Hymns in New Form for Common Worship : A Supplement to Hymns for the Celebration of Life (Unitarian Universalist) - Softcover

"This collection of 51 hymns continues a historical process. It contains many of the hymns most popular in Unitarian Universalist congregations as well as a few added to balance the collection. All are revisions of hymns found in Hymns for the Celebration of Life. We seek to move beyond gender in the language of our worship. The old patriarchal forms are contrary to present needs and ideals. If any portion of a congregation feels excluded by words sung or spoken in unison, the words fail to express the intended community. If religious language perpetuates views of the divine or the human in purely masculine forms, it runs contrary to our best understanding. Just as in the past Universalists removed the term 'hell' and Unitarians eliminated 'the Trinity' by recasting old hymns, this brief collection provides changes that should make many hymns more appropriate for our time. The 85 hymns in Hymns for the Celebration of Life that have no gender problems, 12 others that use male or female imagery for inanimate objects or abstract ideas, 18 more that are useful if the word 'Lord' is not a problem, and 4 that contain obvious masculine references, are listed at the back of this book." (from the Preface)