When The English Hymnal first came out in 1906, the Archbishop of Canterbury (Randall Davidson) wanted every parish in his diocese to reject it. On its centenary, the Archbishop of Canterbury (Rowan Williams) wrote a foreword to a book in its celebration. Now he has written a foreword to the new Revised English Hymnal.
The history of Christmas carols demonstrate that, in all eras as with today, popular celebration often resisted authority-imposed religious celebrations