November is the month of considering spiritual reformers--thanks, largely, to the day (Oct. 31, 1517) a monk named Martin Luther defied the traditional church by nailing a list of 95 “theses” or objections to church doctrine on the door of Germany's Wittenberg Castle church. With the pounding his hammer, the Reformation began. And from Luther's pen also came the rally hymn of the reformation: “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”
But three centuries later, another church-splitting theological dispute would birth yet another classic and beloved hymn, “The Church's One Foundation.” It happened across the North Sea, in England, where theological differences rumbled in the established Anglican Church. Some of its leaders had embraced ideas from liberal German theologians that challenged the divine inspiration of the Bible. That included a bishop in South Africa who questioned whether Moses really wrote the first five books of the Bible. They also disputed Paul's stance in the letter to the Romans about eternal punishment.
Enter a 27-year-old minister Samuel Stone, who served a London parish with many poor and underprivileged members. It was said of him that “he created a beautiful place of worship for the humble folk, and made it a 'center of light in the dark places.'” Though humble toward his parishioners, he stood up with courage and grit against the philosophies that were eroding the historic Anglican church.
Stone also wrote poetry and music, and into this time of theological controversy he brought a number of hymns, including a twelve-hymn set based on the twelve articles of the Apostles' Creed. The lyrics opposed the liberal teachings he felt might divide and destroy the church. One of the hymns, based on the Creed's ninth section about the church as the body of Christ, was the hymn “The Church's One Foundation.”
That hymn quickly became popular throughout Great Britain. Two years later, when all the Anglican bishops gathered known as the Lambeth Conference—an all-Anglican-church-leaders theological conference still held every ten years in Britain—Stone's hymn was chosen for the processional and theme of the historic meeting.
The hymn's tune is connected with another famous name: Samuel Wesley. He was the son of Methodism's hymnodist Charles Wesley and nephew of Methodism founder John Wesley. Samuel received his doctorate in music from Oxford when only twenty-nine years old and went on to compose many church service and hymn tunes. Some still sung today include “Christ the Lord is Risen Today,” “O For a Thousand Tongues,” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”
As you sing along, think of a solemn procession of robed church leaders coming up a historic church's center aisle as they sang. Pay attention to the words and hear the passion of a humble pastor who wanted his church to remain true to historical Biblical teachings.
The church's one foundation - YouTube
The Church's one Foundation - The Choir of King's College Cambridge - YouTube
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