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Table of contents

Chapter 11

The 2017 Hymnal

The 2008 Christian Science Hymnal Supplement proved to be a springboard, moving The Mother Church to embark, almost immediately, on the next major project—a completely new edition of the Hymnal. By 2012, Rosalie Dunbar was able to inform readers of that eventuality in a September 2012 Christian Science Journal article:

To keep abreast of human needs for fresh inspiration and to offer a more global outlook, plans are afoot to bring out another Hymnal Supplement that builds on the one published in 2008. Positive reports from those who are using the 2008 Supplement have encouraged this further work….¹

Within months following publication of the Supplement, a new committee had been formed, tasked with recommending texts and tunes for consideration in the “Expanded Hymnal Supplement”—the name originally given to what would become the 2017 Christian Science Hymnal: Hymns 430–603. Noting that the examination of other hymnals in 2008 had revealed many ecumenical hymns, the committee felt that even more of these “tunes that bind” should be added. Among the objectives: to help strengthen its content and enable Christian Science churches to join hands more fully with congregations of other denominations.

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The full suite of products released in connection with the 2017 Christian Science Hymnal: Hymns 430–603. Audio included piano and solo voice recordings of all 174 hymns, offered in a seven-CD set and a USB. 

Coordinator Ann White noted that the goal for the new publication was to retain the hymns of the previous edition while adding more selections to the mix. Besides researching well-known Christian hymns, the committee sought out new compositions.

According to the Journal, the work of preparing this latest publication was divided among four teams with complementary goals:

• Evaluating music submissions
• Reviewing other Christian denominational hymnals for classic hymns that might be considered
• Assessing new texts for metaphysical accuracy (the work of Christian Science teachers in particular)
• Identifying hymns reflective of the church’s broader international community, with the purpose of ensuring that other cultures in which Christian Science had taken hold were represented

Christian Scientists submitted hundreds of original texts and tunes,² and the committee gave each one careful consideration, reviewing approximately 1,500 selections. Every submission was evaluated on the basis of essential criteria similar to those used by the 2008 Supplement committee:

• Metaphysical accuracy
• Uplifting, healing messages
• Musical excellence
• Diverse global and contemporary appeal
• Use of gender neutrality where appropriate³

As the new work progressed, the church periodically published online samples of what was to come. One typical and appropriate sample was titled “Sing a New, New Song.”⁴ As the 2016 holiday season approached, readers of the Christian Science Sentinel and The Herald of Christian Science, as well as people visiting their web pages at JSH-Online, were given a special preview of several new Thanksgiving and Christmas hymns, including full-score downloads and musical accompaniments. Soon after, site visitors were able to preview a rich sampling of new hymns and follow the latest news leading up to the release of what was still being called the “2016 Supplement.”

As previous chapters in this series have made clear, constructing and issuing a new hymnal almost always takes more time than initially imagined. Among the particular reasons, careful editing and proofreading are required, as well as the securing of permission rights. With 174 hymns, this newest volume was considerably larger than what would normally be thought to constitute a “supplement.” So it’s not surprising that when it was published in 2017, the book bore the name Christian Science Hymnal: Hymns 430–603. The new title confirmed the concept of two volumes—a 1932 edition, containing Hymns 1–429, and a 2017 edition, with Hymns 430–603. While bound separately, they would really comprise one Christian Science Hymnal.

In anticipation of the approaching publication date, a hymn sing was held in The Mother Church Extension on Sunday, June 5, 2016, prior to that year’s Annual Meeting.⁵ Broadcast live online, the event was hosted by music scholar Dr. Ryan Vigil, who helped the audience enjoy learning 14 new selections. A musical album titled Celebration was also produced, to help introduce people to many of the new hymns. Eventually The Mother Church also issued a recording of all 174 selections, featuring solo voices accompanied by piano. Concerted efforts of the committee to make the Hymnal more globally diverse resulted in the inclusion of 28 international hymns, printed in their native languages as well as English: eight in Spanish, seven in German, six in French, five in Portuguese, and two in the African languages Xhosa and Zulu.

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Two versions of “It Came upon the Midnight Clear” in the 2017 Hymnal; Christmas hymn reference guide, 2024.

In total the new Hymnal also introduced 52 previously unpublished tunes and 17 previously unpublished poems. For the first time, congregations found scriptural citations and informational notes—where appropriate and where space allowed—included at the bottom of the pages. To avoid the necessity of turning pages, 20 longer hymns displayed only the melodic line and the words. In those cases the complete hymn, with the accompaniment, was included in the Full-Score Appendix at the back of the book.

With the publication of the 2008 Supplement and the 2017 Hymnal, a new era of hymn singing began, with an expanded embrace of the worldwide Christian Science religion. Churches would now have access to 603 hymns from many languages, selected to provide inspiring texts and new music, both classic and contemporary. Whether accessed individually or through the shared joy of congregational singing, they would constitute new sources of spiritual inspiration, sustenance, and healing.

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