The ‘woke’ version of the Christmas carol sparked criticism on social media
By Andrew Mark Miller
An English bishop is responding after a church choir performed a “woke” rendition of a well-known Christmas carol that included LGBT and “inclusive” language.
According to The Express, the All Saints with Holy Trinity choir in Loughborough, England, sang the revised American version of “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,” which included the lines, “God rest you queer and questioning, your anxious hearts be still,” along with another line that read, “God rest you also, women, who by men have been erased.” Throughout history, they have been polluted and uprooted.
The Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, objected to the song’s revision and the addition of progressive language.
Nichols said on Times Radio, “I think what Christmas does, and many other moments, is it tells us the importance of ritual.” “Ritual enables us to connect with something we have received, inherited, and hope to pass on while stepping outside of our personal bubble.
“Those values are the continuation of musical repertoire, of the ability to sing together, of looking at the rituals that have been fashioned over centuries. Those are probably for me more important than particular sensitivities which come and go.”
The amended U.S. version, written by Jeffrey Wilsor and used by the progressive Hollywood United Methodist Church, retains only the first two lines of the original song, which dates back to 17th-century England.
“We are striving to be an inclusive, eco-conscious and intercultural worshipping community (IWC) engaged with issues of social, racial and climate justice,” the church’s website states.
“We don’t think we have all the answers but for those who wish to journey with us in Christian belief and action you will find a welcome here.”
All Saints with Holy Trinity Church did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
“Absolutely disgusted an act of worship to our Lord & Saviour is being used to push political ideology contrary to @ChurchofEngland teaching,” Sam Margrave, a member of the Church’s General Synod, posted on Twitter along with several other users who took issue with the song’s rewording.
Not everyone was opposed to the song, including trainee priest Rachael Brind-Surch, who said, “love my church” when posting a photo of the service bulletin online, according to Daily Mail.
“My faith informs my politics and I will never be sad or mad or apologize for attending a church which challenges me to think about them more and the policies being legislated for in our name,” Brind-Surch added later after the controversy erupted.
