Much to the relief of the entire Lent Madness global public, the Supreme Executive Committee has reconciled -- temporarily -- which means the Saintly Smackdown will proceed after Saturday's all-t00-real April 1st scare. Yes, there WILL BE a 2017 Golden Halo winner.
So let's get back to the holy business of saintly competition! Today, we continue with the final matchup of the Saintly Sixteen as Amelia Bloomer faces Fanny Crosby. To get to this round, Amelia dispatched Philipp Melanchthon while Fanny got the best of G.F. Handel. The winner will join seven other saintly souls to make up the Elate Eight. Who will Amelia or Fanny be joining? Just to refresh your memory, that would be Stephen, Augustine of Canterbury, Franz Jaggerstatter, Mechtild of Magdeburg, Raymond Nonnatus, Martin Luther, and Florence Nightingale. One of this group will, soon enough, be crowned in (extra special) glory.
Amelia Bloomer
Amelia is remembered in the church as a woman who saw women as equal and valued members of the body of Christ. She worked tirelessly in her life to invite the Church and the State to recognize the dignity of women. She was a journalist, voting rights advocate, and temperance leader, among her many roles.
Amelia Bloomer began her prophetic ministry in the temperance movement. She saw the results of alcohol consumption -- violence, men squandering their pay on alcohol instead of food, and health issues. She wanted it eradicated from all aspects of society, including food. She responded to criticism made by a prominent wife of an elected official that one could not bake holiday treats without the addition of brandy, saying, “That lady must be a wretched cook indeed who cannot make apple dumplings, mince pie, or cake palatable without the addition of poisonous substances.”
She advocated for less-restricting fashions for women, seeing the style of the day as oppressive and damaging. When criticized by men for advocating for women wearing the style of pants that would bear her name, bloomers, she quipped, “Let men be compelled to wear our dress for awhile and we should soon hear them advocating a change.”
Amelia worked tirelessly for suffrage, and she pushed for the right of women to hold elected offices. Her mind and wit, quick and sharp, frequently pointed out the absurdities of the arguments for the continued disempowerment of women in government. Women, argued the majority of elected male leaders of the day, were created to submit to laws, not to make them. She countered, “It will not do to say that it is out of woman's sphere to assist in making laws, for if that were so, then it should be also out of her sphere to submit to them.”
She added, to the clergy who argued gender discrimination was God’s holy will, “Man represents us, legislates for us, and now holds himself accountable for us! How kind in him, and what a weight is lifted from us! We shall no longer be answerable to the laws of God or man, no longer be subject to punishment for breaking them.”
In her newspaper The Lily, Amelia created a forum addressing serious issues concerning women, and gave them a voice. Bloomer said of her paper, ”It is woman that speaks through The Lily. It is upon an important subject, too, that she comes before the public to be heard.”
The forum she gave to women to speak, to be heard, and to be empowered continues to nurture all who demand dignity. Her words still ring true, and still challenge us.
-- Laurie Brock
Fanny Crosby
Fanny Crosby is easily given the appellations of “mother of modern American congregational singing” and “Queen of Gospel Song Writers.” Her more than eight thousand hymn texts of the late 19th and early 20th centuries make her among the most prolific hymn writers of all time. More remarkable than her myriad compositions is that she wrote all of her hymns while blind.
Far from seeing her blindness as a burden and affliction, Crosby noted that “it seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow, I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me." Indeed, her faithfulness required no sight: “if I had a choice,” she said, “I would still choose to remain blind… for when I die, the first face I will ever see will be the face of my blessed savior.”
Hymn-writing for Crosby wasn’t a matter of making money, or earning a living. She noted that she always began her work in prayer: “I never undertake a hymn without first asking the good Lord to be my inspiration.” Evidently the work of working and re-working lyrics didn’t burden Crosby, either. “It is not enough to have song on your lips,” she said, “you must also have a song in your heart.” Crosby’s prayerfulness was not without practicality, though – and while her hymns have often been criticized for being overly sentimental, one can’t deny the honesty she brought to her own life of prayer: “God will answer you prayers better than you think,” she wrote. “Of course, one will not always get exactly what he has asked for....We all have sorrows and disappointments, but one must never forget that, if commended to God, they will issue in good....His own solution is far better than any we could conceive.”
But of the words all the words Fanny Crosby may have written, it is her hymns that have stirred the hearts of millions of Christians in the United States and around the world. Her best known hymn, “Blessed Assurance,” speaks of the promise found in following Jesus:
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine;
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest;
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
-- David Sibley
[poll id="196"]
204 comments on “Amelia Bloomer vs. Fanny Crosby”
I do love music, but I love faith put into action for social justice. And I like wearing pants and am a Leon County poll worker during elections. Go Amelia!
I vote for Bloomer. Here is the problem: "Deuteronomy 22:5 “A woman shall not wear a man's garment, nor shall a man put on a woman's cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God." The introduction of "bloomers" by Amelia caused some problems. For example, "Some young women were denied church membership for wearing the ("Bloomer") dress.", New York Daily Tribune, reprinted in Lily, July 8, 1851, p. 6. Problems continute to this day. "A United Airlines gate agent barred two girls from boarding a flight Sunday morning because the girls were wearing leggings." See what Amelia started!! You go girl!!!!!
I have yet to see someone in public wearing leggings without a mid-thigh or longer top on who did not look underdressed (and often overweight).
For my mother-in-law, whose life we are remembering and celebrating this week, who lost her vision (one of the last things she did before her vision was completely gone was to re-read the entire Bible) and was so looking forward to receiving new eyes, and who loved the old hymns . . .
For my multi-lingual church in which "Blessed Assurance" is one of the few hymns that all of us know in our own heart languages and can sing in one voice . . .
Fanny.
Having sat at the same pipe organ where Fanny played "At the Cross" at the Bowery Mission in NYC, I had to give her my vote. I love how she saw her blindness not as a burden but as an avenue through which to bless so many. As her hymn goes, "It was there (at the cross) by faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day!"
The adolescent male (my wife tells me this phrase is a redundancy) in me has to note the pairing of Fanny with Bloomer. Both gifted women who put their faith into action. Just because I'm more familiar with her story, my vote goes to Ms. Crosby.
I truly appreciate the contributions Amelia Bloomer made to the women's movement and admire the strong stand she made on issues surrounding equality for women. I am a grateful recipient of her work to secure equal rights for women under the law.
I also admire Fanny Crosby for her incredible faith and her earnest lifelong desire to share it with the world through her hymns. I am also a grateful recipient of her work to invigorate Christianity by penning songs about Jesus for a hurting world.
Because Fanny's lyrics have and continue to spread the Gospel so beautifully, she gets my vote. Her songs are indelibly etched on my heart and I commend this song of praise to you today - vote for Fanny!!!
Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
Sing, O Earth, His wonderful love proclaim!
Hail Him! Hail Him! Highest archangels in glory;
Strength and honor give to His holy Name!
Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard His children,
In His arms He carries them all day long.
Refrain:
Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness;
Praise Him! Praise Him! Ever in joyful song!
Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
For our sins He suffered, and bled, and died.
He our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation,
Hail Him! Hail Him! Jesus the Crucified.
Sound His praises! Jesus who bore our sorrows,
Love unbounded, wonderful, deep and strong.
Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
Heav’nly portals loud with hosannas ring!
Jesus, Savior, reigneth forever and ever;
Crown Him! Crown Him! Prophet, and Priest, and King!
Christ is coming! over the world victorious,
Pow’r and glory unto the Lord belong.
VOTE FOR FANNY!
In a class on Anglicanism taught by Archbishop Carey at Notre Dame, he declared that he mentioned no women in his discussion of our history and life because no women had done anything worth mentioning as Anglican leaders. I responded by writing my research paper on a British woman whose hymns had been much more popular (and undoubtedly more effective in promoting her theology) than any male theologian he'd spoken about. In honor of unnoticed (by archbishops, anyway) women who have been there in Anglicanism all along, teaching and leading, I voted for Fanny Crosby.
Marjorie, I'm sitting here all but speechless at what Archbishop Carey said. I love your response - practical, to the point and incredibly powerful. What did he have to say about your paper? Do you have what you wrote in electronic form that you could share? So proud of you. You were presented with ignorant arrogance, yet you persisted!
Diana - Archbishop Carey gave me an A on the paper, but didn't seem to realize that I was responding to his assertion that women had never contributed anything to Anglicanism. Reminds me of seminary, where ECW was never mentioned in class, but the wives of male students worked together to prepare for the power they expected to have in ECW as clergy wives. Invisibly, of course.
Guess which seminary I attended!
Grrrrrrr.
Marjorie, you are a brave woman!
Elizabeth I might not have been amused about her contributions to Anglicanism (i.e. the Elizabethan Compromise) being ignored by an Archbishop of Canterbury.
Had to go with Amelia, whose strength and character helped to change things for the better for women. A trailblazer during very hard times. I think we can bolster our own stregth through her example during these hard times of division and heartlessness in our politics.
Such a hard choice. Love "Blessed Assurance" and love Fanny's faith, but have to go with Amelia for saving us from restrictive clothing and for advocating for women.
In the days before there was an income tax, the federal government made most of its money in taxing alcohol. The result of that was what triggered the whole temperance movement, and subsequent ban on alcohol. So I don't blame Amelia for being against booze. She's my choice. I don't find any of Fanny's hymns in my hymnal , which is very old.
Though a "high" Anglican and not a lover of evangelical-type hymns, I prefer Fanny Crosby for NOT being part of the Temperance Union and its various tenets.
In another era I might have picked Fanny, but right now, the idea "perfect submission" is on the rise in distorted and awful ways; our call in this time and place, is to be fighters like Amelia rather than pietists like Fanny.
Never mind that Amelia's zeal, directed at alcohol, led to the horrors of prohibition. Today, I imagine, with that lesson available, she would attack it in less clumsy ways. I have seen what alcohol did to someone in my family, and to that person's marriage; and what happens when marriage to an alcoholic is combined with "perfect submission" to what is falsely cast as God's will -- rather than intelligent self-preservation in the name of justice.
Went with Fanny, but have no trouble with Amelia going all the way. Still looking for the other names Fanny had to use to get all her hymns published. Would love to see a hymnal of all of Fanny's hymns.
Fannie Crosby's hymns reach the evangelical hymn lovers as well as SOME high church Anglicans ! I still get chills singing/hearing VICTORY IN JESUS (NOT FANNIY'S) and the last line: "He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood." Hoo Boy ! Just saw a High Churcher cross herself and mutter something in Latin !
Scott and Tim, you are examples to us all. Your hard work of reconciliation is a true sign of grace - and whiplash. From total breakup to a resurrection of the SEC team in three days is - well - all but unbelievable. Fortunately there are precedents. I'd use the A-word, but it's still Lent.
Fanny is still my favorite and I'm sad that she will likely not make it to the end! Still she's a Golden Halo winner in my book!
"Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the power of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine."
(Fanny J. Crosby "I Am Thine, O Lord")
I had to vote for the Temperance leader to honor my mother, who devoted much of her life to teaching young people the value of temperance so their lives would not be destroyed as had the lives of her brothers.
Even though I am a musician, I am more in the Classical tradition and do not care for the gospel hymns. Plus, belonging to a church with 2 female pastors, I feel we owe Amelia a great deal. Amelia gets my vote!
Though an Episcopalian and a priest, I grew up Pentecostal and still love the old timey Gospel hymns. Simply to be reminded of her wonderful text, "Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine" secured my vote. It links in my mind with the words of our baptismal liturgy, "You are sealed by the Holy Spirit in baptism and marked as Christ's own forever.". Truly, "this is my story, this is my song...."
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiSkmbzS4nw&w=560&h=315%5D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiSkmbzS4nw&w=560&h=315%5D
#ShePersisted
Fanny Crosby's "Blessed Assurance"
Thank you for that link, St. Celia. What a marvelous rendition!
I finally got the video to show in the text box!
Yes, you did. Hooray!
LOL, Margaret. You're probably right on both counts.
That's my dilemma, too.
Oh thank you so much for the song. So beautiful !
<3
Giving women a "voice" wins my vote! Accolades for Amelia!
"Oh, what a happy soul I am,
although I cannot see!
I am resolved that in this world
Contented I will be.
How many blessings I enjoy
That other people don't,
To weep and sigh because I'm blind
I cannot, and I won't!"
- Fanny Crosby, Age 8
After looking into Fanny's bio more deeply on my own, I had to go with her. She not only had sexism to deal with (inferred), but ableism as well. And she took it in stride. Luckily, I won't be too devastated if Amelia wins as I hold her in high esteem and owe her much. Hard choice.
because I love hymns and hymnwriters, I am voting for Fanny this time around.
Whether Amelia was outwardly religious or not, she worked for equality and justice. When my grandmothers were young adults, they could not vote. My mother was born before women could vote. Amelia get my vote.
My first name is a traditional family name, but my middle name of Carol, is not. When I questioned my now-departed mother why Carol, she responded that she always wanted me" to have a song in my heart".In her memory and honor I voted for Ma. Crosby.
I can't help but think how pleased Bloomer would be that so many churches sponsor AA (and NA, etc) groups (while she'd probably be working to reinstate prohibition).
Tough choice today. I will be happy with either saint moving to the Elate Eight.
Actually hear Fanny Crosby's voice found on wax cylinder recording. Book and CDs called Waxing the Gospel!
That is cool!
Amelia Bloomers is my gal...also - where is the statue that is shown ???
Edwina, it’s at the Women’s Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls, NY. Linkie: https://www.nps.gov/wori/learn/historyculture/amelia-bloomer.htm