Over lunch today I read Michael Luo's article about the American church (June 22). I was particularly interested in what he had to say about Harry Emerson Fosdick (p. 56-57). (Yeah, "Fosdick" is kind of a funny name, but let be, let be.)
Fosdick interests me because he wrote a hymn that appears in both the Lutheran and Episcopal hymnals. (It's probably in other hymnals, too; I just know those two.)
The hymn is called "God of Grace and God of Glory," and it particularly speaks to me right now because of the final lines of the first and second verses:
"Grant us wisdom, grant us courage / For the facing of this hour."
"Grant us wisdom, grant us courage / For the living of these days."
(It doesn't hurt that the hymn is set to one of my favorite hymn tunes, "Cwm Rhondda.")
I haven't tried to research when Fosdick wrote the hymn, but I suspect it may have been around World War II.
