A group has created a set of hymns for Christian LGBT people to sing in LGBT friendly churches called Songs for the Holy Other: Hymns Affirming the LGBTQIA2S+ Community. If you’re guessing that it contains pro-LGBT messages that paint Heaven as queer and even gets a little political, you guessed correctly.

According to the Anglican Journal, the non-profit “Hymn Society” created nearly 50 hymns written by and for members of the LGBT community after an amendment to the marriage canon recognizing same-sex marriage failed to pass at General Synod 2019.

“I definitely think it was very much needed for them to release it so soon after General Synod,” said Sydney Brouillard-Coyle, music director at St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Essex, Ont. “Just looking through the music and the lyrics, it’s an amazing resource for music directors and for priests who are looking for hymns that are affirming for the LGBT community.” 

Brouillard-Coyle identifies as gender-non-conforming, queer and asexual.

“I’ve been going through our hymn book and trying to change some of the language [so] that it’s more inclusive—so instead of ‘We are all God’s sons and daughters,’ using language like ‘We are all God’s precious children,’” added Brouillard-Coyle. “But to have that resource already done for us in some way and to provide new music for us to use is absolutely incredible.” 

The songs themselves, which you can view here, include some titles that range from calling Heaven the “Queerest of Nations” to songs about tearing down walls. These include:

• The Kingdom of God is the Queerest of Nations
• Who Is the Alien
• God of Queer Transgressive Spaces
• Queerly Beloved
• The Heart Will Choose the One It Loves
• Quirky Queer and Wonderful
• Blest Be the Holy Other

While it’s not my place to judge a person, I can tell you that God made it very clear that homosexuality is a sin. God does indeed love every person in the LGBT community and their status as a homosexual shouldn’t stop us from loving them either as we’re commanded.

However, this is attempting to push what is considered a sin as completely acceptable, and even smiled upon, within the church, and this is where many are going to take issue.

Painting sin as acceptable within a church is also a sin. If a group of people attempted to make hymns about how theft is okay, and encouraged stealing from your neighbor, I’d be committing the same act. That LGBT groups are creating songs around love and acceptance doesn’t make it better, it’s just hiding sin behind a mask.

To be sure, God loves and forgives all, but forgiveness and acceptance are two totally different things. God didn’t hang out with sinners, he went to them to free them from their sin. What this group is doing is pushing the idea that Christ is good with sin and is accepting of the sin itself.

This isn’t a celebration of Christ and his love, it’s a celebration of themselves and their sexual preferences.