I disagree that a change demands the notion that there was a problem with the previous work. Things can move from good to better or from one thing to a different thing. It doesn't have to be a bad thing to a good thing or a wrong thing to a right thing. Gender-neutralizing beautiful works isn't always an attempt to right wrongs or to say there was a problem with the work in it's original form. It's entirely possible that such action is merely an attempt to make the song more personal for different minded or nurtured participants. People in the 2012 might need to sing different words than people in 1912, 1812, or 12. I am of the opinion that we need to embrace our classics, even in their original form, but we must also sing evolved forms of our classics so as to be closer to the message than we otherwise might be. We can have both and I think we should. 

Brotherhood and men may not have been chauvanistic terms but they easily can be today and since times, culture, and perspectives change we need to be able to make sure that we're doing what we can to communicate the original message of these works. Now, the message may not be heard the way it was originally if in the same exact words. Changing it can help with that in certain times and places. That's a good thing. It's worth pursuing. I think it's also a benefit to change lyrics in this fashion if it helps to show the characteristics of the people of God who embrace a kingdom in which there is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, male nor female. That is to say, if our changing of lyrics can shed light on the fact that we are a people who know their culture and desire to communicate the gospel message as best they can within that culture (be it in evangelism or isolated worship) then why not go for it?

If we're going to commit to keeping the original texts then we all better start learning Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew and stand against English translations. If we want to be really purist about this we shouldn't even have hymns that put scripture into English in them but rather only sing scripture references in the original language. 

I see your concern, and it's a good one, but while we fight being hyper-sensitive to an ever changing pluralistic society we have to keep in mind the reality of the historic cultures from which the vocabulary in those works derived and that those were cultures filled with chauvinism and male dominance. The lyrics may not meant to be chauvinistic but their may very well be born of a chauvinistic culture. We can't ebb and flow with every passing fancy of our current cultures but we have to speak the language and we have to convey the Gospel message as appropriately as we can. There is a balance between knowing our history and the true meanings and intentions of those wonderful works of praise and being intimate with the message of the works as a different community with different vocabularies and nurturing.