Songs for the Holy Other Sodom: Rebellion Affirming Hymns for the LGBTQIA2S+ Community. Rebellion Worshiping Itself. Hyms from the hymnal of hell.
July 22, 2019. RNS.
The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada has released a new collection, “Songs for the Holy Other: Hymns Affirming the LGBTQIA2S+ Community.” The completed project was presented on July 16 at a session of the organization’s Annual Conference in Dallas, Texas, by members of a working group that spent several years in planning and consultation.
The collection includes forty-eight hymns and songs in a wide variety of musical styles, all intended for congregational use. The entire resource is available for free download at The Hymn Society’s website. Copyright holders have granted permission for individuals and communities to reprint the hymns and songs for their own use free of charge for a two-month period after which they must secure a license or written permission.
The title, “Songs for the Holy Other,” draws both on the queer experience of being “othered” and on a traditional understanding of God as wholly other. Scholar and hymn writer Carl P. Daw, Jr. comments in the introduction that “human otherness (of whatever kind) provides a sacramental reminder of the ultimate otherness of God, and openness to human otherness has the potential to enlarge our perception of and receptivity to divine otherness.” The otherness of LGBTQIA2S+ persons is claimed as a gift of God to be shared with the church and the wider community.
The hymns and songs in this collection were chosen from nearly 200 that had been submitted for consideration. Approximately half of the authors of hymn texts identify as members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community. Some of the texts have been paired with familiar tunes while others have been set to new musical settings.
The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada, founded in 1922, is a broadly ecumenical organization representing nearly fifty Christian denominations. Its members include scholars, students, hymn writers, composers, songwriters, pastors, music directors, song leaders, publishers, and others dedicated to encouraging, promoting, and enlivening congregational song.
The theme for this year’s Hymn Society conference in Dallas was “Each Breath Is Borrowed Air.” The five-day event included both scholarly and practical sessions for those who study congregational singing, create new hymns and songs, or lead worshiping assemblies in singing.
LGBTQ+ Agenda
LGBTQ+ Doctrine
LGBTQ+ Theology
LGBTQ+ Practices
LGBTQ+ Rebellion
LGBTQ+ Deception
Child Pedophiles
Incest
Child Drag Queens
Drag Queen Story Time
Fearful sights
Abominations
Reprobate Mind
Vile Affections