Monthly column on hymns and songs
I had occasion recently to address a highly evangelical seaside gathering on the seven questions people ask most often about hymns. Some, I confess, are a bit tricky: What is a hymn? Others are almost equally complex. Balancing the real snorters, however, come one or two simpler ones, and I have been asked to share some of the material (honestly!) with a wider audience.
Christopher Idle
So, at some risk of repeating what you already know, I face Question Number Four on my list, which is simply: Who is the next (or the new) Charles Wesley? It is often put to us in these days of our literary pygmies, but the marks of such a figure are far easier to spot than, for instance, those of the new Don Bradman or the next Bobby Charlton. How may we recognise CW2 when he comes?
