A 2-year project resulting in hymnody that combines sing-ability and theologically sound words. The Book of Common Praise, as its title suggests, is a hymnal companion to The Book of Common Prayer. This hymnal attempts to supply congregations with a breadth of timeless hymnody that represents a full theological diet, from milk to meat. The criteria that shaped this hymnal were true theology, beautiful poetry, wellformed music, a suitable match of music with words, and breadth of both subject matter and style. It preserves the heritage of two historic hymnals, The Hymnal (Episcopal, 194) and The Hymnal (Episcopal, 1982) while also adding the best of new hymns and contemporary worship music written since.
Staple hymns of the wider Church also and appear in this volume, such as Amazing Graceand It is Well with my Soul. Guitar chords are supplied for hymns where appropriate, and complete keyboard accompaniments appear on all pages with the hymns themselves, so that a keyboardist could play any song directly from this volume.
This hymnal has specifically collected songs to address spiritual gaps in earlier hymnals, including:
- hymns which explicitly connect the love of God to love of ones fellow man
- hymns about Jesus healing miracles which consider theological dimensions in addition to a social gospel mandate
- hymns about righteousness and sin which are pointed and particular in their language (i.e. abstain from fornication..., do not be slothful in business..., practice hospitality...)
- hymns of judgment and imprecation - hymns about Jesus feeding of the multitudes which consider theological dimensions in addition to the foreshadowing of the Last Supper: i.e. Jesus as the new manna-giver, etc.
- hymns about believers incorporation into Christ, which use the Biblical metaphors of members of a body or of a Vine and branches.
About the Author
The Reformed Episcopal Church is a founding jurisdiction of the Anglican Church in North America (rechurch.org). It was founded in 1873 in New York City by George David Cummins, formerly a bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church.
