Powerful in making us wise to salvation

Pasa graphé theopneustos, the Gk from 2 Timothy 3:16, has become almost a badge for the evangelical understanding of the Bible: ‘All Scripture is Godbreathed …’ (NIV). The previous sentence has already established that the sacred writings are ‘able [Gk dunamena, powerful] to make you wise for salvation …’ These vv formed the basis for the hymn first drafted by Christopher Idle in 1974 at Poplar, E London, in response to the same Scripture Union request as gave rise to 548. It was revised in 1977 with a new 3rd stz, and again in 1994 when the hammer was introduced at 2.1 from Jeremiah 23:29, and the ‘words of wise who were steered …’ at 3.3 (cf 2 Peter 1:21). It was sung at the Islington Conferences of 1977 and 1981, and published in Songs of Worship in 1980. Some unauthorised textual changes have been made on both sides of the Atlantic; this version is now the definitive one.

The author had Norman Warren’s tune YVONNE (629) in mind when writing this hymn, as used in HTC and other books. SW chose EPIPHANY HYMN (274), and Simon Beckley, Michael Dawney and Donald Hustad have all provided tunes for it. The choice here is Agnes Tang’s HOLIFIELD, composed in 1996. At that time the author and composer both attended Christ Church Old Kent Rd in SE London where the tune was first used; another member and friend was Jo(anna) Holifield, who often added a flute accompaniment to the hymns. All three were in the same Home Group for prayer and Bible-study 1997–2000.

b Bromley, Kent 1938. Eltham Coll, St Peter’s Coll Oxford (BA, English), Clifton Theol Coll Bristol; ordained in 1965 to a Barrow-in-Furness curacy. He spent 30 years in CofE parish ministry, some in rural Suffolk, mainly in inner London (Peckham, Poplar and Limehouse). Author of over 300 hymn texts, mainly Scripture based, collected in Light upon the River (1998) and Walking by the River (2008), Trees along the River (2018), and now appearing in some 300 books and other publications; see also the dedication of EP1 (p3) to his late wife Marjorie. He served on 5 editorial groups from Psalm Praise (1973) to Praise!; his writing includes ‘Grove’ booklets Hymns in Today’s Language (1982) and Real Hymns, Real Hymn Books (2000), and The Word we preach, the words we sing (Reform, 1998). He edited the quarterly News of Hymnody for 10 years, and briefly the Bulletin of the Hymn Society, on whose committee he served at various times between 1984 and 2006; and addressed British and American Hymn Socs. Until 1996 he often exchanged draft texts with Michael Perry (qv) for mutual criticism and encouragement. From 1995 he was engaged in educational work and writing from home in Peckham, SE London, until retirement in 2003; following his return to Bromley after a gap of 40 years, he has attended Holy Trinity Ch Bromley Common and Hayes Lane Baptist Ch. Owing much to the Proclamation Trust, he also belongs to the Anglican societies Crosslinks and Reform, together with CND and the Christian pacifist Fellowship of Reconciliation. A former governor of 4 primary schools, he has also written songs for school assemblies set to familiar tunes, and (in 2004) Grandpa’s Amazing Poems and Awful Pictures. His bungalow is smoke-free, alcohol-free, car-free, gun-free and TV-free. Nos.13, 18, 21, 23A, 24B, 27B, 28, 31, 35, 36, 37, 48, 50, 68, 78, 79, 80, 81, 83, 85, 89, 92, 95, 102, 108, 109, 114, 118, 119A, 121A, 125, 128, 131, 145B, 157, 176, 177, 193*, 313*, 333, 339, 388, 392, 420, 428, 450, 451, 463, 478, 506, 514, 537, 548, 551, 572, 594, 597, 620, 621, 622, 636, 668, 669, 693, 747, 763, 819, 914, 917, 920, 945, 954, 956, 968, 976, 1003, 1012, 1084, 1098, 1138, 1151, 1158, 1159, 1178, 1179, 1181, 1201, 1203, 1204, 1205, 1209, 1210, 1211, 1212, 1221, 1227, 1236, 1237, 1244, 1247, 5017, 5018, 5019, 5020.