"Down under," but above board

One of my pet peeves is the prevalence of Christian urban legends on the internet, generally purporting to grant Christianity the right to some favored status in our pluralistic democracy or the setting a wholly mythical foundation for the United States as a "Christian country-" whatever that might be.

Besides representing bad theology (all of God's human creatures, Christian or not, are citizens of God's "Kingdom of the Left Hand," where laws and legislation and human government have their sway; it's in the "Kingdom of the Right," where even Christians live only according to our new natures and where laws, force, and compulsion are unneeded, that the term "Christian" even has meaning), these arguments are dishonest, or at least misinformed - and tend to bring Christ and His Church into disrepute.

In this country, they generally represent attempts to make Thomas Jefferson, Tom Paine, John Quincy Adams and other agnostic or Unitarian or Deist Founding Fathers into "Evangelical" Christians, or otherwise to advance the myth that orthodox Christians were, in fact, particularly numerous among the Founders. While these and other leaders of our country's early years did make many "Christian-sounding" public statements which these sites often quote (bearing marvelous testimony to Christ as a Lawgiver and an Example and everything else but as a Savior- everything, in short, for which an unbeliever can praise him, as unbelievers in fact often do), even a cursory study of their private writings ane personal beliefs reveal that they were made mostly for their rhetorical effect, or else out of genuine (though undeserved) admiration of Christ as Lawgiver and Example.

Yes, that's what I said. Jesus was a lousy Lawgiver- if, that is, that is one mistakes him for; good laws ought to be capable of being readily followed, and in any case He did not come to give us laws. We already had them aplenty, and God's own laws, too; what we lacked was obedience to them! And only those whose hearts are not corrupted by selfishness and sin can benefit from the kind of Example Jesus provided. No, it was as a Savior Jesus came- and that, of course, is the one thing which only a believer can give Him credit for being. All the rest are the tributes of people who miss the whole point of His life and mission.

It seems in Australia, too, there is at least one such tall tale among the saints. Well, actually, there is a difference. The individual in question really was a Christian; it's what is attributed to him that is false.

I refer to Peter Dodds McCormack, author of the Australian National Anthem, "Advance, Australia Fair-" whose tune I happen to rather like, BTW, even though the quality of the lyrics is somewhat uneven:

Australians all let us rejoice,
For we are young and free;
We've golden soil and wealth for toil,
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in Nature's gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history's page, let every stage
Advance Australia fair!
In joyful strains then let us sing,
"Advance Australia fair!"

When gallant Cook from Albion sail'd,
To trace wide oceans o'er,
True British courage bore him on,
Till he landed on our shore.
Then here he raised Old England's flag,
The standard of the brave;
With all her faults we love her still,
"Brittannia rules the wave!"
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"

Beneath our radiant southern Cross,
We'll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands;
For those who've come across the seas
We've boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
To advance Australia fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"

While other nations of the globe
Behold us from afar,
We'll rise to high renown and shine
Like our glorious southern star;
From England, Scotia, Erin's Isle,
Who come our lot to share,
Let all combine with heart and hand
To advance Australia fair!
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"

Shou'd foreign foe e'er sight our coast,
Or dare a foot to land,
We'll rouse to arms like sires of yore
To guard our native strand;
Brittannia then shall surely know,
Beyond wide ocean's roll,
Her sons in fair Australia's land
Still keep a British soul.
In joyful strains the let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"

For years, rumors have apparently persisted Down Under of an alleged "lost verse," which supposedly was Christian in character, but omitted for reasons of secularist bias. It supposedly went like this:

With Christ our head and cornerstone,
We’ll build our nations might,
Whose way and truth and light alone
Can guide our path aright.
Our lives, a sacrifice of love,
Reflect our Master’s care;
With faces turned to heaven above,
Advance Australia Fair!
In joyful strains then let us sing,
"Advance Australia Fair!"

The trouble is, it's an urban legend. The verse exists (obviously; you've just read it!). But it was no part of the original. Maybe somebody wrote it in the hope that it might eventually be included in the anthem, or as an informal addendum to be sung on churchly occasions; while it would be easy to jump to such a conclusion (and there are those who would, with relish), I doubt that it was composed as a conscious fraud.

It's troubling, however, that the story of the "lost verse" continues to be repeated among Australian Christians, even though information to the contrary is readily available to anyone interested.

At least one Christian site, however, responded to that information with integrity (I won't give the link, because it's broken and the site is apparently gone):

Here at Realgold we were under the impression that Peter Dodds McCormack, the writer of the song, and choirmaster at Scot’s Church in Sydney at the turn of the century, had also written a verse which placed Christ at the centre of our country’s future...

One of the benefits of the interactive nature of our site is that when we are wrong you can pull us into line. Someone did and we’re grateful. This verse was written as a ‘wish’ from a Christian heart for a country that reflected Christ but it is not ‘missing’. It was never part of the original. We would never knowingly mislead you and we’re sorry we did.

Australians like to think of themselves as an honest people – being ‘fair dinkum’ as we say – so if we’re wrong, and you know, we would love to hear from you here at Realgold. If anyone knows the true identity of the writer of the verse above we would appreciate the information.

It’s not hard for these ‘myths’ to get started in the Christian community, which longs for its country to reflect the love of Christ. Advance Australia Fair is an expression of patriotism but our lives are called to be an expression of God’s truth.

Which is precisely the attitude Christians- who of all people should be "fair dinkum" with everyone- need to exhibit in such circumstances. Would that we were so more often- even when it comes to giving up our cherished urban legends about America's supposedly "Christian" roots.