Someone messaged me after my music post on ๐๐ฆ๐๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ (thank you). It was about whether Amazing Grace is a ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ. This may be a triggering question, but it is relevant. Our elders evaluate songs for worship; ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ if the Synod had not chosen it?
A debate could be endless, but for awareness purposes, Iโll share some of my observations and others’ concerns about this song.
๐๐ฆ๐๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ฌ UNIVERSAL.
1. Amazing Grace is sung at ๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ข๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ซ events. Artists like Elvis Presley, Celtic Woman, Il Divo, and Susan Boyle included this song in their repertoire. It is universally used at Remembrance Day events, church services, vigils, and funerals. Every civil rights movement adopted Amazing Grace as it supports every cause on every side. In Mahalia Jacksonโs words: โ[Amazing Grace] became an anthem of liberation, a pop-gospel sensation, and is now widely used as the go-to funeral song.โ
2. ๐๐ง๐ฒ๐จ๐ง๐ can sing Amazing Grace. It describes a personal experience (I and me) and does not address God directly; Jesus is not mentioned. In that sense, ๐๐ฆ๐๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ข๐๐๐ฅ, ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ, allowing Catholics, Baptists, Presbyterians, and Mormons to sing in unity. The CanRC Synod 2022 agreed that โAmazing Grace would ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ข๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ to the Book of Praise,โ while most of our own church people will sing about a personal conversion experience they do not recognize.
The (2025) committee reported that some churches deemed the song ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฉ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ฅ, ๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ-๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐, ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐; others argued that it is ๐ง๐๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ง๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐ง๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ. I donโt know any specific concerns raised by our Reformed churches, but I do know some concerns from other churches. For exampleโฆ
โข โAmazing Graceโ is ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ฆ๐ง. Newton isnโt trying to tell the story of the creation, nor the story of the church, nor even the story of Christ. It relays his personal experience. Singing the song points people to the slave trader John Newton.
โข The lines โHow precious did that ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐๐ซ, the hour ๐ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฏ๐๐โ may teach that faith is required before grace. Grace appeared only when he believed, making faith a condition for grace. Different interpretations are possible, but a church should be clear about their doctrine and ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฏ๐.
โข The last stanza, โWhen weโve been there ๐ญ๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ, ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ as the sunโ is taken from โJerusalem, my happy homeโ and added to Amazing Grace in Uncle Tomโs Cabin (Chapter 38). This stanza suggests our eternal life will be in heaven (โthereโ), where we will be shining as the sun, which is ๐ฎ๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฉ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ฅ.
โข Singing โ๐ ๐ฐ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐๐ก ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ฆ๐โ may not accurately reflect our state as redeemed children of Christ, children of the Light, people who have the Holy Spirit, and who live in thankfulness. Christians are reborn, redeemed sinners who give thanks in all circumstances.
โข Church people have not experienced John Newtonโs conversion. More specifically, when singing โthe hour I first believed,โ Christians without a conversion story sing ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ง ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐๐ก ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ.
Some of our churches characterized Amazing Grace as “Scriptural” and “Reformed”, and the committee stated (2022) that Amazing Grace is โtheologically soundโ. Therefore, the concerns above, raised by people from other churches, may seem like splitting hairs to Reformed people. Yet, I think it is good to be aware of different perspectives. A song may not be suitable for corporate worship, even when it is well-loved and classic.
