From everything I know about Sidney Carter, he was a gentle, sincere, and loving Christian who would have never intentionally written an anti-Semitic verse. But he was also a product of a religious tradition that has a long and dark anti-Semitic past. Could he have used phrases and images from that tradition that can be interpreted as anti-Semitic? Apparently he did.

I recall a discussion in an English class long ago on whether or not Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness was racist. Certainly Conrad's message was anti-racist. That is what we call civilization is just a thin veneer, and that if the white man is moved to a different environment, he is no different than the black. However, to make that point, Conrad used what we have come to understand as racist imagery, very disturbing racist imagery. But then Conrad was a product of his own times and traditions. Let's cut both him and Carter a break, and let's look at their intentions, not just their metaphors.

Bottom line: if you don't like that "holy people" verse in Lord of the Dance, don't sing it. No one is forcing you to.