familiar with the Christian faith.
“Just because something sounds difficult or new doesn’t mean it needs to be changed.
“When we sing our doctrine, it is saying something about what we believe. Especially at this time of year, when lots of people are singing carols, we would like what we’re singing to reflect as accurately as we can the faith we inhabit.”
The Bishop of Blackburn, Julian Henderson, also criticised the change, arguing that Wesley’s original “is an essential part of the Christmas story”.
Donald Allister, the Bishop of Peterborough, added: “Wesley’s great Christmas carol conveys the true Christmas message joyfully and powerfully. It is a great shame to see any attempt to reduce that message.”
Many carol texts have been modernised, reordered, or retranslated from foreign languages over the centuries, but usually without changing their message. Wesley’s original opening line to his carol was “Hark, how all the Welkin Rings”, “welkin” meaning sky or heavens.
Recently the texts of some carols have been modified to use “inclusive language” rather than words such as “sons” or “men”.
Rev Dr Ian Paul, a theologian and member of the Archbishops' Council, which oversees Church of England strategy and funding, said the altered version of the carol “avoids the awkward challenge of the Virgin Birth and probably ought to be put in the bin”, and advised anyone putting together a carol service to consult a good-quality printed hymnbook for their texts rather than just search online.
A Google search links the changed version to American gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, who recorded 'Hark! The Herald Angels Sing' in the 1960s, though the exact provenance of the altered line is unclear.
Ian Kelly, chairman of the Royal Society of St George, said that the carol-singing after the society’s Christmas banquet at the Mansion House in London last Wednesday [19/12] unintentionally used the altered words. “I arranged for the words to be drawn down from the internet … We were under some pressure to get the words to the printers so we did a quick proof but didn’t go into the detail of that particular line.”
Rupert Gough, who was directing the choristers after the banquet said: “I see this all the time at weddings – you Google for texts and you think ‘That’s it,’ and it may have come from an American site or whatever, and you find that people tinker with the words.”
Andrew Reeves, head server and master of ceremonies at west London’s Holy Trinity church, Sloane Square, said he came across the altered words this week at a company carol service. Staff from the company had sourced the texts for the orders of service but when the congregation came to the unfamiliar line, “everybody was completely thrown,” he said.
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