Together in song: an ecumenical sin?

Ecumenical Review, The, July, 2002 by Sarah Mitchell

Christians learn much of their theology through hymns. Increasingly, these reflect the growing ecumenical experience among the churches. For example, several ecumenical hymnals have recently been published in Australia. At the same time, a growing awareness of the importance of inclusive and contextual theologies sits uneasily alongside an increasing conservatism and a turning away from ecumenical commitments. With particular emphasis on one of the most recently published hymn books, Together in Song, (1) this paper explores the theology contemporary hymn singers are learning, especially in relation to gender and culture, and how these hymnals might be assessed in laying claim to the label "ecumenical" (that is, of the whole inhabited earth).

"Our" hymn book

On visiting the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands in 1995, I was amazed to recognize the hymn book being used in that denomination as the same one I had grown up with in the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand. Perhaps I should not have been so surprised. Not so long ago, one might have entered Presbyterian churches in many parts of the world and found the familiar Revised Church Hymnary in the pew. We knew our hymns by number, and our denominational sense of who we were was firmly established, to a large extent, by our hymnal. I imagine this same experience could be repeated for many different denominations in different parts of the world. Our geographic and ethnic contexts were largely ignored, but we could recognize Presbyterians (or Methodists, Anglicans and Catholics) by their hymns. Other denominations may have shared some of "our" hymns--but they rarely sang them to the "fight" tunes!

But times have changed dramatically, and due to many factors. As in many other parts of the world, the "we" of hymn singers in Australia has become much more cross-denominational. No longer finding a home with the "we" of colonizing denominations, our "we" is now much more likely to be defined by theological positioning. (2) This realignment of those singing praise together has been strongly influenced by the ecumenical, missionary, liturgical and charismatic movements (3) and further shaped by globalization, lay involvement and an interest in many forms of contextual and liberation theologies, including feminist theology. Within this context, and especially since the 1950s, vast numbers of songs and hymns have been written to create a "hymnodic explosion" (4) which has influenced the practice of worshipping communities throughout the world. As a result, hymn singing will never be quite the same.

In recent years, there has been a proliferation of non-denominational song books. Song books coming out of the ecumenical movement often have their birth at international ecumenical gatherings. Organizations such as the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) and the Council for World Mission (CWM) have become places where particular styles of new music have been shared and developed. From this ecumenical culture, new song books have been published. (5) The impact from these global events was highlighted in Australia by the World Council of Churches seventh assembly in Canberra in 1991. Those who attended this gathering brought new music back into their congregations. Others learned the music through cassette tapes circulated widely both before and after the event.

Ecumenical communities such as Iona or Taize have also developed their own styles of music, which have often been taken up enthusiastically by those who visit, or are otherwise inspired by, the ethos and commitment of these communities. Visits to Australia from members of these communities are encouraged and workshops are well attended by people from many different denominations.

As a result, worshipping communities are now singing many of these ecumenical songs, hymns and chants, and a number of the songs have found their way into local song books and new church hymnals. Many Australians have welcomed this ecumenical music and, in embracing it, have taken on the ecumenical "we" in their hymn singing.

As a member of this ecumenical "we", my own context and experience will shape the perspective and questions I bring in considering the most recent Australian ecumenical hymnal Together in Song.

A contextual perspective

All my life I have been part of a worshipping community and have accessed that experience most meaningfully through music, especially singing. My own Christian formation through the music of the liturgy prompts questions about how spirituality might be moulded through the singing of hymns. Another significant factor in the forming of my own spirituality has been the experience of ecumenism at an institutional level (both local and global), and at a congregational level in many different settings. The extreme frustrations and sheer delights emerging from such experiences lead to questions about how we might live more authentically as the body of Christ whilst respecting the huge differences that still lie between us.