‘Onward, Christian Soldiers’ banished from Remembrance Sunday event over concerns it will offend non-Christians

Oct 28, 2017 by Jill

by Olivia Rudgard, Telegraph:

It is a song that has been sung for over 100 years in memory of British war dead.

But Onward, Christian Soldiers has been dropped from one church’s Remembrance Sunday service – over concerns that it will offend non-Christians.

Now British Legion members are in revolt over the decision to scrap the hymn at the service in St Peter’s CofE Church in Oadby, Leicester.

The Royal British Legion branch has met with the vicar, the Reverend Steve Bailey, and both agreed not to sing the song this year.

But Ian Thorpe, 61, vice-chairman of the Oadby legion club – a separate body, which is across the road from the church, said: “The new vicar is not happy with Onward Christian Soldiers being sung.

“It’s been done nearly every year in recent memory but he said they’re not doing it because not everyone at the service will be Christians – it’s not the ‘soldiers’ bit, it’s the ‘Christian’ bit.

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