Non-binary language in worship
- Worship Resources:
- Making the most of hymns
- Worship Resources:
- Articles
Ruth Yorke explores the use of language in our hymn singing. She says she has become increasingly conscious of how binary (male/female) our worship language is, and asks what we can do about it. She writes:
"It is true to the intentions of hymns to make the language more inclusive as we sing. The written word cannot keep up with changes in language and understanding, but we can honour the inclusive intention, and our inclusive God, by singing words which include everyone."
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In her reflection, Ruth refers to The Methodist Church’s Theology for Safeguarding Report (adopted by Methodist Conference 2021).
Another helpful resource worth exploring in this context is the website enfleshed.com. enfleshed "creates and facilitates spiritual resources for collective liberation through prayer, liturgies, art, meditations, teaching, and other resources". Explore the site, including a sample copy. You can subscribe to Liturgy that Matters for $8/month.