Supplement to
"Should Christians Use A Crucifix?"

Here is a sample Protestant hymn about Christ on the Cross:

At the Cross
Text by Isaac Watts; refrain by Ralph E. Hudson

1. Alas! and did my Savior bleed,
And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that Sacred Head
For such a worm as I?

Refrain:
At the Cross, at the Cross,
where I first saw the light,
and the burden of my heart rolled away;
it was there by faith I received my sight,
and now I am happy all the day.

3. Well might the sun in darkness hide
And shut his glories in
When God, the mighty Maker, died
For man the creature's sin.

4. Thus might I hide my blushing face
While His dear Cross appears,
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
And melt mine eyes to tears.

5. But drops of grief can ne'er repay
The debt of love I owe;
Here, Lord, I give myself away,
'Tis all that I can do.

Reading these touching words, it is hard to understand how some Evangelicals could sing it and also oppose a crucifix.  The latter portrays Christ's sufferings in art; this lovely hymn portrays the same in poetry!  It is, in fact, something of a meditation on the Passion of Christ (and is that not the purpose of a crucifix?).

If crucifixes are unacceptable because "Jesus isn't on the Cross anymore", then surely this hymn is unacceptable for the same reason.  "Why recall His suffering and humiliation? That's ancient history!"  Catholics use crucifixes the same way Protestants use this hymn; to remember what our Savior did for us.

Here's another Catholic's take on this issue: The Crucifix vs. the "Christ-less Cross"

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