Hope of the world

Hope of the world. Georgia Harkness* (1891-1974). The first line of this hymn is ‘Hope of the world, thou Christ of great compassion’, but it is normally known by the first four resounding words. It was written by Harkness, who was an active member of the World Council of Churches with its ties to global missions and ecumenical Christianity. The WCC met at Evanston, Illinois, in 1954. Harkness had been a professor at Evanston until a few years before, and was naturally inspired by the meeting. The theme of this Second Assembly of the WCC, ‘Christ, the hope of the world’, prompted controversy and division before, during and following the assembly on two issues: is this hope to be fulfilled...